Although it is easy to assume that being a pilot means working for an airline, corporate aviation also offers exciting careers for aviators. Corporate pilots have unique opportunities when it comes to their lifestyle, workplace, and travel destinations. Here is what you need to know about becoming a corporate pilot.

What Does a Corporate Pilot Do?

There are a few different types of employers that hire corporate pilots. Some nonaviation companies—such as Walmart and the Las Vegas Sands Corp.—have fleets of private jets. These companies hire pilots to fly their executives and employees for business purposes.

It is also possible to work for an individual or family that owns a private jet. Certain businesspeople, celebrities, and other individuals with significant wealth have their own aircraft and hire personal pilots to operate them.

Many corporate pilots work for charter companies that operate private aircraft. Individuals and companies who do not have their own aircraft but want to fly privately can hire these companies on an as-needed basis. Pilots working for these companies often have the opportunity to serve a variety of clients and fly to a diverse range of destinations. 

Corporate pilots fly many different types of aircraft, with the exact type depending on their employer. While some corporate pilots fly single-engine propeller aircraft, others fly heavy passenger aircraft in a business jet configuration.

What Are the Steps to Becoming a Corporate Pilot? 

As is the case with any pilot career, the first step is obtaining a private pilot certificate.

This license will give you the basic skills to fly an airplane or helicopter and allow you to fly small aircraft recreationally. Minimum requirements for a private pilot certificate include being 17 years old and obtaining an FAA medical certificate.  

The next step is to earn a commercial pilot certificate. This is what gives you the ability to be paid as a pilot and allows you to start your aviation career.

Although you can land some corporate pilot jobs with only a commercial pilot certificate, employers will often require significant flight time before you are eligible—typically 1,500 hours. So you will need to build your hours before entering the corporate pilot world.

Luckily, there are many jobs available as a low-hour commercial pilot, including air tours, surveying, and instructing.

Some corporate pilot jobs will require you to have the top-tier pilot license, airline pilot transport certificate, or ATP certificate. Pilots must have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours to obtain this certification.

Each employer has its own requirements, but corporate first officer jobs will typically need 1,500 hours of flight time, a FAA first-class or second-class medical certificate, a valid passport and the legal authorization to work in the United States, and a Federal Communications Commission radio operator license. Captain jobs will require more flying experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to become a corporate pilot? 

The amount of time that it takes for you to complete your flight training depends on how often you fly. Once you have your commercial pilot certificate, you can hit the 1,500-hour threshold in as little as two years if you have a full-time flying job.

How much do corporate pilots make?

The salary of a corporate pilot can vary greatly depending on their work hours, aircraft type, geographic location, and employer. Given the current demand for pilots, salaries are fairly competitive with the airlines. New first officers can expect to make around $70,000 to $100,000 per year, while senior captains can have annual salaries of over $300,000.

How much does it cost to become a regional airline pilot?

If you are starting from no flying experience, getting a commercial pilot certificate in the United States will cost around $100,000. Once you have an entry-level pilot job, your costs will be offset by your pay, and your overall income and any debt will depend on your circumstances.

The post How to Become a Corporate Pilot appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The CFI didn’t believe the learner for one minute, as we had known each other for years, and he knew I made lots of notes during these evaluations. The debrief is extensive and considerably longer than “passed with flying colors.”

The CFI sent the learner to me, he said, because he was the poster boy for the Dunning-Kruger effect. 

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a term for a cognitive bias in which people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social domain overestimate their knowledge or competence in that domain—and here is the important part —relative to objective criteria. In this case, the Airman Certification Standards and their score on the FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Test. 

This applicant scored an 82 on the knowledge test and scoffed that anything over 70 was overkill. 

It became apparent rather quickly that he may have known the information once, but he couldn’t give it back to me when I asked questions about aircraft systems, weather, and airspace—all the areas he had been shown “deficient” on the knowledge test.

This applicant was lucky in that his instructor knew he had soft spots that needed to be eliminated before the check ride. Some instructors don’t see them, and I maintain a subset of the Dunning-Kruger effect is when the recommending instructor overestimates the learner’s abilities. 

This happened to an acquaintance of mine who had a private pilot applicant fail during the oral part of the check ride due to inadequate knowledge of aircraft systems. The CFI had been teaching a 10-week private pilot ground school at a local community college and the learner was in the class. The learner passed the class with an “A,” so the CFI thought he knew the material. 

