Getting the right job is about more than just your skills and flight hours. Corporate Pilot Jobs also about who you know and what kind of network you have. As a general rule, pilots find their aviation jobs through referrals. This is especially true in corporate aviation where the positions aren’t posted on the internet. In fact, a seasoned airline pilot who recently switched to a private flight department told me that the most important thing he did when he first got his bizav job was to “learn the art of networking.”

Being part of a managed flight crew requires teamwork. Corporate pilots are responsible for calling ahead to assure passenger arrangements are in place, filing flight plans, completing NOTAM checks and communicating with aircraft mechanics to ensure the airplane is safe to fly. It is also necessary to be able to effectively interact with passengers and clients during flights.

Freelance Flyers: Contract Pilot Job Market

A typical day for a managed corporate pilot starts with preparing the aircraft for a client trip. Then, they taxi the plane out for takeoff. Once the jet is airborne, they begin their flight to Chicago to pick up a CEO and a handful of managers. On the way, they call ahead to the airport to arrange for a car to be waiting when they land.

Corporate pilots spend long stretches away from home, often with very few guaranteed days off in the schedule. Depending on the size of the company they work for, some fractional ownership companies provide set work and vacation schedules while others may have more unpredictable hours based on executive travel or last-minute charter flights.