Career In Aviation

Although there are many jobs in the Aviation Industry that do not involve flying, if you are on this web site it is more likely that a Pilot position is the Aviation Career that you are interested in. As pointed out, an instrument rating is not required to be paid to fly, but the lack of an instrument rating will severely restrict what kind of paid flying you could do. You could perform sight seeing rides within 25 miles of your home airport, tow banners or tow sail planes and not much more. So it is best to have the instrument rating completed prior to starting your Commercial Pilot training. Also you have to have a minimum of 250 hours of flight time, so the instrument training time will help get you there. So armed with your Private Pilots License, an Instrument Rating and 250 hours of flight time logged, you can now take the next step in your Aviation Career. If you want to exercise the privileges of a Commercial Pilot, you will need to, within the prior 12 months, have passed a 2nd Class FAA medical exam. You will need to have dual instruction in various new maneuvers to more exacting standards and have completed certain cross country and instrument flights. As with your Private Pilot and Instrument programs, you will have to pass a comprehensive written exam and then pass an oral exam and check ride performed by an FAA DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner) Once all these items have been successfully completed, you will be able to be able to qualify for a greater number of paid pilot positions, just not for operations controlled by FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations) Part 121 for Scheduled Air Carriers or what most of you will want, “The Airlines”. In order to get that great job flying for a Part 121 Scheduled Air Carrier - The Airlines, you will need an ATP - Airline Transport Pilot Certificate. You will probably want a Multi-Engine ATP though there is also a single engine ATP. Today there are a number of scheduled carriers with single engine aircraft like the Pilatus PC-12, so having both a single and multi-engine ATP will give you the most versatility. For an ATP you will need at least 1,500 hours of flight time and in the case of the Multi-Engine ATP, already have a Multi-Engine Rating. The Multi-Engine Rating along with other certificates and endorsements will be covered in the “Other Ratings and Licensed” section. If you can obtain a sponsoring airline the total time required is reduced. There are a number of ways to get to that 1,500-hour mark and also meet the other time requirements of the ATP like the number of Cross Country Hours etc. They can include, buying or renting an airplane and just doing a lot of flying. This is probably the most expensive way to get there. You can get a flying job like a banner tow pilot or sail plane tow pilot or conduct Sky Rides, sightseeing flights, for a local FBO (Fixed Base Operator), but most will go on first to become a Certified Flight Instructor - a CFI, teaching other fledgling pilots how to fly.