If you are one of the thousands now building a flying career from scratch, chances are that you have completely overlooked opportunities in the business of general aviation.
I've never seen a flight school ad that says, "Come train with us and you'll be on your way to making a six-figure income as an airplane salesperson!" In surfing the Internet for flight training organizations, I have never found a promotional statement designed to lure the prospective pilot with words such as, "Expand your territory! Serve more customers in one day than your land-bound competition does in a week by becoming a flying professional." Nope. All I ever see is Boeings and bizjets.
Consider that, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, general aviation contributes a whopping $51 billion to the U.S. economy and employs more than a half-million people. General aviation is not some modest cottage industry that is best suited as a last choice if the airlines or corporate aviation departments don't come a knockin'. It is a vital slice of American commerce that should be seriously evaluated for career opportunities, especially for those who yearn to do more than fly or program an aircraft.
Glance through the pages of this magazine. Every advertisement represents an enterprise that serves as a component in the business of general aviation. Additionally, these advertisers reflect only a fraction of the flight and flight support employers who require quality personnel with communication, marketing, administrative, and, you bet, flying skills.
According to a recently published report, FAA Aerospace Forecasts Fiscal Years 1999-2010, the future of general aviation is getting even brighter!
The general aviation industry is picking up. In 1998, the industry had the highest number of shipments since 1985-2,220 units, up from 1,569 units in 1997. The general aviation fleet is expected to increase from 194,800 in 1998, to 220,800 in 2010, a 1 percent yearly increase. The turboprop/turbojet fleet, the fastest growing segment, is forecast to increase 2.7 percent annually.
Aircraft operations (takeoffs and landings) handled at combined FAA and contract tower airports are expected to increase from 50.9 million in 1999 to 63.9 million in 2010, an annual increase of 2.1 percent.
One does not need a flight computer to compute that, as flying increases and more new aircraft are sold, there will be an even larger demand for flight-related products and services and the people to deliver them.
Review here a mere sampling of the job possibilities that await the general aviation businessperson, with or without a wallet full of flying certificates.
Insurance Claims Investigator It happens-the gear-up landing! It is said that there are two kinds of pilots: those who already have had the opportunity to see how far an airplane will roll with the wheels tucked into the wells, and those who will.
Once damage to the beloved aircraft has been inflicted, such as in the case of a gear-up landing, owners and operators immediately contact their insurance companies in hopes that financial embarrassment can be avoided by tapping into the policy's coverage.
The day that a fender-bender or accident occurs involving an in-sured aircraft, a claims investigator usually is dispatched to the site of the injured bird to make a damage assessment and work with the owner/operator to determine if and how the wrinkled metal can be made flyable again.
Jess is a member of a squadron of 25 investigators employed by one company specializing in claims work. Flying a fleet of superb Cessna 182s, these aviation insurance professionals conduct investigations for several "name brand" insurers.
According to Jess, "Nearly 90 percent of our investigation work is conducted by flying our nine corporate aircraft to the site of the mishap. Very little transportation is by ground or commercial means. To give you some idea of the flight time involved, our fleet accumulated over 700 hours of flight time in the first quarter of 1999."
A typical mission for an investigator at Jess' company is a single-day trip. Although there are some situations involving serious liability issues which could require senior investigators to spend more time at a site, an entry-level employee working a simple incident would merely fly out to the airport where the damaged airplane is located, conduct interviews, meet with the pilot or aircraft owners, take photos, contact repair facilities for quotes, then fly back and generate a detailed investigative report.
Normally, there is no urgency for flights to be made in severe instrument weather conditions. Thus, when the company recruits new investigators, it seeks individuals with a college degree that might include some coursework in insurance plus at least a private pilot certificate. Minimum flight time and an instrument rating are not specified at all.
Says Jess, "We find that, in some cases, it is often easier to take a pilot and indoctrinate that person into the insurance industry rather than take an auto insurance agent or auto adjuster, for example, and make him or her a pilot. Occasionally, we find someone already established in the insurance industry who is also a pilot and aviation enthusiast, and they make excellent adjusters. We would not discourage anyone from applying for investigative positions because of perceived lack of experience. This type of employment is also a good opportunity for aircraft maintenance technicians with a pilot certificate. Having that maintenance and mechanical ex-pertise is of great benefit when looking at a broken aircraft. These are full-time career-oriented positions with excellent pay, benefits, and stability."