Neither the CFI nor the applicant were prepared for the failure. There were other similar failures from the class. A little bit of sleuthing revealed the structure of the program was to teach to the tests. The message was to memorize the answers and pass. This looked good on their transcripts, as it was a two-year program and many of the students went on to four-year institutions, but this lack of knowledge left them woefully unprepared for the cockpit.

How You Study Is Important

Studying for the check ride can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to organizing the materials.

The fine folks at Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA) have been doing this for decades with their oral exam guides. If the test involves an oral exam, ASA has a study guide for it, be it for flight ratings, aircraft dispatching, aircraft mechanic, or studying for your flight review.

For 30 years many of the ASA oral exam guides were written by recently retired Michael Hayes (respectful pause), who, through his concise and informative prose, helped thousands of pilots earn their certificates. The latest edition of the Commercial Pilot Oral Exam Guide appeared with a new author—none other than Jason Blair, an active flight instructor,  FAA designated pilot examiner, and a regular contributor to FLYING.

I have been using these books for years, both for my own study and to prepare my applicants for their tests. Full disclosure: When the newest editions are released, I go through them, cover to cover, just to make sure I am up to speed on what I am teaching. The ASA Commercial Pilot Oral Exam Guide is in its 11th edition, and I’ve been reading it to refresh and recharge my knowledge.

If you have never used one of these study guides, here is the skinny. The books are organized by subject matter: FARs, aircraft systems, weather, etc., making it easier to focus on knowledge areas that the learner is having trouble with. The material is presented in a  Q&A format. For example: “What is the difference between a de-ice system and an anti-ice system?” Answer: De-ice is used to eliminate ice that has already formed, while anti-ice is used to prevent the formation of ice. 

Scenarios are used for the most in-depth questions.

• READ MORE: Making the Most of a Ground Lesson

Although many learners don’t pick up a copy of the oral exam guide until just before check ride, you may find it useful earlier in your training as it helps to determine the depth of the knowledge required. This is especially good if you have a tendency to study minutia or have not enjoyed the benefit of working with a CFI with strong ground instruction skills.

The FAA reference for where to find the information is also listed.  I like this part the best, because when the examiner asks the learner where they found the information, you want them to be able to refer to a published FAA-vetted resource. Never ever, and I mean ever, reply, “My instructor told me.” That’s like comparing a spouse to that person you had a fling with in college. Just don’t do it.

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The FAA first proposed the rule in November 2021. 

At the time of the announcement last week, Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said, “Passengers can now rest assured that commercial balloon pilots must meet the same strict medical requirements as other commercial pilots.”

• READ MORE: How To Make a Living as a Hot Air Balloon Pilot

In a statement, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy called it a “promising step” but suggested that the FAA should do more work to govern air tours.

“I remain concerned about passenger safety on commercial balloon flights,” Homendy said. “We’ve seen the deadly consequences of unscrupulous air tour operators time and again. We need strong FAA oversight of all revenue passenger-carrying flight operations.”

The U.S. Congress mandated the rule based on a 2018 NTSB recommendation after a hot air balloon carrying 16 people, including the pilot, crashed into power lines outside Lockhart, Texas, on July 30, 2016. Everyone aboard died.

According to the NTSB’s statement, their investigators at the time said the FAA didn’t detect the pilot’s record of drug and alcohol convictions for nearly 30 years because he wasn’t required to undergo any such screening that comes with typical pilot medical examinations.

• READ MORE: NTSB Balloon Recommendations Should Have Been a No-Brainer, Safety Experts Say

Still, the NTSB would like to see the FAA do more. It said in a statement that it “has a long history of concerns about the safety of various revenue passenger-carrying operations, including sightseeing flights conducted in hot air balloons, helicopters, and other aircraft as well as parachute jump flights.”

According to the agency’s statement, those operations are not scrutinized similarly regarding “maintenance, airworthiness and operational requirements as other commercial flight operations.”

The post NTSB Welcomes New FAA Medical Rule for Hot Air Balloon Pilots appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Under the second category, a wide range of Part 141 FTOs exist, with flavors ranging from just above the mom-and-pop level to global aviation academies that rival the airlines’ training centers—and are often affiliated with airlines in providing graduates to them as applicants.

