Corporate/Charter Sector

Some aircraft are privately-owned personal aircraft, being used by an individual or family. This may be for their exclusive use, or sometimes sub-charted for others to rent (and offset the cost).

Another important element of charter flying in Australia are flights supporting the mining sector, such as Fly In, Fly Out (FIFO) operations or urgent cargo delivery. This can be all manner of items, such as engineering components, perishable items, animals or AOG (aircraft-on-ground) stores – parts for bigger aircraft unable to fly without the replacement component. This sector also plays a big role in the tourism sector.

Medical charter and Air Ambulance operate to move patients, medical teams and organs for transplant. Whilst helicopter air ambulance are the most visible to the public; a variety of small fixed-wing aircraft operate for long-range air ambulance (e.g. to the Pacific Islands), or for repatriation of patients injured or ill abroad. This could be in specially modified ambulance aircraft, or using standard passenger / cargo models for simpler medical cases. The helicopter air ambulance or HEMS type service are covered in more detail in Service Sector.

As a pilot, the main point to consider is that this sort of flying is quite different to scheduled (airline) flying. Whereas airline pilots will be rostered sometimes months in advance, with only occasional standby shifts, most corporate or charter pilots operate to short notice schedules. Airlines are all about keeping to the schedule and keeping costs down, charter and delivery work is meeting the client requirement, at whatever time they need, and at whatever they are prepared to pay.

Rotary wing (helicopters) can cover a lot of the work already described, but also have specific roles – such as oil rig transfers, tours and public service (rescue, police, coastguard etc). Military pilots often dominate this sector, as helicopter training is relatively expensive, but it is still possible to work up from no experience to CPL(H), or convert from a fixed-wing licence.

So, how do you train and get into a pilot job in Corporate or Charter Aviation? Firstly, you will need to obtain a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL), either (A) aeroplane, or (H) helicopter. This is the same training that airline pilots do, flown on complex single-engine aircraft, completing the same ground theoretical exams and culminating in a flight test, usually in a single engine aircraft. When qualified, you could undertake some work on this type of aircraft (such as aerial tours, aerial survey or on a remote station), but you may have to move to more regional and remote areas.

The next step would be to add a multi-engine aircraft (MEA) class rating for twin engine aircraft of helicopters. The training for your initial multi-engine class rating must be done via an authorised flight training organisation, which could be your employer, if they hold the appropriate authorisation. Once you have your MEA class rating flying different types of smaller twin engine aircraft generally requires that you demonstrate competency on that aircraft.

Aircraft that are certificated for multi-crew operations, as well as some complex single-pilot aircraft, are not included in a class rating and require you to add a type rating to your licence. This includes what are known as 'corporate' aircraft.

A type rating is issued for a specific ‘type’ of aircraft, or for very similar types. This involves an ‘initial’ course of ground-school and simulator training, combined with ‘base’ or ‘line’ training on the real aircraft. For first-job airline pilots, it is usually a straight choice between Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 family, with some pilots choosing to pay for or be ‘bonded’ to a company by such ratings.

However, for corporate aircraft, there are so many aircraft types possible, it is generally considered very unwise to pay for a rating without a guaranteed job offer. Bear in mind that, because of the relatively small numbers of pilots trained on corporate aircraft types compared to airlines, training costs are relatively expensive. A type rating for the turboprop King Air 350 may be around $10,000, whereas a long-range private jet (such as a Gulfstream 550/650, Falcon 7X or Global Express) may cost in excess of $50,000. Some operators may finance an initial type rating, but expect to be ‘bonded’ – i.e. to be contractually bound to remain with that company for a set period.

Getting your first job as a charter pilot may be possible by answering advertisements on dedicated pilot job websites (e.g. AFPA Pilot Jobs) or it may be that you will have to go and physically knock on charter organisation's doors.

Many jobs in corporate aviation are not advertised; operators do not have the advertising and recruitment capacity of the airlines. Instead, corporate operators will often find pilots through networking or recommendations. Hence, it is important to know the operators in your chosen sector of the industry, and build up contacts to be aware of any jobs.