Connectionless within the industry

[simpilot30]

I want to vent a bit, but also get some productive advice.

I’m a new pilot working toward my first flying job, and I spend a lot of time reading forums and Facebook groups. One thing I keep hearing over and over is that connections are everything in this industry. Sometimes it honestly feels like those connections can outweigh talent or personality, and that a lot of strong candidates never get the chance to prove themselves simply because they don’t know the right people or dont get on top of the resume stack.

I’m coming into this switching careers from full-time engineering, so I don’t have much of an aviation network. That makes the whole process feel even more discouraging at times. I went to knock on doors, attend conventions, shake hands, but response has mostly been that operators wants someone with commercial experience or really high total time. With about 330 TT (IFR / Multi), IATRA. It is sometimes discourging to see people who fresh from flight school and they are able to find their first job in no time due to someone they know.

For those of you who’ve been through this: how did you actually build your network? Where do you even start when you don’t know many people in the industry?

[fliter]

You start in flight school. It used to be that by the time you are done your commercial, the instructor who signed off your solo would have been in the a 703/704. Nowdays, they are more likely to be in a regional 705, so it doesn't help as much. But you can still make useful connections that way. That guy you are talking about who found their first job straight out of flight school? Was he in your ground school? Did you talk to him? Would he recommend you?

Do not get discouraged. Lots of people are in your position, not everyone comes into aviation with pre-existing connections. And the market is still quite good, though not pre- and post-covid craze good. Just keep it up, networking takes time and patience. As someone who started training in 2007 and was in your position just after the 2008 housing crash, let me tell you, you are not in a bad place at all.

[digits_]

You know more people than you think. Instructors, other FTU staff, maybe the occasional FBO that you visit. Every time you visit a company you will make connections, even if they reject you. Ask when you can follow up, and then do so.

What type of engineering were you in? Anything that could be of interest to a snall 702/703 operation?

[Daniel Cooper]

It goes both ways. Some of my connections have tried to sabotage my career.

[pelmet]

Connections are acquaintances that you meet along the way. You meet by hanging out where pilots hang out. More likely success is hanging out where other pilots working toward piloting careers hang out, as they will be the ones that are likely to be the future connection at a commercial carrier.

From a workmate point of view as a low-timer, flight instructors frequently move on to commercial carriers and become a potential connection.

If not doing the flight instructor route, one can still have their own former flight instructors as connections. Might want to hang out with some. Certain flight school students would also be future possibility, especially if you fly with them as now they can say that they flew with you and that you were a good pilot(assuming you were). Other locations where pilots are building hours such as skydiving ops and parachuting ops could be a possibility. It can be a social thing but is unlikely to provide immediate benefit.

Once in a commercial operation, the connections obviously expand.

All in all, the connections are more long term and frequently random as the connection has to have moved on to a place where you would like to go, although there are an infinite number of scenarios.

In all honesty, I avoided all that and happened to have a similar aged relative that was my connection for the first job. I tossed around his name with the company I had targeted, when cold-calling the hiring guy. Fortunately, he liked my relative.

At the major airline I targeted, I had zero connections and apparently said the right thing when I cold-called their hiring guy(actually the guy who handled the applications). It appears that getting in contact with the person in charge of hiring or setting up interviews can work, when timed right as happened in both jobs.

As an example of random and long past contacts, I recently ran into a management type guy, at an airport lounge, who I worked with 20 years ago. He is now at a different company and suggested I apply for a job on a big turboprop where he is now working. Nice opportunity but I have mostly moved on.

[lostav8r]

As someone who no connections, who has sent out a bunch of apps, honestly it seems like ramping is the only way right now

[MaximumAmazing]

Can be right place right time. I’ve seen and heard many people getting those connections by working a ramp. It can even be a job that they tell you doesn’t lead to a flying position. We hired a guy from the ramp at the FBO we work out of. He had the minimum time to hold a commercial. He was a really cool guy and we value that more than any thing else. Can I spend 3 days on the road with a guy who doesn’t bring a hot plate and hide in the hotel room.

[Daniel Cooper]

Getting a ramp position was highly difficult in my day and was a 1.5-2 year stint. Things could be worse.

[FAAflyguy]

Getting a ramp position was highly difficult in my day and was a 1.5-2 year stint. Things could be worse.

For what it's worth, you are pretty much describing the current situation for most places at the moment. If anything, I have seen certain operators placing pilots on the ground closer to the 3 year mark.