Non-flying/non A&P Aviation jobs?

[drummer4468]

Hi all,

Recently dipped my toes back into the job market and came across a listing for position as a flight simulator technician.

Bit of background on me; I’ve got ten years under my belt as a DoD Satellite communications tech. I’m not talking about DirecTV dishes, I’ve spent years playing with “big iron” so to speak. Anywhere from 9meter to 16meter earth terminals. Stuff that entails 100gallon oil changes for the gearboxes as well as maintaining the electronic and RF side of the house.

Would love to transfer those skillsets into the aviation world, as I continue to work on my commercial and CFI tickets. My current job, while it pays well, has me behind a desk working graveyard shift lately. I love/miss working with my hands, so a technician gig would be heaven for me.

Anyone know of better places to look than Indeed.com for this kind of work? And any particular areas I should brush up my knowledge base to make myself more competitive in the aviation market?

 

[Initial Fix]

You could also look at becoming an avionics technician. Those folks are in high demand

 

[drummer4468]

You could also look at becoming an avionics technician. Those folks are in high demand

That does pique my interest. But would I not need A&P certification for that?

a little more background: I’m looking to move down south sooner than later, preferably the GA/TN area, and trying to find something I can “relatively” seamlessly transition into with my existing knowledge base, without needing lots of training and certification to make it happen. In other words, I’d need to keep my income up to par through the transition.

 

[Initial Fix]

That does pique my interest. But would I not need A&P certification for that?

a little more background: I’m looking to move down south sooner than later, preferably the GA/TN area, and trying to find something I can “relatively” seamlessly transition into with my existing knowledge base, without needing lots of training and certification to make it happen. In other words, I’d need to keep my income up to par through the transition.

I found a references
[URL]https://learn.org/articles/What_Education_Do_I_Need_to_Become_an_Avionics_Technician.html

It says 18 months experience, but I suspect you have that already. It would take a call to a school that teaches it, or even to a company that dies this kind of work. I don’t know if companies in the field offer training or not. [/URL]

 

[RyanB]

You could also look at becoming an avionics technician. Those folks are in high demand

Which is basically an A&P…

 

[Initial Fix]

Which is basically an A&P…

but an a&p isn’t an avionics tech

 

[RyanB]

but an a&p isn’t an avionics tech

I understand that, but the principle is the same.

 

[Seanaldinho]

The FAA has a whole slew of people that run the hardware (radars, ILS, VOR, etc) for ATC under the Tech Ops part of the Air Traffic Organization. Those jobs are through usajobs.gov

 

[murphey]

You could also look at becoming an avionics technician. Those folks are in high demand

Not necessarily....there's the FCC side of avionics that doesn't involve being an A&P.
Flight sim tech may require some programming ability (probably C/C++) as well as the mechanical aspect.

 

[midwestpa24]

The FAA has a whole slew of people that run the hardware (radars, ILS, VOR, etc) for ATC under the Tech Ops part of the Air Traffic Organization. Those jobs are through usajobs.gov

That was my first thought. They are always looking for good Tech Ops folks as the current ones age and retire out. If you are prior military, you have a leg up on any federal job. Nearly all Tech Ops guys I know are.

 

[drummer4468]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I put in an application for the flight sim tech position. Based on the contents of the ad, it seems to be well within my wheelhouse. May also keep my ear to the ground as far as the FAA tech positions in case that doesn't pan out, as I'm sure a lot of my experience translates to radar and navaids as well.

Can anyone attest to a reasonable salary to expect, with a large, very well-established company? I ran some cursory googling, and came up with anywhere from 50k to 100k. Hoping to land in the high-middle, 75-80k range given my considerable experience. I hate when they don't list anything about salary in the advert....

 

[ktup-flyer]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I put in an application for the flight sim tech position. Based on the contents of the ad, it seems to be well within my wheelhouse. May also keep my ear to the ground as far as the FAA tech positions in case that doesn't pan out, as I'm sure a lot of my experience translates to radar and navaids as well.

Can anyone attest to a reasonable salary to expect, with a large, very well-established company? I ran some cursory googling, and came up with anywhere from 50k to 100k. Hoping to land in the high-middle, 75-80k range given my considerable experience. I hate when they don't list anything about salary in the advert....

We have one of those here... @simtech

 

[simtech]

I am a sim tech and being doing it since 2005. Great field to get into. If you'd like send me a PM and we can talk. I work on the JPATS program (T6) at Columbus AFB.

 

[Van Johnston]

Along the same lines as FAA, look for contractor jobs operating/maintaining test/training range infrastructure at Eglin/Tyndall/Cape Canaveral. If your clearance has not gone stale, that is a plus.

 

[Shepherd]

Low end - Line monkey.
Higher - Electronics techs.
Very high - Sales rep for a corporate aircraft broker.

