Expert: David A. NewMyer - 6/11/2005

Question
Hi, my name is Devin Short and I'm about ot be a senior in high school.  I'd like to become a pilot, but I don't want to fly for an airline or the military.  My dream job would be flying for the UN, but so far I haven't found out how to contact someone who would know about that.  Who can I work for besides airlines?  What other kinds of careers are there besides flying passengers in airlines or flying for the military?  Thanks for your time!

Answer
Hi, Devin:

Nice to hear from you.  I will try to assist!

There are approximately 225,000 to 250,000 professional pilots working in the civilian aviation industry in the USA today....this does not count the military.  Of that number, at least half are airline pilots.  The rest do other flying jobs, including:

1.  Flying for corporate flight deparments (probably about 40,000 such pilots);

2.  Flying for fractional ownership companies (similar to corporate flight departments but no one single owner owns one aircraft...it is shared ownership).  Probably between 5,000 and 10,000 flying in these kinds of jobs;

3.  Charter or unscheduled air taxi:  Probably about 18,000 to 20,000 flying in these kinds of jobs;

4.  Flight instruction including individuals who provide flight instruction:  At least 40,000, many of them part time;

5.  Agricultural operations:  At least 5,000

6.  Government aviation (not military, but, flying for Customs, Immigration, Forest Service, the FAA, and other federal, state and local agencies that use aircraft including law enforcement agencies): Another 6000

7.  There are also CARGO airlines out there such as FEDEX, UPS, DHL and other that fly no passengers, just cargo.  They employ thousands of pilots.

There are a lot of non-airline and non-military aviation flight jobs out there!

As far as flying for the United Nations, the UN does not have its own aircraft or Air Force.  It relies on member nations to provide those aircraft.  And, normally, such aircraft are flown by the military pilots from the nation that donates aircraft and flying time to the UN.  So, to fly for the UN, you will have to be a military pilot....and, then, be in a position to volunteer to fly for such missions.  Another way to serve the UN would be as a pilot for relief aircraft and perform flights for various arms of the UN such as UNICEF (the United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund).  This would mean that you could fly for a cargo company that would be contracted to perform UN flights.

I hope that this answer helps you understand the complexities of flying outside the passenger airlines or the military.

I wish you the best and please ask a follow-up question if you wish to find out more.

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu/