Travel and Leisure

With the need for stricter security and the even increasing gas prices, the airline industry in the United States continues to go on its bumpy ride. However, this does not change the fact that people want to continue traveling, for business or for leisure. This means that there are aviation jobs a plenty available at airline companies, airports even airplane manufacturers and even at security organizations.

While most applicants tend to get star struck by the glamorous lifestyle and incomes of pilots, the truth is that they do not always make the big bucks. Salaries for pilots come with huge variations depending on whether they are flying Boeings and Airbuses for commercial airline companies or they are flying a float plane for a regional commuter. The later sometimes pays as less as 20 dollars an hour. This means that with only 1000 permissible engine hours a year, many pilots only just about make the cut of earning minimum wage.

However, if you plan smartly and well advance, you can venture into other areas of the aviation industry where you can make the money without having to fly a 747. Here are some of the best paying aviation jobs in Florida and other parts of the United States-

1. Director of Aerospace Program Management

With a median annual salary of 151,000 USD, this is the highest paying aviation job in Florida and all of US. If you wish to pursue a career in this field, you must come with an engineering degree as well as a graduate degree in business. As a Director, you will be expected to involve yourself in the development of the business strategy and the negotiation of contracts for building aircraft.

2. Co-Pilot or Flight Engineer

The second highest paying aviation jobs, co-pilots or flight engineers make about 117,000 a year. Traditionally, these pilots acquired their training from the military, but with the growing number of FAA certified training schools and colleges a growing number of aspirants are able to acquire the relevant training. Besides passenger airline jobs, you may also find opportunities in plane testing, traffic monitoring, fire fighting, and crop dusting that pays well.

3. Aerospace Project Engineer

As an aerospace project engineer, you must be aware of all the nitty-gritty's of this subject. In addition to this, you will also be expected to hold some soft and organizational skills required to lead a project. Project Engineers in aviation are essentially paid about 82,000 USD per annum.

4. Aircraft Maintenance Manager

For this position as well, you will be expected to develop technical as well as managerial skills. Aircraft Maintenance Managers earn about 74,200 USD per year and it is their responsibility to make sure that their team performs regular maintenance exercises and follows the guidelines.

In addition to this, high paying jobs in the aviation sector include Air Traffic Controller jobs, Sky Marshal jobs, jobs as airplane inspectors, aircraft mechanics, avionics technicians, and jobs of an aircraft load master. Each one of these careers pay between 70,000 and 40,000 USD per year.