Skyborne Airline Academy fits firmly into this high end of the FTO market. And, even though they’re relatively new as an FAA-based certification program on U.S. soil, their global reputation and foundation makes them an interesting candidate for a wannabe pilot seeking an integrated training program from private to airline transport pilot. 

FLYING made a visit to Skyborne earlier this summer to see exactly how that promise might be fulfilled for an aviation career-minded prospect. Lee Woodward, CEO of Skyborne, Ed Davidson, managing director, and Paul Wosner, director of operations, walked us through the facility and flight line to introduce the academy’s position in the market and expectations for the future.

Home Base: Vero Beach

Skyborne has its first base in Gloucestershire, England, and was established by Woodward, and co-founders Ian Cooper (COO) and Tom Misner (chairman). The FTO acquired the assets of FlightSafety International’s FTO, Flight Safety Academy’s 10-plus-acre campus in Vero Beach, Florida, in a deal that concluded on April 30, 2021. Since that point, the company has been hard at work developing both the physical plant itself and translating its proven program under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to an FAA metric and course structure.

The right leadership makes for a training difference: “Skyborne’s philosophy is just all about excellence—that’s genuinely what we seek to do,” Woodward said. “It’s the user experience [we seek] for the training and for the staff, that’s the thread that runs through, whether it’s in the U.S. or the U.K. or beyond.”

Modernization of the facility has come first, starting with the main administrative building on the Vero Beach campus. “The rest of it will come,” said Woodward, “with interactive screens, the technology, all fiber connections in the building so people can upload and download properly—we brought the 21st century into the building.”

Change has come on the maintenance side too, “with new software and processes into maintenance and flight operations, and on the training side as well,” said Woodward. The leadership brought over a number of “talented individuals” from Skyborne’s U.K. operations.

Skyborne took over the previous FSA fleet as well, with 50 aircraft split between Piper Warriors, Arrows, and Seminoles.

Woodward envisions a fairly “autonomous” operation at Skyborne’s Vero location—and that makes sense when you look at the differences between delivering an EASA-based integrated ATP license course, and an FAA-based commercial/multiengine/IFR course towards an ATP certificate. The full course program is advertised for $78,000 and includes uniform, Gleim subscription, and exam fees, with other add-ins possible. 

Total time for the course:

• 186 hours classroom
• 148 hours briefing/debriefing
• 186.5 hours aircraft time
• 45.5 hours in the AATD

Pilots-in-training can live on-site at the airport, making for an easy walk to the flight line, classrooms, or sim for $6,000 for 10 months’ accommodation.

CFI Scholarship Funding

If those prices seem to stretch the budget, Skyborne has an even sweeter deal for applicants who need a financial boost to keep going. For those completing the FTO’s Airline Academy Program, the company has committed $2.5 million in training funds through scholarships to graduates who wish to continue on to be instructors at the academy.

Essentially, Skyborne will cover the costs of training sessions towards the initial CFI certificate, and instrument instructor (CFII) and multiengine instructor (MEI) ratings—up to $25,000 per graduate.

As Woodward described it, “We are thrilled to be able to open our training to a wider pool of applicants. The Airline Academy program welcomes more people to the skies while providing them with an opportunity to discover whether an airline career is the right path for them. This allows everyone to benefit from an inclusive early stage of training while still providing our airline partners with highly qualified pilots who are carefully selected later down the line.”

Davidson concurred: “The Skyborne CFI Scholarship is an exciting prospect because it opens the door for Airline Academy trainees to continue their flying at a professional level with complete financial support across multiple instructor qualifications. We want to encourage as many as we can to pursue their dreams in aviation and in airline careers specifically, so having the opportunity to provide the resources for them to do it is extremely rewarding.”

With airline partners including United’s Aviate program, SkyWest, Delta, Endeavor, Envoy, and JSX, options are plenty for those who complete the Airline Academy program and build time as a CFI.

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Types of Pilots and How Many Hours They Work

Commercial Pilot: 85 flight hours and 80 ground hours per month

Flight Instructor: 80-100 flight hours and 100 ground hours per month

Airline Transport Pilot: 75-100 flight hours and 150 ground hours per month

What Determines How Much a Pilot Works?

