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.

Different sources have estimated the number as between 11 percent and as high as 20 percent. The company issued a statement to Private Jet Card Comparisons, an online news source that specializes in shared ownership aviation companies and their pricing programs.

“As a matter of policy, Wheels Up does not comment on personnel matters out of respect for the privacy of those involved,” the Wheels Up statement read in part. “However, given the release of internal communications, we do feel it is our responsibility to publicly acknowledge the macro industry factors were the largest contributor to our decision. The sharp decline in our pilot attrition rates in the first half of this year, due in part to a reduction of pilot hiring at the commercial airlines and pilots choosing to stay at Wheels Up, created the staffing imbalance that led to today’s actions.”

The statement cited that aligning its pilot roster with the size of its fleet is critical and “the abnormalities in the industry over these last few months made appropriate staffing forecasting against regular attrition challenging.”

Wheels Up did not immediately return a phone call Tuesday from AVweb for comment.

Despite a $500 million funding package from Delta Air Lines and a new management team, Wheels Up has continued to report losses, though executives still expect to return to profitability by the end of this year. The company reports it fleet includes around 170 aircraft: 59 Beech King Air turboprops, 43 Cessna Citation X super-midsize jets, and 35 Hawker 400XP light jets.

Earlier this month, according to a Jet Card Comparisons report, Wheels Up reduced daily minimum flight times for its jet aircraft and cut back the number of peak days for its entry-level program customers. In September, Wheels Up divested its aircraft management division.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Wheels Up Confirms Pilot Layoffs appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In this edition of V1 Rotate, FLYING contributor Sam Weigel brings us on a cross-country flight to Northern California and discusses what it all means and what you can expect going forward.

• READ MORE: How Professional Pilots Can Survive Probationary Periods

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In a recent social media post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the world’s largest pilots union—which represents more than 77,000 pilots at mainline and regional carriers—pushed back against ongoing legislative efforts to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67.

“The pilot shortage isn’t real,” the ALPA said in the post. “In fact, there’s a surplus of airline pilots. Yet Congress is considering raising the pilot retirement age to 67, which will hurt air travel.”

The union has strongly opposed proposals to raise the mandatory retirement age, citing a slew of potential operational and training issues.

In February, the Senate Commerce Committee voted 14-13 to reject a proposal raising the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots. Both ALPA and the Allied Pilots Association (APA)—which represents American Airlines pilots—say that similar proposals are still on the table in Congress.

The pilot shortage isn’t real. In fact, there’s a surplus of airline pilots. Yet Congress is considering raising the pilot retirement age to 67, which will hurt air travel. Learn what’s at risk from this ill-conceived plan. https://t.co/8J9v5GWC9o #Avation #Airlines #Flying pic.twitter.com/SZ0VVflqPB

— Air Line Pilots Association (@ALPAPilots) April 18, 2024

“The argument hinges on a false claim that there’s a pilot shortage, even though there are more than enough pilots to meet current demand, with plenty more in the training pipeline,” ALPA said in a recent Politico report. “Raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 to address this fake pilot shortage is nothing more than an ill-conceived plan to a fake problem.”

Despite ALPA’s claims, consultancy firm Oliver Wyman expects the gap between pilot supply and demand to be around 13,300 by 2032, which is a 23 percent improvement from the group’s 2022 projections. In 2023, the FAA also issued a record number of Airline Transport Pilots (ATP) certifications.

Regional Airlines Still Struggling

Regional carriers continue to be some of the hardest hit by a shortage of pilots. In a recent presentation, the Regional Airline Association (RAA)—a trade group—said it “can’t believe we have to say this, but an abrupt, temporary hiring disruption —driven entirely by an abrupt aircraft delivery disruption—is not the same thing as fixing the pilot shortage.”

The RAA claims that an aging pilot workforce coupled with aircraft delivery woes at mainline carriers is only temporarily moderating the pilot shortage. Several regional airlines continue to shell out lucrative sign-on bonuses, especially for captains as they look to retain pilots in the left seat.

