Career advice...? LOTS of questions here...

Tinstafl

Tinstafl

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Tinstafl
I know...asking career advice on an internet forum? Really??? Bahahahahahaha!!!

But, humor me please. I’m considering this a brain-storming session. If someone has a goal of making a living in aviation and has zero desire to fly Big Iron for any airline, is in love with grass roots, blue collar aviation, is not financially motivated beyond a liveable wage flying planes (preferably more stick ‘n rudder than dials ‘n buttons), and is stepping over from a career well acquainted with long hours, dangerous work, and non-stop travel...what are said person’s options? What are your recommendations?

Can a viable career (outside of career CFI, airlines, and corporate jet pilot) be had with Commerical/IFR/Multi ratings alone? How necessary is that ATP for non-airline work in terms of hiring? THIS is a big one for me...

Said person has 250 hours with around 100 in tailwheel. Considering pulling trigger on IFR but wondering if getting a Commercial now/first might allow some career/flying options right away. Time and money are currently “flexible”. Downsides? IFR first DEFINITELY?

Hive mind? I know some of these may come across as dumb questions ... but hopefully you’ll humor my noobishness... Thanks all.
 
Would you consider moving to Alaska?
 
Yep, I already work there occasionally and would definitely consider it. Ideally would be able to still live in the Pacific Northwest and temporarily work in AK but all options on the table.

Except maybe Iowa or Kansas. Sorry midwesterners...
 
But even those are a possibility...I guess. =)
 
So I’ve been away from aviation for a little while and just getting back up to speed really. This is part of that process.

What are the career limitations of a Commercial certificate. I haven’t dived back into the FAR-AIMs yet so that’s lazy ... but what are the limits in layman’s terms?
 
Gonna need a little more time, but what about single pilot freight like Ameriflight? Don't need an ATP and should be able to keep you in the PNW.
 
Walboy said:
Sounds like agricultural aerial applicator work might interest you, but it's a tough field to break into.
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I wouldn’t rule it out. It looks like fun flying, but I do tend to like the idea of working with and flying people instead of cargo.

Thus my question on the limits of a Commercial Cert. Which means it’s likely time to crack they FARAIM again after a few years away ... instead of hassle you fine people. =)
 
kayoh190 said:
Gonna need a little more time, but what about single pilot freight like Ameriflight? Don't need an ATP and should be able to keep you in the PNW.
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Yes, that’s on the radar. I’d been leaning toward getting the Commercial now and getting a job flying jumpers (or something in that category) just to build time. IFR later.

Bad idea? Doesn’t matter?
 
Walboy said:
Sounds like agricultural aerial applicator work might interest you, but it's a tough field to break into.
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Good career, if you know what work is and are down to put in some labor and have a entrepreneurial mind.
 
I grew up around crop dusters and always thought it looked like fun work. I am
admittedly wary of some aspects of the career.

What kind of work would any of you pursue as a jumping off point to any of the above? What are the non-CFI options you think lead in the direction I’m headed. Bush flying, cargo, small charter, air taxi (like Kenmore Air in Seattle...dream job?).

ATP? Commercial adequate?

thanks for the replies this far.
 
Tinstafl said:
Yep, I already work there occasionally and would definitely consider it. Ideally would be able to still live in the Pacific Northwest and temporarily work in AK but all options on the table.

Except maybe Iowa or Kansas. Sorry midwesterners...
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If you are in Alaska you are already in the mecca of people who do exactly what you are looking for. No one will hire you without an instrument, so getting your commercial first would be pointless. With 250 hours you should look in to Ace, RyanAir, Hageland, or Bald Mountain. They will all hire FOs with 250 hours, but if you have 500 hours that will open a lot more doors. The guys who will hire you to do the real stick & rudder type stuff definitely want to see that you have flown in Alaska as PIC for atleast a couple of years. Most of the big 135s offer a 15/15 schedule and either offer CASS or revenue tickets to go back and forth to your home. I used to work with some guys who lived in Thailand, The Netherlands, UK, and Germany.

I’d be happy to point you in the right direction, and if you’re in anchorage I’d be happy to grab a beer and a burger with ya sometime.
 
Tinstafl said:
I grew up around crop dusters and always thought it looked like fun work. I am
admittedly wary of some aspects of the career.

What kind of work would any of you pursue as a jumping off point to any of the above? What are the non-CFI options you think lead in the direction I’m headed. Bush flying, cargo, small charter, air taxi (like Kenmore Air in Seattle...dream job?).

ATP? Commercial adequate?

thanks for the replies this far.
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Bush flying will be all of the above, cargo, charters, and air taxi rolled all in to one. I’ve been flying in the state for almost 6 years and am just starting to pursue an ATP because some bean counter that puts together our hospital contracts decided I needed one.
 
