Luckily, there are a number of routes a new hopeful pilot can take to progress toward their long-term career goals.

Which job a new pilot takes can be an important decision. Pilots want work that will provide them with quality experience that will benefit their long-term goals.

Among the most important things to do to build the right qualifications is to build connections with others in the aviation industry. Whether in a flying or non-flying job, a brand-new pilot can pick positions that will bolster their qualifications and relationships for significant benefit.

Non-Flying Jobs for Student Pilots

New pilots at the very start of their careers—those just beginning to learn to fly—often choose to work in aviation on the side to fund their training.

Most notably, many work at FBOs at airports big and small to build connections with the crews passing through to pick up passengers or reposition planes. Getting face time with seasoned pilots and reputable charter companies can help budding pilots gain valuable insights and even get an edge that will improve their job prospects down the line.

• READ MORE: How to Become a Charter Pilot

Other student pilots choose to fuel planes or work on the ramp at big international airports, often for major airlines or contractors who manage large contracts. These jobs help new pilots get the feel of working for major airline operations. They can get a sense for how to get around big airports, witness airline schedules firsthand, and manage real-world delays along with the pilots upfront.

Many detail companies also hire student pilots. These new pilots will become comfortable caring for planes and gain new respect and appreciation for the aircraft they fly themselves. Other potential non-flying jobs include airport operations, aircraft maintenance, and airport customer service.

A Pilot’s First Flying Job

Once a pilot is fully qualified to fly for a living, the next question is which flying job will be the best transition from being a student to a professional pilot. A pilot must, once again, be able to gauge which jobs will serve their long-term career goals the best.

Pilots find their first job in a number of different ways. Some use the connections built in previous positions to their benefit, and others work for organizations that have already employed them. In addition, some pilots find creative ways to advertise services such as ferry flights, air tours, or aerial refueling.

• READ MORE: How to Land a Helicopter Pilot Job

Some pilots turn to services such as FindaPilot.com to find jobs. FindaPilot connects pilots looking for work with operators who need crewmembers to operate specific flights. Services such as this can be a great way for new pilots to connect with reputable operators and fly high-performance, complex aircraft to build high-quality time for their careers. Many pilots use services such as FindaPilot as launching pads to accelerate their careers into the next stage.

Flight Instructing

Many new pilots choose to become flight instructors for their first aviation job. Teaching new pilots can be an excellent way to build time quickly while also learning to work with a variety of personalities, students, and situations.

Different flight schools also give instructors the opportunity to operate in different environments. Part 61 schools often promote independent decision making without close guidance from company standard operating procedures, while Part 141 schools help instructors learn to operate in structured, airline-esque environments. Whichever direction new instructors choose, they are sure to gain valuable experience towards their long-term goals.

Instructing is a great way to learn from your own experience and to become intimately familiar with the knowledge and skills you are expected to know. New students keep instructors on their toes and ask intriguing questions that challenge instructors to study, grow, and expand their knowledge.

Banner Towing

Some new commercial pilots opt to become banner towing pilots. These pilots tow large advertisements behind them over beaches, malls, and other tourist attractions.

These jobs give pilots the opportunity to learn in congested airspace—multiple banner tow aircraft often fly in the same area—at low altitudes. This demands heightened situational awareness and attention that helps pilots learn to be aware of their surroundings and take prompt action to correct unusual situations.

• READ MORE: Congress Shells Out Millions to Aid Pilot Shortage

These jobs especially tend to operate with aircraft that require specialized training. Many, for example, use tailwheel airplanes that have unique operating characteristics as opposed to the now-more-popular tricycle gear airplanes. This additional experience gives banner tow pilots experience that helps them stand out from other applicants.

Banner tow pilots often fly for hours at a time multiple times per day, making banner towing a great way to build a lot of flight time quickly. Many new pilots thus use banner towing as a great way to gain the experience they need for airline or charter flying in a relatively short amount of time. This is particularly the case in markets that have flyable weather conditions year-round, such as in Florida or Arizona.

Charter Flying

Some pilots are lucky enough to become charter pilots early on in their careers. These jobs often involve operating as second in command of light jets, such as the Cessna Citation line.

These jobs are often, but not always, acquired through connections built earlier in their careers but can often come through online advertisements through social media channels or dedicated advertising agencies.