On Thursday, regional carrier GoJet announced a new bonus structure for direct-entry captains with up to $200,000 “paid out within the first 12 months without any contractual obligations or strings attached.” The company says that captains will have the ability to earn over $400,000 during their first year of employment. ALPA represents GoJet pilots along with aviators at several other regional operators in the U.S. and Canada.

“We can hire first officers. I think almost every regional airline right now has a stack of first officers,” said CommuteAir CEO Rick Hoefling during an October 2023 interview with AirlineGeeks. “The problem is building their time at the same time you’re attriting out captains at a pretty high rate in the industry. We went from a pilot shortage to a captain shortage now in the industry. So the pendulum is starting to move.”

Major airlines—including Southwest, Delta, and United—have slowed or completely halted pilot hiring in 2024.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post Pilot Shortage ‘Isn’t Real,’ ALPA Says appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The 30th anniversary AERO event runs from April 17-20 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, with the career days on April 19 and April 20.

• READ MORE: Rolls-Royce Launches Flight Testing of Pearl 10X Engine

According to show organizers, some 25 companies are participating in the recruiting effort, including Liebherr Aerospace, Rheinland Air Service (RAS), Diehl Aerospace, Rheinmetall, EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency), Air Alliance, Hillsboro Aero Academy, Textron Aviation, Junkers Aircraft, Lufthansa CityLine, Zeppelin, Trelleborg Ceiling Solutions and Platoon Aviation.

“The current forecast of Boeing sees a global need for a total of around 2.29 million new employees for the aviation industry by 2042, including 649,000 pilots, 690,000 new technicians and 938,000 cabin crew,” said Tobias Bretzel, AERO show director. “In addition, there will be a need for additional personnel in general aviation, business aviation and the military. The prospects for young people for a successful career in aviation and aerospace are better than ever. The AERO Career Days offer interested parties a unique opportunity to obtain comprehensive information at first hand.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Europe’s Biggest GA Show to Host Career Opportunity appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

This decrease comes on the heels of some airlines halting pilot hiring altogether. In October 2023, ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) Spirit indefinitely suspended hiring. Both FedEx and UPS have advised pilots already on property to look at flying at regional carriers, while also significantly pulling back the throttles on hiring.

Despite the year-over-year reduction, 2023 was the second-highest year on record for pilot hiring at major U.S. carriers.

Record Hiring Year for Some

A handful of airlines reported record hiring years for new aviators. Allegiant, American, Delta, and Southwest all had a banner year, according to FAPA’s data. Southwest had the largest year-over-year increase with 776 more pilots joining its ranks compared to 2022. The Dallas-based carrier is nearing a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its pilots pending a vote.

The so-called ‘big three’ airlines – American, Delta, and United – recruited 57% of all pilots hired last year. Even as it looks to expand its training facility in Denver, United hired 62 fewer pilots year-over-year.

These record-setting hiring rates tie into the U.S.’s continued production of Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificates. Overall, ATP-certified pilots exceed pre-COVID figures by more than 6,500 individuals, per the Aero-News Network.

• READ MORE: United Doubles Down on Pilot Hiring, Sets New Record

Lucrative Opportunities Still on Offer

While FAPA only tracks pilot hiring for major carriers, the firm acknowledges that it is likely regional carriers also hired at a similar rate. “While these numbers only reflect the pilot hiring efforts at the thirteen major airlines…it’s important to recognize that pilot hiring at regional and the private/business aviation carriers would at least equal but more likely exceed these values,” it said in a January 2024 edition of its bulletin.

As many airlines — especially regional carriers — struggled to retain captains, many regional airlines are continuing to offer lucrative bonuses for direct-entry captains. For example, American Airlines’ wholly-owned regional subsidiary PSA is offering captains from FedEx and UPS a $250,000 signing bonus.

2024 Projections

U.S. airlines are starting to look at 2024 hiring and, according to FAPA’s data, projections for pilot hiring are at 75% of the last two years’ figures. While a decrease, these figures are likely to still eclipse hiring trends prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Atlanta-based Delta was the first of the ‘big three’ airlines to announce its plans to reduce pilot hiring in 2024. The airline said it intends to hire slightly over 1,000 pilots in 2024, which represents half of its numbers from the last two years.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post Major U.S. Airlines Hire Fewer Pilots in 2023 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The development comes as the U.S. Air Force, long facing its own pilot shortfall, continues to grapple with how best to tempt pilots to stay in service, including $50,000 bonuses.

Under the United Military Pilot Program, military pilots don’t need an airline transport pilot certificate or flight-hour minimums when they apply, according to the airline. Pilots, however, will need to complete all required training and certification before flying for the airline. Nearly one out of every five pilots employed by United has served or currently serves in the U.S. armed forces, according to the airline.

“Launching this program is a win-win: Our airline gets direct access to some of the best, most talented aviators in the world, and military pilots—and their families—get the time they need to plan their civilian career while still serving,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in announcing the program late last week.

• READ MORE: Air Force Pilot-Training Numbers Come Up Short of Aspirations

Air Force Pilot Shortage

For the military, however, there’s no worse time for pilots to leave.

In April, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General David Allvin told Congress that in fiscal 2022 the service branch experienced a net loss of 250 pilots and was 1,900 pilots short of its 21,000 requirement goal.

“Robust airline hiring continues to draw away experienced pilots critical to producing, training, and developing new pilots,” Allvin said during his testimony to lawmakers. “The loss of experience will negatively impact production and retention because this loss is most prevalent in the field grade officer pilot year groups. To improve retention and production, we persistently consider and invest in several monetary and nonmonetary incentive programs to address our aircrew’s quality of life and service concerns.” 

Air Force Bonuses

The Air Force launched two bonus plans this year: the Legacy Aviation Bonus Program and the Rated Officer Retention Demonstration Program. Active-duty aviators eligible for the programs had until September 15 to apply.

The Legacy program offered bonuses up to $50,000 for certain groups of aviators, including traditional pilots, those operating remotely piloted aircraft, air battle managers, and combat systems officers in exchange for commitments to remain on active duty. The Demonstration program offered incentives of $50,000 a year for pilots with Undergraduate Flying Training (UFT) Active Duty Service Commitments (ADSC) expiring in fiscal years 2024 or 2025.

“The two programs target two distinct population sets,” an Air Force spokesperson told FLYING. “Select aviators are only eligible for one of the two programs. The Legacy program targets those whose initial Undergraduate Flying Training (UFT) [has] expired, while the Demo program targets those who are still serving their initial UFT ADSC.”

• READ MORE: Air Force Boosts Pilot Retention Bonuses

“Retaining our experienced aviators is key to succeeding in a war-fighting environment,” Brigadier General Kirsten Aguilar, Air Force force management policy director, said when the service announced the latter program in August. “The Demo program helps posture the Air Force to reliably retain aviators to meet current and future operational requirements.”

The post United Zeroing In On Military Pilots as Air Force Tempts Them to Stay appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to the aircraft manufacturer, market research indicates that China will need 8,560 new commercial airplanes through 2042. During that time, the deliveries will equate to 20 percent of the world’s airplane demand, Boeing said in its Commercial Market Outlook.

• READ MORE: Airbus To Deliver 160 Jets, Boost Production In China

“Domestic air traffic in China has already surpassed pre-pandemic levels and international traffic is recovering steadily,” Darren Hulst, Boeing vice president of commercial marketing, said in a statement. “As China’s economy and traffic continue to grow, Boeing’s complete lineup of commercial jets will play a key role in helping meet that growth sustainably and economically.”

Single-aisle designs, such as the Boeing 737 Max family, will comprise the category with the largest demand over the next 20 years, with a projected delivery of 6,470 aircraft, followed by 1,550 deliveries of widebody aircraft. By 2042, another 350 regional jets and 190 freighters will also be delivered, Boeing said.

