Most Commercial Pilots Build Hours as an Instructor. There Are Other Options

Beyond the CFI: 6 High-Value Ways to Build Flight Time for Your ATP

Reaching the 1,500-hour milestone required for your Airline Transport Pilot certificate is the ultimate goal for aspiring airline pilots. For years, the standard advice has been the same: get your Certified Flight Instructor rating and teach. But what if flight instructing isn't for you or isn't an option for whatever reason? Whether you want to avoid the high-stress environment of primary training or simply want to diversify your logbook with different airframes and weather conditions, you have choices. The airline industry highly values quality multi-engine time, cross-country flights, and instrument experience over repetitive loops in the local training pattern. Here are six excellent alternative jobs to build your time and what they actually entail.

1. Aerial Survey Pilot

Aerial mapping and surveying companies hire low-time commercial pilots every year to capture data for geospatial mapping, government agencies, and engineering firms.

• The Work: You will fly a highly precise, grid-like pattern (often called "mowing the lawn") at specific altitudes to allow onboard camera sensors to capture images.

• The Perks: This is an incredible way to rack up cross-country and multi-engine hours quickly. You learn precision aircraft control and become a master of airspace navigation. It also involves going to new locations and doing some diverse flying assignments which are valuable for your experience.

• The Catch: It is heavily seasonal (typically fall to spring when leaves are off the trees) and requires living on the road out of hotels for a lot of your time.

2. Pipeline and Powerline Patrol

Energy companies own thousands of miles of utility lines that must be visually inspected for leaks, encroaching vegetation, or construction hazards.

• The Work: You will spend hours flying at relatively low altitudes (typically 500 to 1,000 feet above ground level) directly following a pipeline or power grid.

• The Perks: It offers highly consistent, year-round hours. You will develop exceptional stick-and-rudder skills, situational awareness, and a sharp eye for low-level hazards like towers and birds.

• The Catch: Low-altitude flying leaves less room for error in an emergency, demanding focus. It can also be fatiguing due to regular turbulence near the ground.

3. Jump Pilot (Skydiving Operations)

Drop zones across the country need pilots to take skydivers up to altitude and bring the plane back down safely.

• The Work: You take off, climb rapidly to 10,000–14,000 feet, let the divers jump, and execute a steep, efficient descent to pick up the next group.

• The Perks: You will get incredibly comfortable handling aircraft configuration changes, moving a high volume of passengers, and managing weight and balance. It is also an excellent networking community.

• The Catch: You log time based on flight duration, and because descents are fast, you fly many legs to get few hours. Most of these hours are local, meaning they will not help you meet your 500-hour ATP cross-country requirement.

4. Part 135 Cargo or Air Taxi First Officer

Some scheduled charter or cargo operations fly twin-engine turboprops (like the Beechcraft King Air) and hire Second-in-Command (SIC) pilots with lower total times.

• The Work: You operate as a vital crew member flying critical freight, medical supplies, or regional passengers.

• The Perks: This often provides authentic multi-engine, turbine, and instrument time while functioning in a structured, multi-crew environment. Airlines highly value this experience because it mirrors their own crew resource management (CRM) programs.

• The Catch: The schedules can be demanding, often requiring flying at night and launching into more challenging weather conditions.

5. Banner Towing Pilot

A classic summer rite of passage, banner towing is popular along coastlines, major cities, and massive outdoor sporting events.

• The Work: You taxi out, execute a precise low-level tail-hook pickup to catch the banner line off the ground, and fly slow, steady laps over crowds before dropping the banner back at the airport.

• The Perks: This job will often build phenomenal tailwheel skills, engine temperature management awareness, and wind-handling proficiency.

• The Catch: The work is largely limited to the summer months and involves flying at slow speeds, requiring vigilance.

6. Aircraft Ferry Pilot

Aircraft need to move constantly for maintenance, sales, or repossessions, creating a demand for ferry pilots.

• The Work: You are responsible for picking up an aircraft from one location and delivering it safely to another, sometimes across the country or even across the ocean.

• The Perks: It is pure cross-country adventure. You will experience vastly different airframes, avionics setups, and regional weather systems.

• The Catch: It is rarely a steady, predictable W-2 job. It operates mostly on a contract basis, and insurance companies often require a few hundred hours in type before letting you fly solo.