Charter jobs are especially valuable because they allow pilots time in multiengine turbine aircraft, the exact type of planes that pilots will be flying later on in their careers. The more experience pilots have flying these types of aircraft, the more attractive they’ll be later on with other operators.

Not all charter flying involves point-to-point hops in private jets or turbine aircraft, however. Some pilots start off as ferry pilots, when they get hired to fly an airplane one-way from point to point for maintenance, a system upgrade, or for delivery to a new owner.

This type of charter work can give pilots experience flying a wider array of aircraft to a wider range of destinations across the country. This variation is again valuable for pilots looking to work for operators that fly to more places or over longer distances at a time. Being able to handle a wider array of situations, aircraft, and geographic locations gives ferry pilots an edge over pilots used only to the same part of the country.

Survey Flying

Still other pilots choose to fly for aerial survey companies. These companies are enlisted to fly regular patterns over specified areas to take pictures, scout land, or check areas for damage. Some pilots patrol pipelines for damage as well.

Survey pilots often work side-by-side with photographers or IT specialists who operate imaging or mapping equipment on behalf of the client company. This provides pilots with the experience of operating a specific mission with certain parameters and constant distractions. This requires the pilot to divide their attention between flying the airplane and completing their task in a way that is both efficient and safe.

Though pilots, of course, train in division of attention throughout their training, flying survey provides a real-world way of dividing attention that cannot be simulated in a training environment.

There are plenty of ways pilots can build experience toward becoming professional aviators. Each job has strengths that will help pilots grow towards their long-term career goals, whether they be airline flying, corporate aviation, or contract work.

There is no one specific way to become a professional pilot—and it’s possible to be successful no matter which route is taken.

The post Best Jobs for New Pilots appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Miami-based aerial advertising company Sustainable Skylines recently announced it has obtained FAA permission to launch a commercial banner-towing operation. But rather than airplanes, remotely piloted drones will tow the banners. 

The approval, an exemption to section 44807 of the FAA’s Part 107 small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) rule, is the first for a drone banner-towing service in the U.S. Typically, the exemption is reserved for drones that exceed the rule’s 55-pound takeoff weight limit or seek operational waivers not permitted under Part 107.

Combined with a banner towing authorization currently under review, the FAA greenlight will allow Sustainable Skylines drones to begin towing full-size banner ads over Miami Beach as soon as October or November.

“Banner advertising is another exciting example of the new opportunities that commercial drones bring to our economy, while enhancing the safety of the National Airspace System,” said Lisa Ellman, chair of the UAS practice at global law firm Hogan Lovells, which facilitated Sustainable Skylines’ FAA approval.

According to the company, drones have the potential to be a more sustainable, safe, and scalable alternative to banner-towing airplanes. However, if drone-based aerial advertising can charge less than traditional services, it could eat into a popular and easy source of flight hours (and extra income) for pilots.

Jacob Stonecipher, founder and CEO of Sustainable Skylines, told MarketingBrew the company will charge similar prices to those of traditional banner-tow operations and sell advertising time in two-hour blocks.

“This is a significant milestone for Sustainable Skylines and the broader drone industry,” Stonecipher said in a press release. “Our team has worked tirelessly toward this regulatory approval…We’re excited to work with our partners to safely launch and integrate banner advertising by drone into the local airspace and community.”

What It Could Mean

Sustainable Skylines—by its very name—bills its service as a sustainable option for advertisers. It uses hybrid-electric drones made by partner Velary that require just 3 gallons of unleaded auto fuel for a four-hour flight. Compare that to the average piston single used for towing, which may burn up to 30 gallons of 100LL on the same trip. This, the company claims, could reduce the banner towing industry’s carbon footprint by 90 percent and help it reach international aviation emissions goals.

The firm also claims to offer a safer alternative to airplane advertising, which experts say is no more inherently dangerous than other kinds of crewed flight. However, Sustainable Skylines would help eliminate the rare cases—around 10 per year in the U.S.—where towplanes had accidents.

Perhaps the most enticing prospect for advertisers, though, is the scale they could achieve with drones. Since they have vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities, UAS eliminate the need for nearby airports and runways to support operations. That simplifies the logistics of banner towing and opens a wider range of locations in which to advertise.