@DavidWhite thank you. That’s really generous and helpful. I would take you up on the beer offer if I was in Anchorage but I live down in Oregon/Washington most of the time. I work in Alaska for the Denali climbing season and otherwise travel widely.

I spent many years away from flying and only recently had the opportunity to dive back in. Coming from “rusty pilot” stage and diving immediately into “professional development” stage is the (large) leap I am currently figuring out how to navigate. Figuring out the training dollar/time investment strategy is the big question now. Thus the search for mentors and advice. I’ll happily buy the round of beer should you find yourself around Seattle or Portland some day.

Fwiw, I had begun considering the Commercial first (before IFR) based on recommendations to simply get myself positioned to get a ”random“ time building job (banner towing, jump plane, etc) that could both be seasonal as well as allow me to sharpen up my skills as I continue to build time. It IS still appealing from the standpoint of still loving flying enough to take virtually ANYthing that gets me stick time. =) But your point is well considered.

Thanks again.
 
I vote for IFR first. With it, you can fly in more weather than w/o, so you can build your hours faster. It seems, according to other posters, a commercial requires a ****load of hours, so the more often you can fly, the faster they accumulate.
 
Talk to Aviat. That seems like it would be a fun place to work. Test flying Huskies for a living in Wyoming.
 
Walboy said:
The downside of an ag career is we might be on the verge of a major shift in application methods. This drone was developed by John Deere, not exactly an agricultural lightweight.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a29728347/john-deere-volocopter/

volocopter-john-deere-1573157368.jpg
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Interesting concept, but I think we are a ways away from that being viable for large-scale farming operations. It could be interesting with the boll weevil eradication program (not sure if they're still doing that or not) where they were spraying quarts per acre, but most of the insecticide work is 1-3 gal/acre a lot of the fungicide work in corn is 3-5 gal/acre (water, only a VERY small portion of that is actually chemical). 400 gallons (per the article) is only 50 acres for fungicide and with the 30 minute charge duration, not sure you could cover 400 acres of 1-gallon work. It could be a good solution for urban or specialty farms where you're only covering a very small area with low-volume applications, but it's likely those jobs are done by ground rigs currently anyway.

To the OP: I used to work with an aerial applicator that had his Commercial, but no IR. IIRC, he was limited to <50 miles from base, but our base moved around to be nearest the fields, so it didn't affect him. I agree that aerial application is a hard nut to crack - it's definitely one of those "pay your dues" kind of gigs. I worked ground crew for 3 years before I had a viable shot at getting into a pilot seat, but decided against it (or was 'encouraged' against it by my then newly married wife.)
 
Have you thought about being a professional air show pilot?
 
Thanks for all the advice and ideas folks. First post on the forum and it’s cool to get some good, honest feedback from y’all.

Air show pilot =) HA! I appreciate the vote of confidence but I don’t place myself anywhere close to that category. I’m incredibly lucky to have some (minimal) stick time with some of the best in the business and quickly came to realize how far away from that level I am. I will always aspire to that level of expertise but am not under any illusions - I am not in the 0.01% club.

Bush flying in AK, virtually anything in a turbine otter (because ... obviously!!! =) ), and charter work up to maaaaaybe corporate jet gigs are all on the list of potential amazing futures. And along the way anything from fire spotting to jump operations to get me to where I want to be. I honestly can envision a host of amazing ways to make a career in aviation. None of which will make me a wealthy man ... but I’ve always pursued experience and passion before that anyway.
 
So now the questions become more about how best to move from somewhat rusty PPL to Commercial/IFR ready...while holding down a pretty crazy travel and work schedule currently.

What strategies for book study and refresher training are best for IFR? For Commercial? Especially during times when it’s all self-driven study (no instructor ground time). How to prioritize types of flight time and in what aircraft types. All with the goal of being sharp enough when I do pull the trigger on a block of dedicated training/certification time.

Those questions are better suited to the training forum. And also likely available with some forum sleuthing over the next couple weeks. That’s on my agenda.

But very open to any and all advice from you all. Thanks again.
 
Tinstafl said:
Air show pilot =) HA! I appreciate the vote of confidence but I don’t place myself anywhere close to that category. I’m incredibly lucky to have some (minimal) stick time with some of the best in the business and quickly came to realize how far away from that level I am. I will always aspire to that level of expertise but am not under any illusions - I am not in the 0.01% club.
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You aren't all that close to the reserve FO at GoJet either but you are still thinking that far ahead, with 1250 more hours of practice your flying skills will be in a different place.

Every single air show pilot out there was a 250 hour pilot at some point.
 
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