Second job at a GA airport?

[PC Pilot Dave 3]

Hello all,

 

In the next year or so I may choose to take on an additional job on the weekends. Monday to Fridays I currently work as an I.T. Site Admin but have always had a passion for aviation as well. I thought I could take advantage of that passion and try to look for jobs at a GA airport. I'm just starting to read up on what type of jobs may be available, but I also wanted to ask here to see if anyone had any suggestions or experience working part-time at airports.

 

Any feedback you could provide would be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much!

 

 

[klamal 282]

Hello. I used to work at a GA airport when I was in college. I worked part time and mainly just kept things up - mowed the lawn, cleaned the "terminal" building, checked for FOD on the runways/taxiways, cleaned the control tower, etc. it was really cool actually and a lot of fun when you have the crazy aviation addictions that some of us on here have. Maybe they have something like that at your local airport?

[PhantomTweak 3]

Bout the best I can offer is this: A LONG time ago, back when I had just turned 14, I got a job as a line-boy at the Calistoga Glider Port. It DID exist as one back then, by the way! I was working 4 days a week (max allowable under the child labor laws), but in lieu of pay I was receiving instruction in the gliders for my liscence. And loving every hot, sweaty second of it too! I would work all day long and after work I would get an hour or two's dual time with the master Instructor Pilot there, named Goldie, as I recall. All I remember about him for sure is that 1) he could teach great, and 2) he could reach over his insturment panel if I really messed something up and smack me across the back of the head. Hard. Nowadays they call it a Gibbs-slap, named for a TV character.

This was all in the Schweitzer 233. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schweizer2-33C-GRVS.JPG After 2 weeks, I had my liscence, and was flying my little heart out in a single seat glider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweizer_SGS_1-26. Even got a small, paragraph sized write-up in the local paper!

When the summer was over, so was my work/flying time. Back down to Woodside, in the Bay Area and school, girls, things like that...

I doubt all this is any help at all but you asked...

Pat☺

[BrianW 124]

I’ve done this as a second job a few times several years ago. In most cases even jobs with the same title can vary based on both who you work for and the airport you work at.

 

The first time I did it I was a lineman at KRNT; the job was mostly fueling the aircraft on the field. 90% or so were GA singles, although I did get a DC-3 a couple times, as well as the occasional King Air or bizjet. It was a great way to meet a lot of the local pilots and instructors. Most days I was the only person on staff; there was a little overlap between shifts but not for more than a few hours in the early afternoon. There were other duties around aircraft handling, but fueling was the main task by far.

 

The other lineman job I had at KRNT was for a floatplane charter company. This job involved basic care and handling of their fleet (C185’s, Beavers, and a turbine Otter), which included taking them in and out of the water using a float truck, keeping them clean, and transporting passengers from the float dock to the terminal, or to SeaTac. The bulk of this job turned out to be washing the planes. Since they operated out of saltwater they needed a thorough wash after the last flight of every day, and anyone who’s been around a radial engine knows what sort of mess they leave behind.

 

I also did one summer working as a lineman at KBFI. This job was by far the most demanding of the three. It was a larger company so I wasn’t the only one on staff; this also meant my duties could vary day by day depending on who did what. Fueling here meant not only the training fleet, but a good number of large aircraft including UPS 757’s. You could also spend the entire day just handling aircraft movements, like marshalling and towing.

 

Looking back I would say the KRNT jobs were more a fit as a second job, the KBFI job being a better fit if you’re looking at a career in aviation. Most places are going to want experience though and I’m not sure how many jobs are actually out there, so you may not get a choice. One suggestion if you’re taking flight training would be to ask them if they need help. Sometimes they may even be willing to pay you with discounted or free flight time.

Brian

[ZachLW 37]

I worked at the local county airport from age 17 to 22. I was a lineman refueling, marshalling, cleaning, and moving aircraft. I also worked the desk as a customer service rep. I had a great time and it was a great opportunity for some networking in the local aviation community. I was also expected to service aircraft and customers rain or shine, hot or cold, so there was a slight down side!

 

Remember that your larger FBOs (think Landmark) require full time positions, so your best bet is a county owned and operated airfield. We even offer some part time weekend-only mowing positions at my home town airport.

[jerry allen 3]

Interesting post Brian.

 

I too worked as a "gas boy" at KBFI way back when, after school.  I got flight instruction hours rather than real money.  I would have spent it on flying anyway, so it worked out well for me.  I started when I was 14, and by the time I left and went to Army flight school, I had accumulated 120+ hours and a private license.  I was flying airplanes before I was driving a car.  The good old days...with a "whistle stop radio".

 

Thanks for posting Brian.  You brought back nice memories.

 

Jerry

[PC Pilot Dave 3]

I certainly appreciate all the feedback! I now certainly have some ideas of what type of jobs to look for at my local airports!

[Captain_Barfbag 31]

A friend of mine is looking into a job at KBED.  He described it as "the guy with the ping-pong paddes," so it's some kind of ground crew work.

 

Right now, he works at an auto dealership, moving cars around and doing detailing work prepping cars for sale, so it's not like he's got much in the way of job skills.  He said the pay is about $11 an hour.