Interesting jobs for a pilot?

Question

I'm a private pilot and I'm working on getting my degree in aviation. Only problem is I'm not sure what kind of piloting job would be most interesting or rewarding. I definately do not want to be an airliner pilot for many reasons (way too many people, way too many hours, etc.) Do you have any less obvious suggestions for a piloting job that would be worth looking into? Thanks :)

Answer 1

Dear Sword,

Obviously, through no fault of your own, your young, impressionable brain has been poisoned by the superfluous, hyped-up, "Big Money" media portrayal of Airline pilots. Unfortunately, this portrayal could not be further from the truth. In my experience, I've found most airline pilots pompous, back-stabbing, momma's boys with inferiority complexes, as well as being extremely over-rated aeronautically. However, rather than dash your budding dreams of becoming a pilot, I offer the following alternative.

What you REALLY want to aspire to is the exciting, challenging, and rewarding world of TACTICAL AIRLIFT.

And this, sir, means one thing - the venerable, workhorse C-130! I can guarantee no airline pilot can brag that he has led a 12-ship formation down a valley at 300 ft above the ground, while trying to interpret a 9-line to a new DZ, avoiding pop-up threats, and coordinating with AWACS, all while eating a box lunch, with the engineer in the back taking a piss and the navigator puking in his trash can!

I tell you, TAC Airlift is where it's at. Where else is it legal to throw tanks, HMMWVs, and other crap out the back of an airplane, and not even worry about it when the chute doesn't open and it torpedos the General's staff car! No where else can you land on a 3,000' dirt strip, kick a bunch of ammo and stuff off the ramp without even stopping, then take off again before range control can call to tell you you've landed on the wrong LZ!

And talk about exotic travel-when C-130s go somewhere, they GO somewhere (usually for 3 months, unfortunately). This gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture enough to give any local population a bad taste in their mouths, not something those strat-lift pilots can do from their airport hotel rooms!

As far as recommendations for your course of study, I offer these. Take a lot of math courses. You will need all the advanced math skills you can muster to facilitate the calculation of per diem rates around the world, and when trying to split up the crew's bar tab so that the co-pilot really believes he owes 85% of the whole thing.

Health sciences are important, too. You will need a thorough knowledge of biology to make those educated guesses of how much longer you can drink beer before the tremendous case of the shits catches up to you from that meal you ate at that place that had the belly dancers in some God-forsaken foreign country whose name you can't even pronounce!

Social studies are also beneficial. It is important for a good TAC Airlifter to have the cultural knowledge to be able to ascertain the exact location of the nearest titty bar in any country in the world, then be able to convince the local authorities to release the loadmaster after he offends every sensibility of the local religion and culture.

A foreign language is helpful, but not required. You will never be able to pronounce the names of the NAVAIDs in France, and it's much easier to ignore them and go where you want to anyway.

A study of geography is also paramount. You will need to know the basic location of all the places you've been when you get back from your TDY and are ready to stick those little pins in that huge world map you've got taped to you living room wall, right next to that gigantic wooden giraffe statue and beer stein collection.

Well,sword, I hope this little note inspires you. All TAC Airlifters know that there are waaay too few women and too little alcohol there to provide a well-balanced education.
Good luck and see you on the SKE scope!

Answer 2

To tell you the truth, I love flying small planes, and I get the same feeling you get about not wanting to be an airline pilot. In reality, I would definately take the job though. It would be alot more rewarding once you are doing it than when you have your private.
If you get a commercial license, or an atp and need to get a job, and you still dont want to be a airliner pilot, there are plenty of other jobs.
You can fly freight in a turboprop, run cargo in a float plane, run cargo out into the bush, tow flying banners and gliders, give tours, fly executives, or inspect oil pilplines. There are dozen or so more, and you can get books that will tell you. check amazon.

Answer 3

If you don't want to fly an airliner, you are probably the only pilot in America who feels that way, and because there way more pilots than jobs, the number one pilot job in the world is that of flight instructor. Building flight time (to qualify for an airline job) is usually the motivation for becoming a flight instructor.

There are other things you can do. I use to fly for a radio station doing the traffic report. I have several friends who moved to Alaska. If you can get the money together to purchase a Cessna 180 with a ski set up, you can run your own charter service. Africa is another place that needs pilots. (completely different type of challenges, like getting shot at!)

The main problem that pilots have that other professions do not have, we love what we do. So much so, that some of us are willing to work for free (or nearly free) which devalues what we do. If you love to fly you will do it for slave wages. ( I did )

Good Luck

Answer 4

did you know that when you are an airline pilot you only fly like 4 days every 2 weeks? So you get 2 weeks off, then 4 days away, then more weeks off.. it ballances off to 72 hours a week. which is normal i think. But maybe its being away for 4 days that is too much hours for you.

You could fly for a short range airline like Cape Air, i dont know if you live in MA, but Cape air uses Cessna 402's, which only hold about 6-9 people.

Or you could be a crop duster... Or an astronaut pilot lol

Or you could fly for FedEX or UPS or the US post office, or any other cargo airline, but then your back to those hours that you don't like.

But the smaller the aircraft and airline that you fly for, the less money you get :(

Answer 5

Maybe flying a corporate jetliner is more your style. You can fly directly for an owner operator under FAR 91 or a aircraft charter company under FAR135 or a fractional owner operator under FAR 91 sub part D. A good job for someone who wants to work for a co as one of these could work as a line service tech at an FBO like Jet Aviation or Avitat or Boca Aviation or Galaxy Aviation or Milion Air.
This way you can get to know the local companies, pilots and owner operators.Check this website for jobs for corporate pilots, and line service tech's.
www.jsfirm.com

Answer 6

Corporate jet pilots offer a unique and rewarding experience. You have the opportunity to fly some of the most successful people in the world. Here is a link to all major private jet operators in the world with contact information, fleet size and locations: http://www.legfind.com/SiteMap.aspx?SiteMap=Operators

Good luck with the carreer.

Answer 7

Go to an exotic location of your choice and start an excursion flight service that offers tourists a chance to join the "Mile High Club". Maybe the customers will ask you to engage the auto-pilot and join in.

Answer 8

All of them require too many hours, too much travel, no chance of a home life, but that's not why we fly, now is it?
Look into Ag work; spraying, fertilizing. Not for everyone, but certainly challenging.
Fires; either dropping retardent or observation platforms
Cargo; you certainly don't have to deal with people

Good luck

Answer 9

Bush pilot in the Canadian north. Great scenery, challenging conditions...and as a bonus it's not in the USA.

Answer 10

Fighters. Greatest military job in the world