Sustainable Skylines also offers a campaign analytics platform to augment its banner-towing drones. It can use third-party cell phone datasets to measure the size of the crowd in view of the banner, giving advertisers an estimate of how many people saw it. The company emphasized the maneuverability of drones could make for more dynamic routes and eye-popping flight patterns.

However, services such as Sustainable Skylines may rub a few pilots the wrong way.

Despite the ongoing pilot shortage, banner towing has been relatively unaffected—a large pool of aviators use the one-way, passenger-free flights to accrue flight time or additional income (typically between $15 and $50 an hour). Beyond obtaining a commercial pilot certificate to fly a single-engine airplane for compensation or hire, the only challenge is learning to hook the banner during takeoff.

The cost of flying a drone, though, will likely be similar to the wages paid to pilots. Sustainable Skylines does not have a flat rate—it consults with customers to determine pricing based on their budget and campaign goals. But Stonecipher said the firm is already looking to charge about what traditional banner-towing firms do, and drone unit economics are predicted to improve.

Stonecipher insisted that banner-tow pilots will have a role to play in the firm’s operations but did not specify exactly what that might be.

“To grow [out-of-home advertising] at scale and even bring it to the programmable ad marketplace will require the unique skill sets banner towers have,” the CEO told FLYING in May. “We’re going to need that experience to reap the benefits and ensure the requisite level of safety pilots inherently have to ensure this market grows as fast as we know it can.”

According to an FAQ on the company’s website, it seeks to hire FAA Part 107 certified drone pilots with substantial flight experience. They will be provided with full training and certification for banner towing and fleet operation. Perhaps this is where the aforementioned experience will come in.

The fear among pilots may be that drone banner towing becomes a competitive industry—or they’ll step in to serve as drone pilots instead. Sustainable Skylines is not the only company eyeing it. Another firm, Pixis Drones, advertises using drone light shows and has put on displays for Candy Crush, the launch of Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media, and even the NBA draft.

However, it’s also very possible that aerial drone advertising remains niche, with only a handful of companies competing. Or it could become a premium service, one that’s more expensive than traditional banner towing but offers greater benefits to advertisers. Stonecipher said Sustainable Skylines hopes to one day deploy predictive analytics for dynamic pricing. That would allow it to charge more on the busiest summer days when more eyeballs are on the skies.

The company in May received a $1 million raise in a pre-seed funding round that included Jeffrey Zajkowski, former head of Equity Capital Markets at J.P. Morgan; Drew Katz, CEO of Interstate Outdoor Advertising; Paul Mulé, senior vice president of finance and head of corporate development at Arcadia Power; and other angel investors and industry executives.

Now, it hopes to secure the next round of funding to scale nationwide, targeting markets such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas, as well as additional coastal cities. Eventually, the goal is to expand globally.

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The post Banner Towplanes Over Miami Beach Will Soon Be Replaced by Drones appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

A: Presuming you meet the qualifications for the job you are seeking, you get your first flying job by being at the right place at the right time, knowing the right person—and it’s the right fit. Networking is key in the aviation community. 

For most entry-level pilot jobs, you need to have a commercial certificate. The exception is towing gliders, which can be done with a private pilot certificate, provided you have at least 100 hours as pilot in command. A commercial certificate allows you to be legally employed by someone else. Low-time jobs include banner towing, pipeline patrol, and flight instructing.

If you show up with both a CFI and CFI instrument certificate in hand, you instantly become more valuable to your potential employer. Be prepared to teach a ground school or provide specialized training such as tailwheel—find a niche that a school needs filled. 

Very often, getting your first CFI job is a matter of walking in the door with your résumé in hand—or having someone you know walk it in for you. Be selective. If the CFIs or line crew tend to leave for jobs at other flight schools, that is a red flag.

Do your research on the business. Know what they do, how they do it, and be ready to explain why you want to work there more than “I want hours to go to the airlines.”

When you have a face-to-face meeting with the chief pilot or the person who makes the hiring decisions, pay attention to body language and how you are treated. Yes, you want this job, but if that person barely glances at your résumé, is passive-aggressive, or keeps you waiting for 45 minutes past the appointment time, do you want to work for them? 

The post How to Get Your First Pilot Job appeared first on FLYING Magazine.