Prepping For Post-COVID Jobs

Then we get to the GA scene. A lack of international tourists and grey nomads concerned about state borders restrictions all mean there is a lack of tourist flights. The pilots wanted adverts are all about flying drones and for experienced helicopter pilots.

In pilot forums, there are pilots asking where their first job is with their 250 hours somehow forgetting that there a bus load of 10,000-hour pilots coming back down the experience ladder.

For flight instructors we have seen many flight schools shutter their doors. For the big flight schools most if not all have real issues. Their last batch of overseas students have qualified and been sent back home but no new ones are allowed into the country to replace them. Sure, there is media talk about allowing foreign students into the country but as this column closes it is all just talk.

So, what have all those G3 instructors and low time G2s been doing? Flipping burgers and hoping for that return phone call? It could be a long wait. I have no doubt that given time the main overseas source of flight training students will be getting its act together to run their own domestic flight schools and Australia will
be history.

It is also distressing to see the number of aviation tuition text books being sold, some unopened, on aviation websites. Pilots bailing out before they have started as they see the market for commercial pilots is not quite the student-to-airliner-left-seat pilot as quick or easy as they were told.

For pilots who have chosen to stay through the hard times, there are several things to keep in mind. Stay current. Get some time in anything with wings. An hour of circuits in a Cessna 150 is better than nothing in that log book. It would also be fun! You need to keep making entries regardless of the aircraft size. An alternative could be to get some simulator time. Again, it is experience.

For the guys who have been given a pink slip, the DCM, then have a real good look at your CV. Is there a better way to re-jig it such that it gets an employer’s interest at first glance? There are professional firms and aviation firms that can assist.

Lockdown time is also a good time to study up on what possible GA employers operate. Distance limitations allowing, is it possible to get flight time in the type or types of aircraft that a prospective employer may have? Draw up a list of possible employers and try to find out as much as you can, in particular the people that matter because they could hire you. Be prepared to travel. It is said that employers prefer to see a possible new-hire in person.

All that means is that a pilot seeking that elusive first job needs to be prepared. Ask yourself: is your vehicle OK? Log book neat and up to date? Dangerous Goods Awareness Certificate obtained? Have non-flying skills while waiting? Tax affairs sorted? Medical up to date? Dental checkup complete? Pilot kit including charts good to go? Remember, that job will come. Good luck!

FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR TIP OF THE MONTH
Fuel is the stuff that keeps an engine making noise. It will pay a pilot to supervise refuelling. That ensures that avgas (not Jet A1) is put into the tanks, the correct quantity into the correct tanks and the fuel caps are properly secured. Always do a drain of all points after a refuel. It can pay to do a drain after a rain storm has passed. Get a full measure of the fuel drain cup. A small sample might just be all water. The only time you can have too much fuel is if there is a fire.