Federal regulations limiting the number of hours a pilot can fly. They also limit the minimum amount of rest between flights. These boundaries are a large determining factor of how many hours a pilot will spend flying and doing pre-and post-flight duties. The seniority a pilot has with his/her particular airline and the length of flights are also factors. 

Other professional pilot jobs require a commensurate amount of flight time worked. They also may require significantly more time on the ground servicing aircraft, flight planning, attending to customers, and other tasks. 

Seniority

A seniority number is assigned to a pilot generally based on the date of the pilot’s hire onto the airline. The higher a seniority number a pilot possesses, the more discretion they have when it comes to choosing their schedule. High seniority pilots typically have their pick of trip destinations, based location, aircraft type, and other perks associated with tenure at an airline. 

Flight Time Limitations 

The FAA limits the amount of hours a pilot can fly consecutively and also within a calendar week, month, and year. Ample rest times are also required between flights of certain lengths in order to remain compliant with FAA safety regulations. 

Long-Haul Flights vs Short-Haul Flights

A short-haul flight lasts 30 minutes to three hours, a mid-haul flight lasts three to six hours, a long-haul flight lasts six to 12 hours and an ultra-long-haul flight lasts 12-plus hours. The limitations of flight time impact the pilot depending upon the length of flights. For example, long-haul pilots work longer shifts, but they generally receive longer periods of time off between working days than short-haul pilots. 

Work Hours vs. Flying Hours

Although pilots are limited in the number of hours they can fly per week, they still must perform ground duties such as maintenance checks, studying weather reports, building flight plans, refueling, preflight inspections, postflight checks, and so forth. 

How Many Hours Can a Pilot Fly Consecutively

Pilots flying for Part 135 and 121 operators are limited by FAA regulations as to the number of hours they can fly within a day, month, and year. Other limitations exist for flight instructors, and for other commercial operations.

Daily

An airline transport pilot can fly up to eight hours per 24 hour period and up to 10 hours if a second pilot is aboard. Pilots are required to rest a minimum of 16 hours post-flight. Some variances to these regulations exist depending on the company’s operations specifications.

Monthly

The average airline pilot flies 75 hours per month, but pilots are allowed to fly up to 100 hours within 30 days. 

Yearly

The average airline pilot will fly 700 hours per year and are not to exceed 1,000 flight hours within a 12-month period. 

Types of Pilots and How Many Hours They Work

The number of flight hours a pilot works can also depend upon the type of pilot certificate held. Airline transport pilots, in general, tend to log more flight hours than the average pilot working in other types of flight departments, and than flight instructors. 

Commercial Pilot

A commercial pilot is generally responsible for checking the safety and security of the aircraft and its systems–including fuel levels and weight and balance–and the accuracy of the flight plan if it was generated by a third party. They are also responsible for communicating with air traffic control as they navigate the route of the flight responding to all changes in conditions. 

Hours: Commercial pilots of various types generally fly an average of 75 hours per month and work additional ground hours as compared to the average Airline Pilot.

Average Salary: The median annual salary for commercial pilots is $113,080.

Flight Instructor

Flight instructors train student pilots on how to operate an aircraft, understand flight principles, check safety features and flight instruments, and to take off and land the airplane safely. They also develop specific lesson plans and follow curricula for ground training courses when not logging flight hours. They may also train pilots on the ground using flight training devices or simulators.

Hours: The average flight instructor spends 80 hours per month, but can spend up to 100 hours in flight with another 100 hours of ground instruction per month. 

Average Salary: Glassdoor reports that the median annual salary for flight instructors is $137,000. This number is likely inaccurate and calculates hourly pay for a 40-hour work week. In reality, flight instructors are paid $27-50 per flight hour on average. At roughly 80 flight hours per month, this would put the median annual income at $37,000.

Airline Transport Pilot

An airline transport pilot works for an airline that transports passengers and cargo on a fixed schedule. Flight crews typically consist of a captain, who has the final authority for the flight as pilot in command, and a copilot or first officer. Some long-haul flights may require a second officer or flight engineer to monitor systems and relieve the other pilots. 

Hours: Airline transport pilots fly an average of 75 hours per month but can fly up to 100 hours in a 30-day period. Many will be away from home for consecutive days during trips with long-haul and/or overnight flights. 

