Career Paths

[evand.13]

I'm pretty new to aviation and want to be a pilot. Looking at different potential programs and career outlooks, it seems there are so may different paths you could follow. I'm interested in hearing other peoples stories about how their careers have developed. Tell me the good and the bad, I want to try to get a real sense of what it is like building hours from just over 200TT to where you are now. I'm also open to looking at all types of jobs including bush, cargo, charter, etc.:

Where did you get your first job?
How long did it take?
What are you personal recommendations for landing that first job?
How many flying jobs have you worked?

Answers related (but not limited) to these questions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Blackdog0301]

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[evand.13]

Here’s what my timeline looked like.

January, 2014 - Began my flight training full time.
March, 2014 - completed my private license, and began time building towards the 200 hour commercial requirement. 45ish hours total
December, 2014 - Commercial license complete - 200 ish hours total
January, 2015 - started my instructor training, and finished that in March, 2015 with 230ish total.
April, 2015 - first flying job doing some instructing, and aerial photography.
September, 2015 - job offer at my first flight school instructing. Now up to 450 hours total.
July, 2016 - I move closer to home and continue instructing with another flight school. I came into this job with 800ish hours
September, 2017 - finally saved up enough money to complete my multi engine/IFR ratings. Completed this is about 2 weeks. About 1100 hours total at this point.
December, 2017 - get a job offer flying the Beech 1900 right seat with 1300 total time.

Today, I’m still with this job, and 1600 hours total, 4 years and 3 months after it all began.

So I’ve worked a total of 4 different jobs. Of the 1600 hours I have, about 1200 of that is instructing time. The instructing route worked out very well for me.

The key to landing your first flying job is CONNECTIONS! As you work through your private and commercial licenses, you’ll meet people, build relationships, and learn from other people. The aviation community is fairly small. If you have the right connections, and have a good attitude about everything, someone will pick you up.

Thank you for the response. I love hearing other peoples stories as they motivate me and introduce me to different options I have. What flight school did you go to?

[AirDoan]

There are many different ways. My path was dictated by circumstance and sheer bullheaded stubbornness. More than one pilot has called me nuts for wanting to try, but I had to. So I write this having just started in my first aviation job and working towards a pilot position doing pipeline survey work in my mid 30s. My training started in April of 2012 and still only have my CPL with floats, no multi IFR or instructor ratings. I worked various jobs over 5 years to pay for my CPL and spent the next year networking and pepper bombing everyone with an email address with resumes. 100 variations of cover letters and CVs later and a little heads up about the position and I landed this one. It’ll start as a spotter learning the routing and procedures and then I’ll get my shot to start building time. Then my plan is to work on my multi ifr or getting 50 hours on floats. That is my plan because during those years I joined groups, talked to pilots and tried to network as much as possible. Now I have leads for next season back in BC should I have the hours and one of those two options above. I considered the degree route but my goals are somewhat more “blue collar” and I didn’t have the financial backing. My advice, just start doing it. Get your ppl first. Make sure you want this as a career before going any further then go from there. There are plenty of career paths out there that will pay for the expensive aviation hobby.

[PilotDAR]

The key to landing your first flying job is CONNECTIONS! As you work through your private and commercial licenses, you’ll meet people, build relationships, and learn from other people. The aviation community is fairly small. If you have the right connections, and have a good attitude about everything, someone will pick you up.

Very much yes! Your jobs in aviation, and certainly he better ones will come because someone who was hiring knew you and liked you. Be at the airport - hang around, get to know people. Until you have 5000+ hours, act humble, like you still have lots to learn. That way the 10,000 plus pilots will enjoy talking to you!

For me, every flying job I've had, came because I knew someone, and they asked my to fly their plane. I have worked in aviation my entire working life, and I have never prepared a resume, nor made a job application. When I worked for the airline (not as a pilot) in the '80's, the HR lady called me into her office after I'd worked there for a couple of years, and asked me how I was hired, she had nothing in my employee file. Of my 7500 hours, nearly all is on light GA aircraft, some freight hauling, some ferry flying, quite a bit of advanced training, and some test flying. Watch out for maintenance check flying, and training other pilots, there can be some unpleasant surprises when you least expect them!

Get to know people, and be likable. When they invite you to fly their plane, fly it as though you were paying all of the wear and tear bills on it, and you want it to last. Give the passengers a smooth ride, and never ever show off, or say "watch this" while you're being a pilot!

