With the ink fresh on a new commercial pilot certificate, the airman finds himself in an enviable position: the ability to charge for his or her flying services. The notable step of getting paid to fly is a big achievement, and the aviator quickly learns there are several ways to get paid to fly.

While becoming a certificated flight instructor and teaching others how to operate training aircraft is perhaps the most common and most covered, an unsung role in the world of commercial aviation is that of a jump pilot – one who safely transports parachute jumpers to safe locations, in safe conditions and altitudes.

So, what unique challenges are faced by jump pilots?

Communication

A good jump pilot is in constant communication with multiple constituencies: jumpers, company ground personnel, air traffic control, and other pilots. And most of this communication occurs while the pilot controls the airplane in the air without an autopilot. All this communication is essential to ensure a safe operation. Any pilot must communicate well, but jump pilots have the extra responsibility of communicating with their jumpers in a way that ensures everyone’s safety.

Shifting weather and weight conditions

Basic flight planning is taught to all new student pilots. Those students plan a short cross-country flight, at a predetermined single cruise altitude, with forecasted winds and a predictable weight and balance – as fuel is burned off in flight, the aircraft becomes steadily and progressively lighter.

An Aircraft instrument panel.
Photo: Creation Media/Shutterstock

Jump pilots, however, must plan flight routes at multiple altitudes, as their parachuting passengers will often jump from various heights – with different wind directions and strengths, and the pilot must be adept at interpreting these dynamic conditions to ensure jumpers can safely make it to the target zone. The aircraft’s weight is in a constant and, at times, substantial state of change, too, as passengers jump from the aircraft at various times.

Jump pilots operate in VFR – visual flight rules. VFR is good weather flying, where the pilot navigates to and from by visual, outside reference, free and clear of clouds. While this makes sense for parachute jumping, under VFR flight rules, the pilot - and no one else - is responsible for maintaining safe and adequate separation from other aircraft in the sky. Perhaps this is not much of a challenge in some locations. Still, many parachute operations are close to larger airports, or at least near general aviation airports, where small aircraft come and go routinely and freely. In certain circumstances, air traffic control may alert a pilot of a nearby airplane, but the sole responsibility for safety falls to the pilot.

A VFR sectional chart depicting a parachute jump area.
Photo: FAA

For this reason, known parachute jump areas are often charted on VFR sectional charts; the maps pilots use to navigate visually. These jump areas are considered non-regulatory special-use airspace, more specifically known as alert areas, and warn pilots to exercise extreme caution when operating in the area and encourage the pilot to avoid the area altogether if possible.

Following key aviation industry issues? Check out Simple Flying's Guides.

High-performance aircraft

Jump pilots operate complex, high-performance aircraft, often turbine powered and almost exclusively single-pilot. Crew resource management, one of the most talked about phrases in aviation, for the jump pilot, becomes single-pilot resource management, usually without reliance on in-flight automation, such as an autopilot. These aircraft require special training and endorsements in a pilot’s logbook, testifying they meet the training and experience requirements to operate it safely.

Operating complex aircraft alone in busy VFR airspace takes a proficient, current, well-practiced pilot. These are just a few challenges jump pilots tackle each fair-weather day.