Different Types of Pilots

Major Airline Pilot - Fly for the airlines and fly passengers and cargo around the world. They usually fly larger jets than regional pilots such as 737’s and fly much larger distances to major airports. These pilots are typically paid very well and have thousands of hours of experience before working for an airline. They are also one of the few commercial pilots that require a first-class medical certificate to do their job.

Regional Airline Pilot

- Fly for regional airlines and fly passengers and cargo shorter distances than major airline pilots. They typically fly smaller aircraft such as Dash 8s’s and CRJ’s and usually connect passengers to smaller cities that major airlines do not service. New rules now require regional pilots to have 1500 hours and an ATP certificate before they are allowed to fly for the airline. This makes becoming a regional pilot tougher as it used to be only 250 hours. They also require a first-class medical certificate in order to fly.

Corporate Pilot

- This is a pilot who flies for a private company or individual. Corporate pilots may have a steady schedule and regularly fly between the same city pairs, or they may work on-call and have to fly around the world at a moment's notice. These pilots fly a wide variety of aircraft during their careers. For this reason, corporate piloting is usually flown by very experienced pilots with many years in the industry.

Fire Fighting Pilot

- Fire fighting pilots fight fires from the air. They do this by dropping either a chemical agent that smothers fire or dropping water to extinguish it. They fly highly modified fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. This kind of flying requires pilots to maneuver close to the ground while dodging steep terrain, power lines, and areas of reduced visibility caused by smoke. The majority of this kind of flying is over forested and often remote locations. For this reason, fire fighting pilots are very experienced pilots with thousands of flight hours.

Leadplane Pilot - This job is related to firefighting pilots. They are pilots who direct firefighting pilots and manage the next set of attacks toward a wildfire. They usually fly much higher than the firefighting aircraft and spot aircraft while they make water drops. Due to the nature of the job, these pilots have many years of flying experience.

Medical Transport Pilot

- A medical transport pilot flies people who require medical care that is usually too restrictive to fly on a regular airline. An example is someone who needs advanced treatment and requires a doctor or a nurse to accompany them during transportation from one city to another. These patients may be connected to life-supporting devices and travel with restricted substances that can not fly on traditional commercial airlines. These pilots fly a wide range of aircraft, from helicopters to specially converted business jets. This type of flying is typically flown by experienced pilots who have several years of flying experience.

Border Patrol

- Border Patrol Pilots fly up and down routes that border between countries. They look for people who try to cross illegally into another country and patrol for suspicious activity along a border. They also look for damage to physical barriers and report it to ground patrol units that can investigate problems. They fly at low altitudes and typically fly small single-engine aircraft. Flying as a Border Patrol Pilot is a great first piloting job since you can gain large amounts of flight hours in a short amount of time.

Law Enforcement Pilot

- Have many different missions such as surveillance of suspicious activity such as illegal drug farming or manufacturing. These pilots take photos and use this as evidence to obtain a search warrant to enforce drug laws. They support ground law enforcement officers during events that require supervision of large areas from a distance, such as during a riot. Other Law Enforcement pilots fly over highways to spot cars speeding and report the vehicles to ground units that pull over the speeder. They also transport personnel, equipment, and even prisoners when it is operationally more affordable. This job is a mid-career position for a pilot.

FBI Pilot

- Is a pilot who flies special missions for the FBI. You could be transporting anyone from military VIPs to special prisoners. They typically fly twin-turboprop aircraft such as the King Air on short flights less than 500 miles. If you have a private pilot's license and can qualify to become an FBI agent, the FBI will pay for your instrument, commercial, multiengine, and type ratings! This job is a great way to start a career in aviation without paying for the bulk of a commercial pilot license.

Pipeline Patrol

- Pipeline pilots fly up and down routes that follow pipes. They are looking for broken or damaged pipes that carry anything from water to oil. They fly at low altitudes and fly small single-engine aircraft. This is a great first piloting job since you can gain large amounts of flight hours in a short amount of time.

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