Careers for People Who Love Flying

Have you ever daydreamed about flying through the vast open skies or traveling to exotic, faraway destinations? If so, maybe a profession in aviation is right for you. There’s not just one way of getting up into the air either. All sorts of different jobs exist out there where you’ll be going up into the air much more frequently than your average business person or holiday vacationer. Here are a few careers for people who love flying.

Flight Attendant

Working as a flight attendant requires a combination of a fondness for flight and excellent customer service skills. You’ll become an expert on safety and proper regulation and procedure. Before every takeoff, flight attendants are usually in charge of making sure that all safety equipment is on board and functional. They also participate in preflight briefings.

The part of the job you’re probably most familiar with, however, is their responsibility regarding passengers. They show people what to do in the case of an emergency, bringing food and refreshments and otherwise taking care of any passenger questions and concerns.

To become a flight attendant, you’ll need to be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma. Attaining an undergraduate degree in a relevant field such as tourism and some customer service experience will help better your chances as well.

Flight Instructor

Of course, every emerging pilot gets their start with an upstanding teacher who can show them the ropes. If you like to help others to learn, being a flight instructor is a good option to consider. You will give lessons to students who are learning the basics of piloting and prepare them for the various tests and certifications they’ll need for their chosen career path.

The baseline qualifications of a flight instructor approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are that you are at least 18, have a commercial pilot certificate, and have an instrument rating. You can also obtain an additional instrument instructor rating. This will allow you to teach pilots how to fly in less than ideal circumstances where they’ll have to rely on reading the instruments in their cockpit over visual reference.

For both airplane and helicopter pilots, becoming an instructor is often part of gaining experience. This means that it may be the first job you take after graduating from flight school, which is nice if that is what you want to do long-term.

Commercial Pilot

Commercial pilots fly aircraft to transport people or cargo. To keep everyone and everything safe, you’ll need to conduct preflight checks on the aircraft’s mechanisms, instruments, and fuel, as well as know the course of your flight inside and out.

You’ll communicate with air traffic controllers at airports who will provide information on how and when to land so that you do not cross paths with another plane or helicopter in the air. While there are risks involved, and many safety measures to reduce them, the benefit of being a commercial pilot is that you are in control of the flight. Plus, you may travel to distant places you wouldn’t otherwise get to see.

To have a career as a commercial pilot, you’ll need to be at least 18, have a commercial pilot’s license, and have 250 hours of piloting experience. A degree in a relevant field is now becoming a requirement among many companies as well.

Look to see if you have the characteristics of a great helicopter pilot or airplane pilot and work to build those skills up in yourself so that you can reach success.

image credit: Pixabay