Anyone interested in pursuing such a career, which generally offers a starting salary ranging from about $25,000 to $35,000, need only read the insurance advertisements in aviation publications, make a phone call to the human resources department, and stake a claim.
Avionics Marketing Representative
Avionics companies are among the businesses offering career potential for the flying professional. Bob Cusick is the aviation original-equipment manufacturer sales manager for Kansas-based Garmin. He is the company contact point for airplane builders such as Piper, Mooney, Cirrus, and Cessna.
Says Cusick, "In the marketing of our aviation products, a sales representative must possess a pilot certificate and flight experience as a basic requirement. We would like to see a representative have about 500 hours of total flight time and an instrument rating before we turn him or her loose in the territory."
The ability to launch in an airplane to make distant sales and service calls is essential. In Garmin's case, only four regional sales managers cover the entire United States. Bob remembers his routine when he was a regional sales manager and his territory in-cluded 10 states plus two Canadian provinces. "With one exception," says Cusick, "Garmin's regional sales managers are based here at the company headquarters in Olathe, Kansas. When I was calling on distributors in my region, I would spend a week on the road by departing from home on Sunday, flying to a western destination on a commercial flight, and renting a Beechcraft Bonanza from one of our providers. From there, I would hop-scotch around airports in my territory and call on my customers. Typically, I was out in the region every other week. On alternate weeks, I was back in the home office."
Sales and service calls have several objectives: to educate the retailer on new equipment and features; to inform the client about promotions and sales programs; to assist the seller with any problems; and, of course, to place Garmin products on the shelves.
Turnover is relatively low. When openings do develop, recruiting might take several forms. "We would look at a recent college graduate with flying certificates as long as a degree is earned in areas which relate to our industry. A business major certainly qualifies. However, an educational background in engineering or electronics is very useful. But, we really would like to see an applicant have a few years of sales and marketing experience somewhere in the aviation industry.
"Another source of sales and marketing talent is right within our own organization. One of our regional sales managers started with the company in product support. He then moved up. Working into the position from within the company is an attractive track since we obviously know the employee and his or her capabilities, plus that person is really acquainted with our philosophies and product line."
Garmin is but one of a host of avionics manufacturers. Sales and marketing efforts across the spectrum do have similarities. As a ballpark figure, starting income can be expected in the $30,000 range with potential for growth based on experience and exceptional performance.
Aircraft Salesperson
With some 2,220 new aircraft sold in 1998, there's a demand for people to sell the product. Brian O'Maley, a 30-something, turbocharged airplane salesman, added his fair share to that total number.
Based at Bridgeford Flying Service in Napa, California, O'Maley is a veritable one-man show as the manager of aircraft sales for the company.
With flight experience in more than 50 types of aircraft and enough credentials to land himself a job with a major airline, Brian instead prefers the electric atmosphere of sales. He says, "I just cannot see myself sitting in the cockpit of a jetliner as a computer programmer, filing my Jepp charts, living out of Holiday Inns, and eating airline food day after day. Besides, I like being at home most nights with the family. The life I lead as one of the top producers for the Cessna line of single-engine aircraft on the West Coast is diverse, exciting, challenging, and rewarding."
O'Maley continues, "When you are working with a reputable dealership with strong ties to a major airplane manufacturer, you have so much going for you in terms of product and sales support. Additionally, when a customer looks to purchase a new airplane out of the box, so to speak, with today's current price tags, you are working with affluent, savvy folks. I could be talking with a California golf pro whose wife wants to learn to fly in a new Skyhawk, or some rancher in Nevada who needs a flying sport utility vehicle like the Cessna 206."
Half of O'Maley's time is spent pursuing leads and making contacts, many of which come from the Cessna factory when potential buyers respond to na-tional advertising. But, in addition to lots of phone, e-mail, and fax communications, O'Maley often gets to fly a new airplane to a prospective customer. He provides the buyer with a demonstration flight. He might also bring any number of previously owned aircraft, from King Airs to Cessna 310s to Piper Senecas, to the client's side for an evaluation.
