Looking to Be a Corporate Pilot? The Playbook Starts Here

What should freshly qualified pilots consider if they’re looking to go corporate?

Tuesday, March 01, 2022 at 11:25 AM ET

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For more pilots than not, becoming a corporate pilot has seemed more obscure than getting a job with the airlines. [File Photo: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Finding a corporate pilot job is likened to picking stocks, requiring due diligence to uncover less obvious "diamonds in the rough" rather than just pursuing well-known "unicorn" flight departments.
Corporate pilot careers are less common than airline jobs due to fewer positions, less structured progression, and a non-standard job search process that often relies on networking and proactive seeking.
Unlike airline jobs, which are susceptible to significant world events, corporate pilot job security is directly tied to the financial health and stability of the underlying business supporting the flight department.
Pilots aiming for an enduring corporate flying career should "invest" wisely by thoroughly researching the business, sector, and industry they're entering, not just the aircraft, applying principles of due diligence and patience.

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I recently spoke to a friend, a corporate pilot, who reflected on his career with me, and we landed on the analogy that the search for the right corporate flight job is akin to picking stocks in the financial markets.

Everyone knows the winners, the unicorn departments that they’d like to fly for. But just like expensive stocks they are out of reach—for the most part. Instead, pilots must perform due diligence to find the diamonds in the rough, in the not-so-obvious companies. This searching turns some people away, but those who do it right can string together a remarkable flying career.