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Pilot Careers Flying Banners/ Inspecting Power lines & Flying Skydivers

As a new commercial pilot you're options for employment are limited but that is no excuse not to get the position that you want. Basically there are two paths that new pilots follow to gain enough experience to move onto bigger and better things.

The first is becoming a certified flight instructor. This is a great path for some but for others the thought of teaching isn't as appealing. The second path is an approach probably followed less frequently but can be very rewarding depending on your personality and the type of flying you want to do.

If you've ever been to a beach or other tourist destination you've probably seen an airplane towing a banner for a local restaurant or nightclub. Though cyclical in nature, pilot who fly banners are able to accrue many hours quickly.

Banner tow pilots are required by the regulations to receive training on the proper way to pick up, fly with, and drop the banner. This training usually costs around $1400. Some pilots also tow banners on a part time basis when they’re not flying in another position.

Pay for banner pilots falls between $10-$20/hr.

Flying a skydive airplane is another method of gaining hours. This is mostly a weekend position and can also be used to supplements some other form of fling income.

Skydive pilots are usually paid per flight. In a large operation this can really add up. In addition sky dive operations operate a large variety of both single engine and multi-engine aircraft.

Some companies use aircraft to inspect power lines and pipelines. Aircraft allow
the company to inspect a large area quickly. Power and pipeline line patrol pilots fly two types of missions. Scheduled and on demand.

Scheduled missions usually look for changes in the environment and for circumstances that are not problems now but may become problems later.

On demand patrols might be the result of a weather event, to ensure regulatory compliance, or to find a damaged area so that it can be repaired.

As you can see there are numerous positions available for new pilots who don't want to instruct.