[evand.13]

There are many different ways. My path was dictated by circumstance and sheer bullheaded stubbornness. More than one pilot has called me nuts for wanting to try, but I had to. So I write this having just started in my first aviation job and working towards a pilot position doing pipeline survey work in my mid 30s. My training started in April of 2012 and still only have my CPL with floats, no multi IFR or instructor ratings. I worked various jobs over 5 years to pay for my CPL and spent the next year networking and pepper bombing everyone with an email address with resumes. 100 variations of cover letters and CVs later and a little heads up about the position and I landed this one. It’ll start as a spotter learning the routing and procedures and then I’ll get my shot to start building time. Then my plan is to work on my multi ifr or getting 50 hours on floats. That is my plan because during those years I joined groups, talked to pilots and tried to network as much as possible. Now I have leads for next season back in BC should I have the hours and one of those two options above. I considered the degree route but my goals are somewhat more “blue collar” and I didn’t have the financial backing. My advice, just start doing it. Get your ppl first. Make sure you want this as a career before going any further then go from there. There are plenty of career paths out there that will pay for the expensive aviation hobby.

Sounds great. I also consider myself to be a little more of a "blue collar" worker. I really enjoy working outside and in nature I think bush piloting is more for me than airlines. I've had some oppourtunities to talk with retired pilots flying out of Brampton Flight Centre and current ones at YYZ. My dad works at a parts distributing company in Mississauga, Ontario.

Thanks for the response AirDoan.

[evand.13]

The key to landing your first flying job is CONNECTIONS! As you work through your private and commercial licenses, you’ll meet people, build relationships, and learn from other people. The aviation community is fairly small. If you have the right connections, and have a good attitude about everything, someone will pick you up.

Very much yes! Your jobs in aviation, and certainly he better ones will come because someone who was hiring knew you and liked you. Be at the airport - hang around, get to know people. Until you have 5000+ hours, act humble, like you still have lots to learn. That way the 10,000 plus pilots will enjoy talking to you!

For me, every flying job I've had, came because I knew someone, and they asked my to fly their plane. I have worked in aviation my entire working life, and I have never prepared a resume, nor made a job application. When I worked for the airline (not as a pilot) in the '80's, the HR lady called me into her office after I'd worked there for a couple of years, and asked me how I was hired, she had nothing in my employee file. Of my 7500 hours, nearly all is on light GA aircraft, some freight hauling, some ferry flying, quite a bit of advanced training, and some test flying. Watch out for maintenance check flying, and training other pilots, there can be some unpleasant surprises when you least expect them!

Get to know people, and be likable. When they invite you to fly their plane, fly it as though you were paying all of the wear and tear bills on it, and you want it to last. Give the passengers a smooth ride, and never ever show off, or say "watch this" while you're being a pilot!

To be honest I'm definitley humble about it. I just need to work on being more outgoing. I'm in highschool so I've got a little time to work on that.

Thanks PilotDAR.

[PilotDAR]

I'm in highschool so I've got a little time to work on that

I was in high school when I started flying. My success (in hind sight) was being interested, and easy to get along with, without being a nuisance. I hung around the local aerodrome, and eagerly accepted any task offered to me. I scrubbed a lot of dirty aircraft undersides, pumped gas, cleaned windshields, and fixed ruts in the runway. Perhaps some might say that I was taken advantage of.... But! Those jobs had to be done by someone, and the aircraft owner has gotten them self to a point in life where they have something I might want - the freedom to fly. So if I'm willing to do a yucky job, so they don't have to, and they take me flying in return, I received an advantage too.

I met other wannabe pilots along the way, prim and proper, who wouldn't do those things... Okay, I would, and I got immense advancement out of it. I had about 200 hours of flying (including lots of landings and takeoffs) before I ever took a formal flying lesson, and spent my flight training waiting to be old enough to test for the next license. When I was 20, I was right eat in an Aztec, C340, then Cheyenne, left seat if it was a dead leg. Yes, I cleaned those planes too!

The basic fact is that if you are not where the planes are flying, you will not meet the people who are flying them! Your investment, as was mine, is to be willing to happily sit around at the airport for hours doing nothing, to possibly meet a mentoring person there. Yes, you can "meet" people on AvCanada, and there are many fine people here, with ample wisdom, but if' you're on your computer, you're not meeting pilots in person. Okay, maybe you're at the airport using your phone for AvCanada - don't be one of those face in the phone people who no one wants to interrupt with a better use for their time!

[rookiepilot]

My daughter is in high school. The attribute I am most proud of her is, the fact I hear back how polite and positive she is within every group she interacts with. Please and thank you's, without "attitude". Friendly. Helpful.

This attitude will get you a long way with people in my view. People are always watching.