Average Salary: The median annual salary for airline transport pilots is $219,140.

Pilot Job Outlook

Fluctuations in the aviation industry cause ebbs and flows in hiring trends, though the overall outlook is positive for pilot jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 4 percent increase in the number of commercial and airline transport pilots from 2022 to 2032. The average growth rate of all occupations in the U.S. is predicted at 3 percent, putting pilot jobs slightly above average. 

Pilots Work Hard, But Enjoy Perks 

The average pilot spends 225 hours per month between flight time and ground duties, however, they are afforded anywhere from 12 to 20 days off per month depending on seniority. The higher you climb in the ranks the more control you have of your schedule, flight routes, home base, salary, and days off per month.

Now that you have a much better understanding of how many hours pilots work, you can envision your path to becoming an airline transport pilot, a commercial pilot, or a flight instructor. Build seniority and reap the benefits, but be sure to stay informed every step of the way by subscribing to FLYING Magazine today! 

FAQ

What is a typical pilot schedule?

Professional pilots typically fly between 70 and 100 hours per month. Just as many hours, if not more, are spent on the ground performing required tasks related to flight. Most professional pilots have 12 to 20 days off per month, and their schedule changes monthly.

Do pilots have free time?

Yes, pilots have free time. Junior pilots have a minimum of 12 days off per month, whereas the average pilot gets 15 days off per month and a senior pilot can enjoy up to 20 days off per month.

Do pilots go home every night?

Flight instructors and pilots who fly short-haul domestic flights are able to be home every night more or less; however, airline pilots who fly longer routes are unable to go home every night and can be away from home for up to two weeks at a time.

Do pilots choose their hours?

Pilots choose a schedule based on the needs for them and their families and submit a request to the airline. Seniority determines a large part of the schedule granted, routes assigned, and days off awarded per month.

The post How Many Hours Do Pilots Work? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Diamond Aircraft has introduced a new version of its DA42-VI flight training device. It provides a simulation platform for flight training organizations to use in delivering multi-crew coordination (MCC) courses in Europe and elsewhere.

The company models its FNPT II-approved devices after its DA40 NG single-engine and DA42-VI multiengine aircraft—and a model that emulates both aircraft with a change in configuration, the Convertible DA40/42 MCC simulator that is also FNPT II compliant.

The MCC course is a required step in a full frozen ATPL program typically completed at the end of a commercial pilot licensing course under EASA. The MCC prepares pilots for the transition between operating as a sole pilot in command, to flying an aircraft as part of a crew.

An MCC program incorporates hours in a flight simulator, but often the devices used replicate much larger aircraft, such as a twin turboprop or light jet. Diamond offers its device to make for a more straightforward transition for pilots who have completed the commercial multiengine segment of training in a DA42.

Pilots can go on to complete a jet orientation course in a turbine-based simulator.

“Diamond stands for high quality products at the cutting edge of the industry. We are proud to offer another important milestone with this MCC option in order to complement our training portfolio with an all-in-one 21st century solution,” said Christian Schmid, project and key account manager, Diamond Aircraft Austria. “This additional application in just one device is a huge advantage for our customers.”

The post Diamond Develops Sim to Train Pilots in Multi-Crew Coordination appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For decades, pilots holding a first or second class medical were automatically disqualified from flying commercially if they were diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetic pilots are subject to losing consciousness and suffering seizures if their illness is not properly treated. To the FAA, the risk of a pilot passing out at the controls was always too high, though pilots can be found competent on a case-by-case basis if they operate only under Part 91. Now the DOT and the FAA may be rethinking that strategy for pilots who treat their diabetes with insulin thanks to a suit brought before the DC Circuit Court of Appeals by a pilot who believes advances in science make keeping diabetes under control is easier today than ever before.

In a CNN story last week, the Federal Air Surgeon, Michael Berry said, “Recent advances in technology and diabetes medical science have allowed the FAA to develop an evidence-based protocol that can both identify a subset of low-risk applicants whose glycemic stability is sufficiently controlled and also ensure these pilots can safely maintain diabetic control for the duration of a commercial flight.”

Official word from the FAA about this decision could be made public this week. Both the Air Line Pilots Association and the American Diabetes Association believe the judgment in favor of certain diabetic pilots is long overdue.

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