Career-planning-chart-pilot

Pilot Career Options

• Major Airlines – Become a commercial airline transport pilot and fly all over the world for major airlines.
• Regional Airlines – Become a domestic commercial airline pilot for a regional airline carrier.
• Corporate and Business Aviation – This type of commercial pilot usually gets to fly smaller, high end, corporate jets for corporations, businesses, and even for the rich and famous.
• Cargo Pilot – A cargo pilot delivers packages for small and large parcel and cargo companies such as FedEx and UPS.
• Charter pilots and Air Taxi – A charter pilot is basically a pilot that flies people to specific destinations, hence the name- ”Air Taxi”. You can operate your own private charter company or work for a large number of other charter airlines.
• Ferry Pilots and Aircraft Salesmen Pilots – This type of pilot delivers newly purchased aircraft to the new owner’s destination.
• Flight Instructor – Also known as a CFI, or certified flight instructor. This type of pilot career allows you to teach aspiring pilots, new pilots, and veteran pilots on the intricacies of flying. CFIs can teach at flight schools, operate as a private instructor, teach at aviation colleges and for airlines, and more.
• Medical and Air Ambulance Pilots – Also known as EMR pilots, these types of pilots fly for various medical situations. They fly for extreme emergency situations, life flight, organ deliveries, non-emergency patient transport, etc.
• Helicopter/Gyrocopter Pilots:
• Government Service Pilots – Government pilot careers allow a pilot to fly for the many different agencies for the federal government. Some examples of agencies that hire pilots – FAA, DEA, FBI, Homeland Security, Border Patrol, National Guard, Coast Guard, Transport, and more.
• Law Enforcement Pilots – Just about every arm of law enforcement employs pilots to fly helicopters, airplanes, and jets. Local, state, and federal pilot careers available to those that qualify and can pass the rigorous screening processes.
• Military Pilot – We already know what military pilots have to do as part of their job description, but keep in mind that not all military pilots are directly commissioned for combat. Military pilots get to fly the latest state of the art aircraft, get paid to train, accumulate flight hours towards their civilian rated pilot licenses, as well as getting paid while on active duty upon completion of their advanced pilot training.
• Fire Fighting Pilot – Pilots can get paid to fly aircraft to put out fires. This type of pilot career is very dangerous, work is sporadic, and it takes extremely knowledgeable and experienced pilots to get the job done as safely as possible. Some pilots will work as fire fighting pilots along with having another job as a pilot such as a CFI, private charter, or as a commercial pilot.
• Agricultural Pilots – Also known as an AG Pilot or crop duster, gets paid to fly and release chemicals over farmland. These types of pilots are sometimes hired by local governments to assist with spraying chemicals for pest control.
• Banner Towing Pilots – This type of pilot career can best be defined as “low and slow”. Meaning you will be flying low to the ground and at slow speeds while towing advertisement banners.
• Media and Patrol Pilots – This type of pilot usually flies around reporting on traffic, police pursuits, aerial surveillance, etc.
• Air Tour Pilots – This type of pilot career basically takes people on flights to tour different tourist sites, attractions, and other popular destinations.
• Airshow Stunt Pilots – Definitely one of the more riskier pilot careers; this type of pilot performs aerial acrobatics for large crowds at events and venues, performs in competitions, and sometimes this classification of pilot also competes in aerial races.
• Contract Pilots – You can start your own pilot business and work freelance on a per contract basis. Meaning you will have to go out and find opportunities to bid on- Businesses, corporations, and governments all have a need for private contract pilots.
• Test Pilots – That’s right, you can be a “crash test dummy” of the skies. This type of pilot career covers a lot of different sectors as you could be testing aircraft for aircraft manufacturers, private businesses, the military, federal government, and other aviation related businesses that may need test pilots.
• Astronauts and Space Pilots – With recent aviation and aerospace technological breakthroughs, there will be a growing need for space trained pilots in the next several years that are qualified to take commercialized commuter flights into outer space with civilian and non civilian passengers on board.