Beyond the Epaulettes

Tell a friend or colleague you’re a pilot and nine times out of 10 they’ll respond with “which airline do you fly for?” While the airline sector does constitute a large part of the aviation industry, there are a multitude of career options outside the epaulette-wearing domain of the airlines.

Australian Flying chats with a flying school owner/operator, an EFB founder and CEO, a jump pilot, a first officer for a regional airline, an aviation educator and

an aerial ag pilot to discuss the perks and downfalls of their jobs, the changes they would like to see to the industry and advice they would offer to pilots considering a career in their sector.

Lyn Gray

Lyn Gray is a Grade 1 Instructor and Flight Examiner, Director and Head of Operations at Fly Oz, based in Cowra, NSW.

“Sometimes, I also go by cleaner, admin, aircraft refueller, hangar packer, student counsellor and friend. However, as we run on a team model at Fly Oz where everyone is equally valued, I do receive a great deal of help in all these roles. Letting go and allowing others to shine in their area of expertise makes running a growing flight school possible.

“Fly Oz really started growing when I took on Mark, an instructor who had a clear vision for the future. The team model works well to spread the load; each instructor has a portfolio which they can work on when they do not have a student.

“The best part of instructing is sharing the knowledge; once you are a teacher, you can’t help but teach! The unexpected advantage to instructing is that sometimes, I get taught, and what