Part Time Gigs?
 

Gents -

New to the forums, and I was having a discussion today with a CFI about this. I've been thinking about flying a lot lately, and trying to understand if there are any part-time gigs out there for Cargo / Corporate. I've never ever wanted to fly for the big boys. But a weekend route or something would be right up my alley. I don't have my commercial yet, because quite honestly, I've never really needed it until now. Instrument SEL and MEL. 780TT, 150 Actual IMC, First Class Medical, lot of cross country logged with a lot of glass cockpit Also ex-military though not an ex-military flyer.

I see a lot of full-time positions out there, but honestly, I make way too much money in my current career field that I'm not looking to go full-time and take a position at $30k. But... at the same time, I love to fly and just go somewhere. Anywhere! What better way, than a part-time route some place?

I don't even know if that type of a job exists, or where to find it, but I would be interested to understand what the typical requirements are anymore. Can anyone help steer me in the general direction?

Part Time Gigs?
 

I suggest buying your own airplane if you make crazy money. The pros are you decide where and when. The con is you have to pay the bill, but with your income, you should be able to afford it. At least that's what a lot of guys that work for the "big boys" do with their spare change, and they only make in the $250-550K range.


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Volunteer with Angel Flight.

For some, this is actually a job, not a hobby.

Well...

That was relatively unhelpful. I asked specifically about part-time gigs. I know they exist. I’d like to get paid / augment and maybe someday I’ll transition fully, but right now that’s not really of interest to me. I don’t view it as a hobby, if I I fly somewhere, I fly for a purpose today not as a hobby. I would like to use my skills for something useful. Yes angel flights is fine... but realistically that requires a decent airplane like a 421C.

I would rather find something part time for a while and I would think a cargo route would be the way to go and fit a scheduled.

Hmmm. I had a part time gig once being an on call lear jet guy. With your time I'd think getting the CFI done and doing that would be the best option. Can't think of a cargo gig that would work.....except maybe senior FedEx 777 :cool:

Best bet is pay as you go and continue to drill holes in the sky. Your low time isn't really attractive to most employers that can have pilots with similar experience profiles wanting to fly their butts off.

Maybe you could meet someone with a cool airplane and sit right seat to quench your "love of flying" for free. :rolleyes:

As unhelpful as those responses may have seemed, they’re rooted in experience. As you continue to accumulate experience, I think you’ll find, as I have seen, that the common denominator among aircraft operators is the basic premise that an aircraft sitting doesn’t make money. Most operators will try to operate their aircraft as much as possible to maximize cash flow for each airframe. This translates to very little part time work, particularly on the cargo side. If you’re looking for a part time position, I think you would be better to focus on corporate aviation - with a private individual/owner. These generally offer the most schedule flexibility and least amount of time away from home. The kicker is getting in the door as these are often filled by word of mouth, but keep your eyes open and network as much as possible. Get involved with angel flight and try to go to fly-ins and immerse yourself as much as you can in the community. This is a great way to find positions like this that aren’t advertised.

I know this isn’t the greatest answer, but it can be difficult to find the right flying position to balance with working a full time job that seems to be going well for you. Good luck and I hope you are able to find what you’re looking for.

I would recommend working as a CFI if you want to work weekends. I have had plenty of past students that could only fly weekends because of work obligations. It's not as exciting as flying a jet, but its probably your best bet at getting paid to fly part-time with your hours.

What you're hoping for is a contract pilot position. But that requires having a particular type rating (if a type rating is required) and time in type. No corporate operator is going to spend the money to hire and train a "weekend guy".

At this point, your best bet is to get your CFI (CFII would be even better) and find weekend work as an instructor. That should be easy enough. One local training operation has a list of students waiting to start training because they don't have enough instructors. Once you have 1200 total time, you might be able to find part-time charter work. There may be a small freight forwarder out there that would be looking for part-time-ish people, maybe.