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Second, airline pilots are usually required to have one or more advanced ratings, such as an aircraft type rating or a multi-engine aircraft rating. This second qualification criteria is dependent upon
types of aircraft pilot is flying and/or type of pilot job.
Pilots’ licenses or ratings are valid as long as pilot passes period physical exams and flying tests that are required by Federal Government and airline company regulations. Medical certificates are issued in 3 classes. A class l certificate is most rigorous, and requires highest levels of vision, hearing, equilibrium and health. The Class ll Medical Certificate has less stringent requirements, but still demands a high standard of general health and an excellent medical history. The least rigid classification is class lll Medical Certificate.
FAA REGULATIONS LIMITING MONTHLY FLIGHT HOURS
Legally, pilots are not allowed to fly more than 100 hours in any given month, and no more than 1000 hours in any given year. In addition, pilots must be allowed at least 8 hours of uninterrupted rest in 24 hours before finishing their flight duty. The FAA requires airlines to provide pilots with this rest period to guard against excessive fatigue that could result in an unsafe flight.
TRAINING
There are approximately 600 civilian flying schools in US that are certified by FAA. Some colleges and universities also offer FAA certified pilot courses that offer degree credits. In addition, Armed Forces is a large source of trained pilots for civilian pilot careers.
ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Many new airline pilots start out as flight engineers or first officers with smaller or regional airlines. Advancement for many pilots may involve transferring from a small airline to a major carrier. However, advancement is typically dependent upon seniority. Flight Engineers can advance according their seniority to First Officer positions after 1 to 5 years of experience. After to 5 to 15 years experiencing, they can advance to Captain positions depending on their seniority.
Some pilots advance to managerial positions, while others advance based on seniority to larger aircraft or better routes or a preferred home base location. Agricultural Pilots can advance into management jobs or become self-employed as independent contractors.
PILOT EMPLOYMENT FORECAST
The number of job opportunities for pilots in US is expected to grow about as fast as average of overall employment growth from 2003 to 2010. However competition for jobs will continue to be high. Causes that slow growth are a function of mergers and challenges in airline industry. In addition, advancements in technology reduce need for Flight Engineers, and video conferencing and teleconferencing reduce need for business travel.
Some industry analysts predict need for 27,000 new pilots between 2003 and 2010 as a result of retirement. Many of pilots who were hired in 1960’s are now reaching mandatory retirement age, and thus a few thousand job vacancies are expected to arise each year for next several years. Note that not many pilots retire early because of high earnings and benefits, and fact their unique skills are not generally transferable to other careers.
The employment of pilots is sensitive to changes in economy. Airlines are forced to furlough or temporarily lay-off pilots during periods when demand for air travel declines. At times of recession, pilots employed in commercial or corporate flying and flight instruction are adversely affected by downturn in economy.
THE BEST JOB PROSPECTS
Pilots that have most FAA licenses and that have logged most number of flying hours on sophisticated aircraft will generally have best job prospects. Military pilots typically have more experience and licenses than other pilots, and thus have more job opportunities.
It is forecasted that greatest number of new job openings will come from regional passenger and cargo airlines, and international carriers. The industry will likely experience a need for more airlines, pilots and flight instructors.
It is also expected that there will be an increasing need for pilots that operate single engine airplanes because more businesses are chartering private aircraft.
Note that women make up approximately 25% of total number of people employed as pilots in US and this figure is expected to increase.
WHERE ARE THE PILOT JOBS?
The majority of pilot jobs in US are located in cities with major airline hubs. Most positions are concentrated in Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, California, District of Columbia, Michigan, Illinois, Washington and Florida. These regions generate most flights relative to their population size.
By Julia Dean, MBA President, www.AirlineJOB.net - Helping people get airline jobs faster
AirlineJOB.net tracks jobs for 108 airlines and typically has over 1,200 currentairline job postings, including commercial pilot jobs. Visit www.AirlineJOB.net and sign up for free "Airline Job News", a bi-monthly newsletter that answers readers questions about airline jobs, and that always includes at least 2 free airline job postings.
SOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos107.htm CPTC ICPAC California Employment Development Department Research & Analysis Bureau Providing Labor Market Information for State of Montana
Julia Dean is a professional researcher and copywriter, and the President of AirlineJOB.net, a web portal for airline job seekers.
Julia is the author of THE AIRLINE JOB GUIDE and the free bi-monthly e-zine, "AIRLINE JOB NEWS"
