Private aircraft manufacturers and business jet manufacturers provide employment for people with hands-on skills. You may also find employment with manufacturers that provide components, such as electronics and jet or piston engines, for aircraft makers. Companies need designers and engineers to plan progressive new models. They hire workers to fabricate, install, and maintain the various components that go into an airplane.

To plan for a career with a business aircraft manufacturer, you will need to select a general area, such as airframe, power plant, metal work, design, or engineering departments. As you make your choice of a career in aviation, you need to familiarize yourself with business aircraft makers education and training available to you. To help you select your field, you could consider the following choices:

1. Take an aptitude test to determine your skills and areas of interest in working for a business airplane builder.

2. Visit a local airport that has a mechanic shop doing maintenance work similar in nature to the work done by a business airplane builder.

3. Try out a computer-assisted drafting program to see whether you are interested in designing or engineering aircraft systems.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select an area of expertise to prepare for employment with aircraft makers

Private jet manufacturers hire workers with skills in electronics; metal and composite materials; assembly; and maintenance. You need to narrow your search by selecting the area you want to pursue. Additional related areas include designing business aircraft, advertising, sales, and the economics of business jet operating costs.

I recommend: You should start your research with Aircraft Mechanic Careers, which highlights the different divisions of a business airplane builder, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements, and links to schools. CareerOverview.com goes into more detail on airframe, power plant, and avionics fields and includes the FAA certification needed to enter those specialties.

Investigate schools to prepare for employment with private aircraft manufacturers

You can find an aviation school nearly anywhere. Your choices range from two-year technical programs to associate's and bachelor's degree programs and all the way to advanced degree programs in design and engineering. You may wish to consult a job or career counselor for help in finding the right school.

I recommend: CityTownInfo.com provides links to several schools that train you to get a job with a corporate jet manufacturer and offers helpful information concerning aptitude and certification requirements. Aircraft Mechanic School News not only gives news of current events in aircraft mechanic schools, but it also offers information about scholarships and special events in the aviation world.

Check out career opportunities with private plane manufacturers

General Aviation Manufacturers Association lists 16 airplane makers, and several engine, avionics, and components manufacturers that employ thousands of workers in manufacturing and design positions. Some companies share educational opportunities with schools and may provide internships.

I recommend: Pilatus Aircraft features programs for apprentices, trainees, and interns as well as a work-study program. Gulfstream offers student internships for college and high school students, as well as a list of career opportunities with the company, which is one of the most prominent business jet manufacturers.

Business aircraft ownership makes fiscal sense for anyone who travels a lot for their business, so the logical thing to do is find aircraft makers who manufacture business jets. Don't bother searching the internet for "business jet manufacturers," though, because what you really want to research is small planes.

Private aircraft manufacturers make small planes that seat anywhere from four to ten people, and business airplane builders vary their prices in accordance with capacity (among other factors like engine size). The options also run the gamut, so before you decide on a plane and its features, ask yourself the following questions.

1. How many people do you need to accommodate on a business plane?

2. What is your optimal business jet price?

3. How can you determine your business jet operating costs?

Action Steps
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Investigate different aircraft makers to see what size business aircraft you need

Private plane manufacturers offer a wide range of new business aircraft and often you can find a used business piston or jet aircraft. The smallest planes, usually piston aircraft like a Piper Arrow, seat a pilot and three passengers. Larger planes, often jets like a Cessna Citation or turboprops like King Airs, carry up to ten passengers.

I recommend: Investigate business aircraft makers like Cessna, the private jet manufacturer of the Citation, or Piper, the business aircraft manufacturer that makes the Warrior. Request pricing information about new planes from both these companies. Thirty Thousand Feet's website offers a comprehensive list of used planes available. From these you can decide which plane best meets your business needs.

Determine a practical business jet price

Business aircraft makers provide pilots and their passengers with safe, efficient and often luxurious transportation. Prioritizing those offerings and balancing them with your business needs will help you determine your business jet cost. Corporate jet prices, like business piston aircraft, have two components: purchase and operation. After your initial outlay of money to buy the plane, you'll have to spend money every month to fuel, maintain and house your business aircraft.

I recommend: You can get an accurate idea of a business aircraft purchase price at Aircraft Shopper Online, although you may ultimately buy new or used directly from private jet manufacturers or a piston business airplane builder. To help forecast operating costs for business aircraft, the National Business Aviation Association compiles and regularly updates tax, finance and insurance costs and references.

Find business aircraft makers that sell planes that fit your needs

Now that you know your needs all you need to do is find a business aircraft manufacturer. For fiscal reasons, many companies opt to purchase used business aircraft. Remember that you can also purchase used business airplanes from their private aircraft manufacturers.

I recommend: Business aircraft makers often list used aircraft on their web sites. Additionally you can search by dealer on The Best Web Stuff or aircraft type for aircraft for sale. Controller.com also has an extensive listing of turboprop aircraft for sale.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Think of business aircraft like a car, only on a pricier scale. You wouldn't buy a car without a test drive, right? So even if you don't intend to buy new, ask the corporate jet manufacturer or business airplane makers for a test ride.

Understanding how business aircraft manufacturers work entails learning some of their language. Certain words used in discussing the design and creation of a business aircraft will be unfamiliar to those not enmeshed in the industry; discussion of piston engines as opposed to turbo engines may leave the uninitiated confused.

In addition, the standards that business aircraft manufacturers abide by also have their own alphabet soup of acronyms. These acronyms are also important key terms in the industry. Knowing the meaning behind FAR, FAA and other aircraft-related acronyms fosters a better understanding of the business aircraft manufacturing industry.

Action Steps
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Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

The federal government has a whole host of aviation-related acronyms like CFR, FAA and others. It's easy enough to learn that CFR stands for the Code of Federal Regulations and FAA means Federal Aviation Administration, but what are these things and what do they really mean?

I recommend: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the CFR in its entirety (as it applies to aviation) on its website, as well as a good general description of how the two interrelate.

Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR)

The FARs have their own terminology that includes a bevy of acronyms as well. All pilots, airplane mechanics and private and business aircraft manufacturers know, understand and will use these acronyms and terms, so understanding these are crucial as well.

I recommend: Risingup Aviation has an exhaustive listing of these acronyms and their meanings.

Piston engines

The first aircraft manufacturers used piston engines, as do many business aircraft manufacturers today. Put as simply as possible, a piston engine burns gas inside its cylinders. Piston engines are one type of internal combustion engine, also called a reciprocating engine.

I recommend: The Aircraft Engine Historical Society talks about the use of piston engines in aircraft. It also has descriptions of different types of piston engines.

Powerplant

Business aircraft manufacturers, mechanics and pilots will all refer to a powerplant from time to time. In an aircraft, a powerplant is what keeps the plane moving; the things that supply and maintain power are all considered part of the powerplant.

I recommend: Since the most common way people see the word powerplant in relation to aircraft is when aviators refer to a powerplant mechanic, look at the description on CollegeBoard.com for a powerplant technology major.

Turbine engines

Turbine engines are jet engines. These engines, common in larger business aircraft, use fluid to move energy through the engine.

I recommend: HowStuffWorks describes how a turbine engine works. It also has a simple video showing an engine at work.

Avionics

Avionics simply means aviation electronics. While the powerplant consists of what makes the plane go, the avionics of a plane are comprised of electronic systems focusing on communication and navigation.

I recommend: On airforce-technology.com, SPG Media clearly delineates what avionics consist of and explains what avionics do, in addition to closely related terms and topics.