Once the deal is made, it is O'Maley who will deliver the new owner's pride and joy. "I've presented freshly manufactured Cessnas to customers who have flown to San Francisco International Airport to retrieve their acquisitions, but I've also handed the keys over on riverbed rock driveways at remote mountain strips. You just can't get that kind of fun elsewhere in this business."
Income potential? Sales is a unique career path. Rewards are reaped in proportion to the personal investment in time and effort. Aircraft sales personnel are generally compensated on a monthly guarantee-plus-commission basis. When asked about his income, O'Maley grins. "Let's say that I'm doing terrific. A good performer can realize $50,000 to $75,000 annually. I know salespersons who are earning $350,000 moving jet equipment."
Recommendations? O'Maley urges, "Go with a dealership that has ties to a major manufacturer. As an alternative, hook up with a company that sells big iron-jets. Although there is a need for people to sell old Cessna 150s and Cherokees, and there are lots of reputable used airplane sales operations out there, I think there is more upside potential elsewhere."
To locate a sales position, O'Maley recommends contacting a major manufacturer directly who will, in turn, relay your interest to its dealer network. Required flying credentials include a private pilot certificate with at least 200 hours of flight time. An instrument rating, though not mandated by the regulations, is a normal requirement at the largest dealerships. Some sales background, perhaps in auto or equipment sales, is highly desirable.
Factory Flyer
Imagine that your job description reads: "Employee must fly a brand spanking new, fresh smell of leather, panel full of radios and gizmos, gleaming in the sun, recently manufactured airplane in the conduct of business for the company." More than one career consultant has said, "Do what you love to do. Make your avocation a vocation, and you will live a happy life."
With plants in Wichita and Independence, Kansas, Cessna Aircraft em-ploys lots of pilots, as do other major aircraft manufacturers. For a small army of folks working in finance, sales, test flight, and aircraft delivery at Cessna, the fantasy of flying as part of work is a reality every day of their careers.
Take Linda Schumm, for example. If you ask Schumm, she will tell you that she absolutely, positively has the best flying job at Cessna as a regional manager for the Cessna Pilot Center (CPC) program.
A couple of years ago, she happened to be chatting on the telephone with a Cessna single-engine manager whom she had met at a Women In Aviation International conference. Schumm's colleague nonchalantly inquired, "Linda, do you know someone who might make a good candidate as a regional manager for the CPC program?" Before the conversation was finished, Schumm was seriously thinking about chucking a 17-year career with IBM in favor of that flying job.
Today, Schumm is Cessna's ambassador to flight schools and aspiring pilots in a six-state Midwestern area. Based out of her home office near Peoria, Illinois, Schumm flies a new Cessna Skyhawk nearly 50 hours monthly. "I work with flight schools in my region. For those organizations that are not members of the Cessna Pilot Center network, I make presentations to owners and managers to demonstrate the benefits of a partnership. Those benefits include promotional, advertising, financial, sales, and customer service support programs. In short, I serve as a consultant to help schools attract and keep flying customers."
The company requires that their CPC regional managers hold at least commercial and CFI pilot certificates. Having presentation and communication skills is essential. "The beauty of the position," says Schumm, "is that we define the job in a way that is consistent with our lifestyle. There are eight regional managers at this time and our travel time varies. On the average, I'd say that I am visiting clients and prospects about three weeks out of every month. Of course, some of these visitations are conducted in a day where I can fly out and still be home for dinner. On the other hand, there is a certain amount of weekend work where I might be staffing airshows, fly-in breakfasts, and open houses."
If this sounds like an attractive way to spend the work day, then contact the manufacturers' job lines. All of the major manufacturers are easily found on the Internet. In some in-stances, you can forward an electronic resume directly to the human re-sources department.
We've touched on only four of the dozens of possible careers in the business of general aviation. There are also FBO operators, air taxi providers, aviation-related nonprofit organizations, state aeronautics commissions, home study course developers, aviation publishers, and, yes, even writers for magazines. All of these professions can satisfy the pilot's passion for flight while also offering a satisfying and financially rewarding career. Think about it.
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