Commercial Pilot Course Part II: Low Time Flying Jobs

Your commercial pilot certificate is practically useless.Yes, that is the unfortunate truth. There is a widespread misconception in this industry that once you acquire your commercial pilot certificate, you will finally get paid to fly.Sadly, this is almost never the case.A commercial pilot certificate, on its own, allows one to be legally eligible, in the eyes of the FAA, to receive compensation in exchange for operating an aircraft. But that legal eligibility is just one piece of the puzzle - and there are many other pieces.But you probably have figured that out by now, which is why you are looking into taking this course.If you are like most people, upon completion of your commercial pilot checkride, or perhaps even before that, you probably began to wonder what jobs were available for brand new commercial pilots, and where you might look for those opportunities.Unsure of where to begin, you might have searched for leads at your local airport by talking with FBO employees, fellow pilots, or flight instructors. You were probably disappointed by the results.In an effort to expand your search, you might have turned to Google and discovered one or two “entry-level” job openings nearby, but even those listings stated minimum total time requirements well above the 250-hour commercial pilot minimum.What gives?You just spent tens of thousands of dollars, and months or years of your life in an effort to reach the 250-hour milestone and to pass your commercial pilot checkride… only to be told now that you need an additional 200-500 hours before someone would hire you?This scenario - as frustrating and disheartening as it may be - is all too common.But maybe you were lucky.Maybe you found a job for which you were eligible, got hired, and your fi