Making a job of it

Fast forward to 2016 and we see big flying schools – there is one or more in each state – gearing themselves to producing commercial pilots, selling the story that at the end of their training they will get an airline position.

Unfortunately the reality is that at present airlines are not hiring fresh CPL holders and even when hiring they are looking for experienced, perhaps even type-rated, aircrew.

That leaves the newly-minted commercial pilot several avenues to pursue.

One is to become an instructor (at additional expense) or become a GA charter pilot. Again these positions are not available in bulk numbers.

Friday’s The Australian newspaper has not seen entry-level charter job adverts for some time and the Friday AFAP jobs listing has run a few instructor adverts while a lot of the rest are for chief pilots or chief flying instructors.

The budding charter pilot may opt to get a multi-engine instrument rating (MECIR). The instrument rating will be of assistance in IMC weather, flying a single, while the twin rating may not be used for some time. Some singles will be daytime VFR only with bare basic nav systems. Typically the operator wants to see how the new low-time commercial pilot handles himself and his single engine aircraft before allocating an expensive twin to the new chum. Added to this is there are probably other pilots in the same company who are higher up the seniority listing also just itching to get some twin time.

One thing to point out here is that a lot of the big flying schools are electing to train in the latest glass panel trainer aircraft – Cessna 172, Piper PA28, Diamond singles and twins and Piper PA44 Seminole type aircraft.

But few of these types are used in a commercial sense ‘out bush’. Indeed, if a budding charter pilot goes bush looking for that elusive first job he or she is likely to find that the average age of the aircraft being operated in the outback is in the order of 30 plus years and with round or analogue instruments. This is a good reason to get some time in types typically used for commercial work such as a Cessna 206, 210 or GA-8 Airvan, the sort of round instrument aircraft that are still very much the mainstay of the bush GA fleet.

RESEARCH AND PERSEVERANCE HELPS IN GETTING THAT FIRST JOB The new commercial pilot looking for a job may find that some operators will say that they want a pilot to have a minimum of 300 or 500 hours to be eligible for a job with them. These figures can be daunting for a guy who has 150 or 200 hours. The operator may ask for those hours because of what the insurance policy says and at other times those hours act as a filter – when there are a lot of pilots applying for a job the operator can be selective.

With the advent of VET FEE HELP (as discussed in the September issue of this column) some youngsters are subscribing to the notion of ‘fly now, pay later’ with the view that they will get a well-paid flying job in the short term. They get the commercial licence and then find that obtaining that first job is harder than expected. The idea of researching the job market before obtaining the CPL was not taught at flight school, nor was the mechanics of obtaining that first job.

It is not uncommon for new CPL holders to ‘go north’ as the expression goes where they travel to the Northern Territory or the top end of Western Australia looking for that first job. There they find much competition from fellow new CPL pilots. It is not uncommon to find new commercial pilots from New Zealand also seeking first jobs there. The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement (TTMRA) allows commercial pilots from Australia and New Zealand to work in the other country but it would seem that there are more NZ pilots moving to Australia seeking jobs, in particular first flying jobs, than the other way around.

Is it possible for a new commercial pilot to find a job? Yes, but it takes research, resilience and perseverance. Networking helps. The more hours logged and types flown the better. Better still, have time on the types that operators fly.

Contact Dave by email: [email protected]

Get some time in types typically used for commercial work.