Career Opportunities for Pilots
Airplane Pilots (Fixed Wing) Helicopter Pilots (Rotary Wing)
Over the last 10-years the pilot job market has changed remarkably. Ten years ago, a helicopter pilot could self insure right out of private helicopter flight training and then instruct for someone else until they had enough time to go to work commercially. Airplane pilots can still do this today. There weren't very many job opportunities for helicopter pilots unless you bought your own helicopter. Today there are many flight instructing jobs, but the majority of these flight schools try to hire from within their own trainees. This makes perfect sense since students trained within will tend to teach according to school policy
Today it is much different all around; helicopters pilots couldn't purchase insurance (self insure) right out of flight training now for any money, but if they stay at the flight school they trained at and work there for a couple of years accumulating 1,000 to 2,000 flight hours, helicopter pilots can easily get the job of their dreams.
A helicopter pilot will qualify for an off-shore job in the Gulf of Mexico when he/she has accumulated 1,000 hours of PIC (pilot in command) time; a job with an EMS operator when he/she has accumulated 2,000 to 3,000 hours of PIC time; a job with a tour operator with as few as 500 hours; a news job with anywhere from 500 hours to 1,500 hours; etc.
There are several factors which will greatly affect your job opportunities or should I say the likelihood that you will land the job. This really begins with the first day of your flight training. As Neil Brooks of Aquila Aviation put it to me, 'If a student wants to be employed at the school where they take their flight training, their interview begins with the first day they attend flight training and continues until they complete their CFI checkrides'. Keep this in mind; the attitude, ethics and skills as well as your commitment to school standards exhibited throughout your flight training process are some of the major factors which will determine whether you have a job, or are looking for a job when your flight training is completed.
When you finally qualify for a job, the same applies; the best applicant will be the one who lands the job. This does not just come down to the pilot who has the most time, but rather all factors weigh in to the decision process of employers; especially pilot attitude. Many million-dollar helicopters have been crashed by pilots with attitude issues.
Helicopter pilot salaries range from $45,000 to $200,000 with the average salary about $55,000; when these pilots qualify for the larger commercial operations. The best paying helicopter jobs are the precision long line/fire fighting pilot positions.
For the fixed wing pilots, the job market is also now wide open. Flight instructor jobs are everywhere, and the freight companies and regional's are hiring again. For the time being (sine there are just not enough pilots), fixed wing pilots can sometimes go directly to the regional's and pass up the freight jobs we all had to fly at one time. There are still the jobs flying bank documents and lab samples as they always. These jobs still exist and are a great experience builder. Just as helicopter pilots do, fixed wing pilots must also instruct for a period of time or else purchase a large block of time or aircraft to build sufficient hours.
Salaries for fixed wing are not what they once were, but they are still the top of the pilot salary range usually significantly more than helicopter pilots will average. A fixed wing pilot can expect a salary in the $20-30,000 range until they manage to move to a regional captain position where they will see significantly more. Once a fixed wing pilot secures a major airline First Officer job, they will earn a salary somewhere in the $60,000 range. From there as they move up through the ranks, the salaries will range anywhere up to about $275,000 depending upon experience, aircraft, and time with the company.
As with all career types, a pilot who jumps around a lot will not be as attractive to a company as one who sticks with a particular position and builds time and experience and a good resume with solid references.