Jobs for low time pilots

[tarnasky]

Heys guys im sure this topic has been covered before. I searched but couldnt find anything specific.

 

Anyways im a few months out from finishing my CPL and wondering if anyone could help me out finding operators and or individuals who would a hire a guy like myself.

 

Once i finsih ill have a:

 

- CPL (150 hr)

 

- Retract Endorsement

 

- NVFR

 

- Plus 30 hours as PIC of a Cessna 210

 

Im single, no committent at all...... so im prepared to go anywhere for that first break.

 

Thanx in advance

 

 

[Tomo]

Most people I know go North, to either the Territory, or northern WA and do tourist stuff in the dry season. Or mail runs etc...

 

 

[tarnasky]

Hey Tomo, yeh im aware of that...... looking for info a little more specific.

 

 

[jerrajerra]

Had read an article in Australian Flying where the reporter interviewed a young lady in that each season she'd head north from Adelaide to conduct tours of lake eyre. 6 months work each year. The company she works for employs any pilot holding a CPL regardless of hours flown but so long as they are enthusiastic and determined to give the tourists a hell of a fun time. She was 24. Most experienced was a retired commercial airliner pilot. Don't recall the company where she works. Maybe best thing is to actually go to these remote locations and say, 'Im here".....well at least that's how it works getting land based jobs in my town!

 

 

[Mazda]

That would be Wrights Air.

 

Be careful if you go to the Territory, there is plenty of VFR flying which isn't and some dodgy operators.

 

 

[Bandit12]

A friend of mine did it by selling up everything, buying a small caravan and hitting the road. He headed up the eastern seaboard, and ended up doing parachute ops in NSW, scenic flights in SE Qld, before ending up flying charter around the Whitsundays (I think?). He just door knocked every business at regional airports until he struck gold. Sometimes he hung around and just helped out with volunteer work, cleaning aircraft and being around until something came up.

 

Or start with the basics - trawl the internet for every single charter/mail/muster/parachute business you can find and call to find out a name to address your letter to, and write to introduce yourself and your resume. Follow each one up with a phone call to check they received it about a week or so later. Send out 50 of these and your resume may land on someone's desk just at the right time. There are no easy leads unless you know someone. Best of luck with it!

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

When you do your resume include your other non-aviation skills. I got tired of low time pilots sending me a printed resume that told me nothing about them as a person but recorded every nano second in every aircraft they had ever seen.

 

Given that your first job will probably involve a lot of non-flying duties, the fact that you have done some hospitality work, love fishing, camping and horse riding, will tell me you'll be able to handle customers & money, fit in with the locals and enjoy your stay. It also tells me you may be able to pick up extra work which means not having to leave as soon as the flying $$s get thin, and you will be 'promoting' the business to potential customers.

 

Skills that are handy - customer service, tourism knowledge, business promotion, admin, rostering, payroll, cleaning, first aid, interests in popular topics (so you can chat easily with people), drivers' licence, etc. Include a photo (not a mug shot). Once you have given them a good impression you are half way to getting that phone call.

 

Good luck

 

Sue

 

 

[tarnasky]

Some good advice thanx guys appreciate it!

 

Sue you hire low time pilots?

 

 

[shags_j]

Let us know how you go tarnasky. A lot of us will be in the same boat in the next year or so.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

In a small business you always end up doing a bit of everything so don't forget to keep your mind open to opportunities to learn new skills.

 

 

[shags_j]

Also might want to keep an eye on this:

 

http://www.afap.org.au/Jobs/Latest-Jobs/AFAP-Pilot-Jobs-.asp

 

You may luck out and pick up a job that you are after. Also I met a guy once who used to build hours flying the QAIRTC (Air Force Cadets, They may have a new name these days) aircraft to amberley and back with students. It probably wouldn't hurt to get involved with this anyway, lots of airline or commercial pilots in the flying school.

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

I used to be with a GA Flying School / small charter op, which shared the hangar with a LAME and GA charter, joy flight and ultralight business in the early 1990's when there were vastly more new CPLs than there were jobs. Anyone with less than 250 hours was uninsurable and therefore unemployable. Those were the days when "guaranteed employment" meant that when you finished your instructor rating they let you find students and teach them without pay. Some even charged their grade 3 an hourly rate to work for them to get those early hours. The young pilots working for the charter company were "contractors" who got paid only for the hours they actually flew, but were expected to man the office, do the books, wash planes, run errands, operate the bowser, full time. Once they realised they were only going to fly short town scenics and only when the owner & senior pilots were unavailable, they usually left or starved. I housed and fed two CPLs who worked for a shonky operator who didn't pay them for 6 weeks and left them to cover the plane hire too. They were terrible days for anyone looking for a career in aviation.

 

Another thing - do some research on the company and locality and alter your application to suit. This shows you are keen, have an interest, and better fit their employment profile. You might have to tell a few furphies to get there - telling a small operator you love flying C150's whale spotting, and telling the big one you really aspire to Dash 8 mine charters. We binned the ones that asked for a job with our little 2 man outfit "so I can get a job in the airlines ...."

 

Look at the CASA website for AOC holders and then look up the GA aircraft register (you can download it in an Excel spreadsheet) and search for the types of planes operated by the AOCs. Google and read the blurb about them so you can target the ones most likely to want you. LAMEs sometimes need a pilot to ferry aircraft - those that offer a pick up and return service - they are worth a try which will give you exposure to operators. Send the resume and blurb, be prepared to follow up with a phone call, visit if it looks promising. You may have to do one area at a time.

 

Good Luck

 

Sue

 

 

[jerrajerra]

Here's something you might like:

 

Funny side of a pilots interview.

 

Chris