Hear me out… 📢

For most low time pilot jobs, hiring is seasonal.

Dropzones were hiring jump pilots earlier this spring. The majority were asking for 500TT or previous experience.

Banner towing hiring season was earlier this summer, and were requiring either just a tailwheel endorsement or some tailwheel time, depending on the operation.

Now, aerial survey operators are about to start accepting resumes.

I have put together a super detailed database of aerial survey companies, where you can find their minimums, pay, application tips, testimonials from former pilots and so on…

Everything you need to know about the low time survey jobs + the low time pilot job market in general, is in there.

But we needed more.

The information inside the database is solid and a great starting point. Once you find a company you like, all that’s left is getting your application through, and that’s where you might be stuck.

So we are also starting cohorts, with one goal: get a job this 2024 season.

The Skylens cohort has already kicked off, but we’ll have others in the works as more companies announce their hiring window.

Two things we’ll be talking about today:

1. What’s new in the low time pilot jobs database, and how you can use it, instead of everything else you’ve been using, to find a job

2. How the cohorts are helping me and other subscribers prepare for the survey season, to almost guarantee us the interview with Skylens

What has improved in the database…

You can now sort jobs per state (CA, FL, NV…) or per type of aircraft flown (C172, C208, PA23…), so you can research according to your wants.

There are currently a little over 90 jobs in total:

• 34 below 500TT

• 46 between 500TT and 750TT

• 16 above 750TT

There used to be more but I couldn’t confirm the accuracy of some of the minimums. I’ll add these jobs back when I can.

After 3 months of trying it out, I really don’t think ClimbTo350 is worth it, so I will not renew my subscription next month. Free access to their job board used to be offered with the database, but it literally was no good, so it won’t be included anymore. I wrote an entire post about them a few months back.

Instead, now when you get the database, as a bonus, I will add you to a private email list, where I send out new job posts and hiring leads.

For example, I got a call from a patrol company 2 weeks ago about a C182 survey job. There are no ads ran for it, the Chief Pilot randomly called me to ask if I’d be interested. The 70+ current users of the database all got an email from me about that opportunity.

When I get a scoop, you will get it too. But because I can’t say how many or how often I’ll get some, the private list is just a bonus.

As far as hiring windows that we currently (kind of) know of, we have Skylens, JAV Imagery, ProFlight (July) and WAM, Optic, Eagleview (September). We also heard American Patrols might be hiring this summer.

That’s all hearsay from current pilots or management, but database users will get updates when I get updates.

You could do this yourself by networking and reaching out to people working at the companies you want to fly for, it will just take more time if you do it alone. When applicable, the database includes pilots you can connect with at the company.

If there’s one last thing I’d like to say about the database, is that I designed it to save you time during your search, ease the process and make you aware of the jobs out there. I wish I had something similar when I started my search.

However, the heavy lifting (networking, applying, following up) remains in your hands.

Debrief of the Skylens cohort…

First of all, the amazing thing about Skylens is their transparency when it comes to how they hire.

The main questions you might have, have been answered by their CEO on Facebook.

What candidates have priority, how applicants are selected, who does NOT stand a chance, how to boost your application to the top, how soon can a reply be expected, what will ruin your application…

They address EVERYTHING.

So what did we still ask the Skylens pilot on the zoom call?

The details.

How he got the job, how are aircraft assigned during training, how hard the phone interviews are, what they ask, what’s the pay like, what are the days like, what are the aircraft like, how is maintenance, what’s the culture like…

The bottom line is, if you carefully follow ALL the instructions Skylens give you, plus the advice from former pilots on how to stand out, you will get an interview.

This year, it’s clear that competition will be fierce. Commercial pilots with A&P’s are forever the favourites. Right after that are pilots with Aztec or survey experience because, insurance! And of course, being able to commit to the full season is a non-negotiable.

So we know what we have to do to be among the favourites…

If you’re reading this and have signed up for the cohort, a detailed breakdown of everything will be this week. Look out for an email from Skymowers Cohort.

That’s it. That’s today’s email. 🫡

I appreciate you for sticking around.

We’ll have a Deep dive next sunday… (spoiler: banner towing)

If you enjoy this newsletter and would like to support it, here are 3 ways you can do so:

1️⃣ Get the 2024 Ultimate pilot jobs database. It’s currently the only way I monetize this newsletter and I put A LOT of effort in building it.

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3️⃣ Forward this email to your low time pilot friend!