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

Interesting, I'm in a bit of a similar boat. I'm an IT guy who has been in many industries but have zero affinity for any of the industries in which I've worked. I don't know why it just occurred to me that my passion is aviation I'm trying to do creative searches around the internet to see if they're aviation companies that need a VP or director of IT.

 

[drummer4468]

Interesting, I'm in a bit of a similar boat. I'm an IT guy who has been in many industries but have zero affinity for any of the industries in which I've worked. I don't know why it just occurred to me that my passion is aviation I'm trying to do creative searches around the internet to see if they're aviation companies that need a VP or director of IT.

That was basically my epiphany a few days ago. I saw the qualifications for the sim tech gig and was like "Wow, i can totally do that. Now I wonder how else I can translate my career skills into aviation aside from flying." Because as much as I love satcom, I really don't have a desire to climb any higher in my field, much less get all the IT and security certifications necessary to do so in today's IP-based age.

I do see plenty of IT positions in the companies I've been perusing, though. Cirrus being one of them

 

[drummer4468]

I am a sim tech and being doing it since 2005. Great field to get into. If you'd like send me a PM and we can talk. I work on the JPATS program (T6) at Columbus AFB.

Awesome, I'd appreciate that. I'll shoot you a PM shortly!

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

That was basically my epiphany a few days ago. I saw the qualifications for the sim tech gig and was like "Wow, i can totally do that. Now I wonder how else I can translate my career skills into aviation aside from flying." Because as much as I love satcom, I really don't have a desire to climb any higher in my field, much less get all the IT and security certifications necessary to do so in today's IP-based age.

I do see plenty of IT positions in the companies I've been perusing, though. Cirrus being one of them

I was flying home from Osh in the nastiest, hottest, bumpiest conditions I have ever flown in and I "thought" I was miserable.
I glanced over at my phone and could see text messages coming in from people at the office discussing things that are problematic and I really had the thought that the worst day of flying i way better than the best day at the office. I don't really want to fly for a living but I am an IT guy in the furniture industry and I really don't give a crap if you get to sit in one of our chairs or not. I really have zero interest in what the company does.

I don't mind IT but I think I might enjoy it more if it were in a field I cared about.


Where / How are you looking?

 

[drummer4468]

I was flying home from Osh in the nastiest, hottest, bumpiest conditions I have ever flown in and I "thought" I was miserable.
I glanced over at my phone and could see text messages coming in from people at the office discussing things that are problematic and I really had the thought that the worst day of flying i way better than the best day at the office. I don't really want to fly for a living but I am an IT guy in the furniture industry and I really don't give a crap if you get to sit in one of our chairs or not. I really have zero interest in what the company does.

I don't mind IT but I think I might enjoy it more if it were in a field I cared about.


Where / How are you looking?

Well, I stumbled on the tech job just wandering around Indeed. Then I found more that fit the bill(but not quite as well) on usajobs.gov and clearancejobs.com. Lots of potential in those kinda gigs but you usually need to be able to acquire/maintain a gov't security clearance.

 

[Van Johnston]

There was alot of noise a few years ago about a new EFB app that was supposed to be the best thing since Garmin Pilot, and then nothing. Probably still just wistful powerpoint charts somewhere on youtube waiting for the right software and hardware guys to get together and make it a reality. Called V Flight or something like that. Maybe that's your calling.

 

[schmookeeg]

I was flying home from Osh in the nastiest, hottest, bumpiest conditions I have ever flown in and I "thought" I was miserable.
I glanced over at my phone and could see text messages coming in from people at the office discussing things that are problematic and I really had the thought that the worst day of flying i way better than the best day at the office. I don't really want to fly for a living but I am an IT guy in the furniture industry and I really don't give a crap if you get to sit in one of our chairs or not. I really have zero interest in what the company does.

I don't mind IT but I think I might enjoy it more if it were in a field I cared about.


Where / How are you looking?

I went down this road. Tossed an SV job and paycheck to fly Beech 99s around loaded with Amazon Prime sh*t.

For me at least, I learned that a LOT of my happiness from flying wasn't from the flying itself (although that was intellectually challenging and nice), but from the self-determinism and agency the flying represented. A flick of the mind and I'm headed... somewhere, anywhere, a place of my own choosing, powered by my skill and experience, and carried to a successful outcome in the furtherance of my own personal agenda.

When someone is barking at you to arrive at 4am to help load a bunch of chinese crap so it can get 300nm downrange, hop into a middling hotel, attempt sleep from brunch to midafternoon, return, load up more boxed crap, making it back home by 10pm and repeat... yeah... that got old for me FAST.

But a dude has to know. You should try it and find out your own tolerance level. When I did this in 2019 they'd hire anyone who could fog a mirror. I'm not sure that's even required anymore.

And FWIW they paid me (a token pittance plus hotel and per diem) to go to the best training I've received in my life. Highly recommended just for that.