• READ MORE: Lilium Enters Agreement with Heli-Eastern to Expand into China

Boeing predicts fleet growth will include new aircraft to replace older designs in the name of efficiency and reduced carbon dioxide emissions. This will generate demand for some $675 billion in aviation services, including training, maintenance, and repair and spare parts.

In addition to increasing the number of aircraft, the number of people in support of these airplanes will be increased as well. Officials predict China will be needing 134,000 pilots, 138,000 technicians, and 161,000 cabin crewmembers to support these aircraft.

The post Boeing: China Will Need 8,560 New Aircraft in Next 20 Years appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) says business aviation pilots saw average pay raises of about 12 percent in the last year. 

The association’s annual compensation survey also found that the average salary increase across all positions was 7.22 percent. 

Dr. Christopher Broyhill, who helped conduct the survey, said it confirms industry scuttlebutt. “We’re hearing a lot of anecdotal stuff about pay raises out there and people getting more money for these positions, but that pretty much anchors it, shows that what we’re hearing is true.”

• READ MORE: Pilot Career Earnings Top $13M, According to Flight School

The survey took a deeper dive into various forms of pilot compensation and discovered that retention bonuses for senior captains averaged $27,000. 

Broyhill said business pilots have the airline pilot shortage to thank for their fatter wallets. “We’re seeing the results of airline pressure on wages in our industry because people are having to pay pilots more to keep them from leaving and going to the airlines or going to other operators who lose people to the airlines,” Broyhill said.

• READ MORE: BLS Data Shows Strong Salaries for Airline and Commercial Pilots

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Airline management and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the union representing United’s 16,000 pilots, reached the agreement Saturday after four years of negotiations. 

Since 2019, pilots have been seeking a new contract that’s more in line with industry standards. A tentative deal came up last year but was overwhelmingly rejected by pilots due to what they said was substandard pay given the airline’s profitability.

According to ALPA, the latest agreement— estimated to be worth $10 billion—includes “substantial improvements to compensation, as well as advancements in quality of life, vacation, and other benefits.” If approved, pilots will receive pay raises ranging from 13.8 percent to 18.7 percent depending on aircraft type, followed by four smaller annual raises.

“The tireless dedication demonstrated by United pilots over the past several years ensured our solidarity which was instrumental in achieving this historic agreement,” said Capt. Garth Thompson, chair of the United ALPA Master Executive Council. 

• READ MORE: FedEx Pilots Take Another Step Toward 30 Percent Pay Raise

In a LinkedIn post, United CEO Scott Kirby wrote: “We promised our world-class pilots the industry-leading contract they deserve, and we’re pleased to have reached an agreement with ALPA on it.” 

An ongoing pilot shortage and resurgence in post-pandemic travel has given pilot unions bargaining power in securing lucrative contracts. United’s tentative proposal now puts its  pilots in line with counterpart Delta Air Lines, which also saw pilots receive considerable salary increases in their new contract. 

Meanwhile, American Airlines is set to vote next week on an offer that includes average cumulative raises of 41.5 percent over the next four years. Southwest Airlines is still in the process of negotiations, while its union, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said its members approved a strike mandate.

As more travelers are packing airports, carriers are seeing record profits. On Thursday, Delta reported a record quarterly profit of more than $1.8 billion. United is expected to share its results Wednesday and, according to a FactSet survey, analysts anticipate the airline to post a profit of more than $1.3 billion.

• READ MORE: Regional Airline Contract Boxes In New Pilot Hires

To keep pace with travel demand, airlines are seeking qualified professionals. Together, United, Delta, American, and Southwest are expected to hire roughly 8,000 pilots this year. And it’s not just mainline pilots reaping the benefits of an industry workforce shortage. Regional pilots are being lured with hefty compensation offers and retention bonuses as carriers struggle to compete for talent.

In the coming weeks, negotiators will continue to finalize language in the United agreement. Once completed, pilots will review and vote on ratification of the new contract.

The post United’s New Deal with Pilots to Offer Pay Increases Up to 40 Percent appeared first on FLYING Magazine.