Careers

When Timothy Fonseca was 5 years old, he knew he wanted to be a pilot. He founded Millennial Wings to share his love of aviation with other young people. Watch Fonseca and other young adults in the group enjoy a day of flying and fun during a recent outing in Florida. Are you a millennial […]

Aircraft designers and aeronautical engineers (the distinction between the two is unimportant within the industry) use cutting-edge materials, systems and processes, along with their ingenuity, to create and improve aerial vehicles. Rob Wolz, director of project engineering for Advanced Aircraft Programs at Gulfstream Aerospace, currently overseeing the G500/600 program; Peter Sturdza, deputy chief engineer at […]

Opportunities for unmanned aircraft system (UAS) pilots are now wide-open under the new FAA small UAS (sUAS) Part 107 rule, which legalizes and regulates these air ops. Drone work in the U.S. film and TV industry has also taken flight recently under the agency’s Section 333 exemption waivers. Meanwhile, demand for experienced commercial and military […]

Caleb Gessmann is a contract pilot with multiple ratings and a current student on the path to obtain a degree in aviation. In between his studies and work, Gessmann enjoys frequent trips with family and friends to the Bahamas and other tropical destinations. “In the last year, I’ve been gone from home a lot. However, […]

When I was growing up, the glamour of an aviation job was all wrapped up in the thrill of traveling the world. Little did I know that more than half the careers in aviation involve staying in one place. Aviation maintenance used to be one of those careers, but the industry is changing for a […]

I’ll admit it: I’m a fiend for change. I thoroughly agree that variety is the spice of life, and when things get too stagnant, I tend to shake them up whether they really need it or not. Perhaps you sensed this in my September column: My wife and I had a really nice, comfortable life […]

For many aspiring professional pilots, “becoming an airline captain is the pinnacle of a career,” says Mark Haley, chair of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Education Committee and first officer for a major airline. Small wonder. “You get a window office, you’re flying airplanes and traveling the world,” says professor Martin Rottler, chair of […]

What supports the manufacturing world of “just-in-time” inventory? Who do you call when you’ve absolutely got to have “it” the next day? Cargo airlines. And what makes the air-cargo industry go? Pilots — lots of them! Best of all, cargo operations are hiring. If you’re a freight pilot, your next route could be an exotic […]

Once upon a time, there were just a few good men — all of them military jet pilots — who could qualify to become astronauts. They were considered to be endowed with what author Tom Wolfe characterized as “the right stuff.” That was then. Today’s astronauts don’t need to be pilots (although it helps). Today’s […]

Bush pilots operate in remote areas worldwide with little operational support. Career success and survival require excellent backcountry flying skills, self-reliance and resourcefulness, and above all, the right attitude, say bush pilots Glen Ferguson and Keith Saulnier. They represent the two bush-pilot career paths you might consider: missionary aviation and commercial operations. Saulnier owns Georgian […]