Careers

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 […]

Imagine retarding the throttles, trimming the nose up slightly, feeling the ship as she prepares, reluctantly, to settle back to earth, hearing the wind noise bleed off, the engines wind down, the robotic callout of 50, then 30, then 10, and knowing that this is the last time you will do this in the cockpit […]

For Richard Johnson, the path to a career at Boeing took patience and time-management skills. The production pilot worked as a flight instructor while simultaneously earning his engineering degrees before landing his job. Now, the sun is always shining at 41,000 feet in Seattle for the engineer and pilot. See what kind of advice Johnson […]

Day six of 10 in Miami Lakes, Florida, didn’t hold much promise for flying, but it did provide a chance to do some laundry. The crew hotel wasn’t five star, to put it kindly, and it wasn’t anywhere near anything to eat or do. It was hot. Armed with a roll of quarters, I loaded the […]

Airport managers oversee all facility activities, from air operations to human resources and administration, in addition to ensuring compliance with TSA and FAA regulations. Jeff Price, a professor in the department of aviation and aerospace science at Colorado’s Metropolitan State University, explained the career path to running an airport. Price also heads Leading Edge Strategies, […]