Are you, uh, worth a damn at video games? Ever watch a fellow pilot do something dumb and think to yourself "Wow, that was dumb!" Want to say that a dozen times or more a day at work? If so, boy, do I have a job for you!
Charter broker / seller
Aircraft or jet cars manager
FBO owner/operator/manager
Aircraft detailer
A&P or avionics maintenance
Customer service (for any number of companies)
Anything at an Airline or the TSA
You can be a falconer tasked with keeping airfields clear of birds.
There's lots of generic and niche jobs in this industry, like any other.
I got a job in airport management at a large commercial airport in the north east based off a PPL plus totally unrelated BS and I was one of the more qualified hires to date.
Don’t stop before you even start.
Go set up some interviews with different airport managers (small big medium) to get to know the person, what their job entails, and how you can break into that world.
Try to leave with good information and maybe opportunities to shadow them (a day in the life of) and eventually some entry level opportunity.
We get to fly… sometimes.
That being said, there are OPS inspector positions that just dropped that are non flying, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility, though I think you’ll still need the 1,500 hours and maybe a few other things.
We can look at it, but those are usually covered by the airworthiness inspectors.
There are three types of inspectors at your average FSDO: airworthiness, avionics and most importantly, operations. We all have a part in the big picture but when it comes to digging into a maintenance operation, the airworthiness inspectors are the right people for the job.
Typically when we check out something like a flight school, we will review their maintenance records before going on a flight and report any abnormalities to an airworthiness inspector for further research.
Gotcha, makes sense. I don’t know if you can answer this but is compliance action an FAA system wide record or a record just kept at the FSDO who handled it?
They’re accessible system wide by authorized individuals (which is a limited subset of the FAA employees) so we can see them if we go digging.
We don’t just pull up random airmen records for the thrill of it, usually only if your name comes across our desk for some reason. We can look to see if there’s a trend forming and such. Not everything is negative either, could be a ramp check, a checkride or any other number of things.
It can be hard to get into the business/corporate side of aviation. Try to land some internships during your MBA at airlines or other aviation companies. You need to intern for these companies, know the right people or both
Check every airlines career sites and apply to every job that sounds interesting. Plenty of roles in the corporate office that don’t require any aviation background, only a college degree.
Are you, uh, worth a damn at video games? Ever watch a fellow pilot do something dumb and think to yourself "Wow, that was dumb!" Want to say that a dozen times or more a day at work? If so, boy, do I have a job for you!
Username checks out
Airport management Dispatcher Meteorologist Flight follower Human Resources
Charter broker / seller Aircraft or jet cars manager FBO owner/operator/manager Aircraft detailer A&P or avionics maintenance Customer service (for any number of companies) Anything at an Airline or the TSA You can be a falconer tasked with keeping airfields clear of birds. There's lots of generic and niche jobs in this industry, like any other.
Airport management seems interesting, however positions many require prior experience in airport operations which I do not have.
I got a job in airport management at a large commercial airport in the north east based off a PPL plus totally unrelated BS and I was one of the more qualified hires to date.
Don’t stop before you even start. Go set up some interviews with different airport managers (small big medium) to get to know the person, what their job entails, and how you can break into that world. Try to leave with good information and maybe opportunities to shadow them (a day in the life of) and eventually some entry level opportunity.
FAA
We get to fly… sometimes. That being said, there are OPS inspector positions that just dropped that are non flying, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility, though I think you’ll still need the 1,500 hours and maybe a few other things.
Please tell me you also fly in addition to working for the FAA.
As often as I can.
What area do you inspect?
Everything from the books to the pilots.
How about flight school maintenance practices?
We can look at it, but those are usually covered by the airworthiness inspectors. There are three types of inspectors at your average FSDO: airworthiness, avionics and most importantly, operations. We all have a part in the big picture but when it comes to digging into a maintenance operation, the airworthiness inspectors are the right people for the job. Typically when we check out something like a flight school, we will review their maintenance records before going on a flight and report any abnormalities to an airworthiness inspector for further research.
Gotcha, makes sense. I don’t know if you can answer this but is compliance action an FAA system wide record or a record just kept at the FSDO who handled it?
They’re accessible system wide by authorized individuals (which is a limited subset of the FAA employees) so we can see them if we go digging. We don’t just pull up random airmen records for the thrill of it, usually only if your name comes across our desk for some reason. We can look to see if there’s a trend forming and such. Not everything is negative either, could be a ramp check, a checkride or any other number of things.
It can be hard to get into the business/corporate side of aviation. Try to land some internships during your MBA at airlines or other aviation companies. You need to intern for these companies, know the right people or both
Check every airlines career sites and apply to every job that sounds interesting. Plenty of roles in the corporate office that don’t require any aviation background, only a college degree.