1. Get a Job at your Local Airport

Required Certification: None

Working at an airport can lead to many great networking opportunities which requires no pilot certification. This could lead to finding an instructor or potentially scoring a discounted rate on an airplane. May even lead to the opportunity of learning a thing or two from the local instructors and when someone walks in looking for a pilot, there’ll be one right in front of them!

2. Join a Flight Club

Required Certification: PPL (Private Pilot License)

Flight clubs are a great way to meet other pilots and acquire discounts for a wide variety of planes. Many flight clubs offer discounted rates for rentals/fuel and even have time building programs for pilots just like you! However, you’ll want to make sure you have some cash set aside because you certainly won’t be making any money here.

3. Share a Plane

Required Certification: PPL (Private Pilot License)

There are many pilots standing in your same shoes, why not reach out for mutual benefit? Putting yourself out there on social media and with your local flight schools can lead to some great opportunities to get some low cost hours. Heck, if you’ve got a silver tongue, you could hang around some airports and make some new friends. You’d be surprised how many pilots are looking for someone to tag along for their next adventure.

And even if you’re a Private Pilot looking for some PIC time, you can usually find some Instrument students that need a “safety pilot”. When you’re watching the skies in the right seat, they’ll be cruising under the hood; and you’ll both be building that sweet, sweet PIC time.

4. Volunteer for a Charitable Cause

Required Certification: PPL (Private Pilot License)

Volunteering can be one of the most rewarding things that you can do in your life, and as a pilot, you have more to gain as well. There are many causes: like disaster relief, non-emergency medical transport, or animal transport, that can leave a positive impact on the world while simultaneously padding out your log book.

5. Tow Banners/Gliders

Required Certification: CPC (Commercial Pilot Certificate)

Towing is a great way to begin earning some money while building time since these types of jobs have lower hour requirements than most other jobs. Additionally, towing jobs will keep your skills sharp since you’ll be navigating populated areas while keeping a watchful eye on your payload. You’ll find that towing is a great way to get your feet wet in the world of commercial aviation.

6. Become a Part 135 Pilot

Required Certification: CPC (Commercial Pilot Certificate)

As a Part 135 pilot you’ll be paid to fly charter, taxi, or cargo to a variety of locations. This is also a great opportunity to practice working with dispatch, other crew members, ground crew, passengers, and more. However, most Part 135 jobs require around 500 hours of flight time, so this is for those of you with a solid foundation of pilot time.

Also note that many companies that hire commercial pilots will ask that they have experience in the type of plane that they fly. So be ready to drop a couple dollars renting whatever type of plane they fly to increase your chances at nailing the job.

7. Fly Skydivers

Required Certification: CPC (Commercial Pilot Certificate)

Skydiving is a popular way to build time while making some money. However, similar to towing, flying skydivers requires your attention to be split between the plane and the divers. For those who want to learn more about skydiving while building time or want to live vicariously through them, this might be your pick.

8. Take Clients Scenic Flying

Required Certification: CPC (Commercial Pilot Certificate)

Many pilots build time in the more scenic parts of the world chauffeuring sight-seers and photographers. Generally you’ll be “flying low and slow” for your passengers to take in the sights. Some companies like Google even ask pilots to capture image data for their digital maps and other projects. If you want to have a good time cruising through some beautiful vistas then why not make a business of it?

9. Become a Flight Instructor

Required Certification: CFI (Certified Flight Instructor)

Becoming a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) is probably the most common way for pilots to build time but is rarely the end of the line for said pilots. Most CFI’s take the path of instruction to feed their wallet and their flight log. Yeah, there will be some rough landings and close calls, but at least you’ll end the day knowing you’ve helped a burgeoning pilot into the wide world of aviation.

It can be a difficult process for many pilots to become comfortable flying in the right seat while explaining your maneuvers, passing the most notoriously difficult test in aviation, and just teaching in general. If you don’t have a passion for teaching, we recommend that you take advantage of one of the many other ways to build time! It’s a beautiful thing to usher in the next generation of pilot’s, but if you’re doing it just as a means to an end, then it could create unnecessary hardships and difficulties for a student with an unenthusiastic teacher.

But if you’re a people person who loves to teach, the steadily increasing demand for pilots should give you an easy time getting hired as a CFI compared to most other aviation professions.

10. Build Time with Odyssey Pilot Hours

Required Certification: Instrument Rating/Currency

We would be remiss not to mention ourselves, because we believe that we offer pilots the best place to build time. Odyssey Pilot Hours is a company that helps pilots cross the flight time gap fast and affordably. Not to mention, lodging is part of the package!

Building “quality pilot time” and experience is the main objective while simultaneously reducing the opportunity cost for the pilot. Our planes come equipped with state of the art GPS navigational systems that will allow you to practice your instrument flying every day. Who could say no to a full-time, immersive experience that paves the way to your future?