In this episode of Oddball Pilot Radio (recorded at the end of July), Bryan and Aidan check in with their thoughts on the aviation job market. They also talk with Marty about aerial firefighting jobs, and Marty’s trip this past summer to AirVenture Oshkosh.

In this conversation, you’ll hear about:

• Hiring trends
• The DC-2 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle
• What it takes for museums to keep old airplanes flying
• Aerial firefighting opportunities (and the work you never hear about)
• What firefighting companies are looking for in pilots
• Planning out an aerial firefighting career
• Why the BAE-146 makes a good firefighting aircraft
• Why it’s a good time to find a float flying job
• Being realistic about what flying jobs are really like
• What it’s like at AirVenture Oshkosh
• The unique networking opportunities at AirVenture, and how to take advantage of them
• Flying in to AirVenture (and the challenges of “mass arrivals”)
• The most interesting aircraft Marty saw this year: a Pilatus Porter PC-6, and a homebuilt … Spitfire!?
• The Valdez STOL competition … in Oshkosh! (and why most people attending the show missed it)

In addition to using the player above to listen to this episode, you can:

• Subscribe to Oddball Pilot Radio on iTunes
• Download this episode as an MP3 file (right-click and choose “Save As”)

Have some thoughts or a question about this episode? Leave a comment below.

Learn More

• The Museum of Flight
• Aerial Firefighting … Then and Now (Oddball Pilot post)
• Cal Fire
• Neptune Aviation
• Aero-Flite
• Butler Aircraft Company
• EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
• Networking at EAA’s AirVenture (Oddball Pilot post)
• Becoming an Airshow Pilot (Oddball Pilot post)
• A Lot of Utility: The Pilatus Porter PC-6 (Oddball Pilot post)
• Valdez STOL Competition at EAA AirVenture (Video)