Wondering what are some possible side hustles for airline pilots? Unsure what businesses you can start on the side? Here are 13 ideas!
As an airline pilot, you probably don’t have enough time to spare for a side hustle. While exploring something entirely different sounds interesting, it may not be able to fit in your daily schedule. I’m an avid traveler myself – so I know!
My best advice to you is to do something that can integrate with your job as an airline pilot and not deviate.
In this article, I’ll be sharing 13 suitable side hustles for airline pilots where some are possible for flight attendants. I’ll also include recommendations of what you’ll need to start and more tailored options for making money online on the side as an airline pilot.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link!
13 Best Side Hustles For Airline Pilots
1. Rent out a spare room or your property on Airbnb
As your jobs requires a lot of travelling, there’s a chance your home is being underutilized. One way to make passive income from your properties is to list them on sites like Airbnb or Booking.
You can choose to rent out the whole house or rooms within the space – whichever is easier to arrange. For cleaning and maintenance, hire a part-timer to manage when you’re away and give them an hourly pay.
You’ll need to acquire more properties to scale this side hustle in the future!
What do I need to start? | – A vacant room or property – Some home deco make the place rentable – Platform to market the space |
Check out: The ultimate guide to start hosting on Airbnb
2. Vlog your days for a personal YouTube channel
Sharing bits and pieces of your day can be inspiring to others – especially on YouTube! Though it takes some time before you’ll have a considerable number of subscribers and able to make money from YouTube, it’s still quite fun to look back on your travels.
You can draw some inspiration from the channels I’ve listed below. All of them are in the aviation niche and flies for a living!
People love watching videos of airplanes landing, preparing airplanes for flight as well as commentaries. I’m speaking from personal experience as my brother is an airplane lover and even plays aviation games on his phone.
Common ways to earn with YouTube include advertising income, affiliate income, sponsorships and earnings from selling your own products.
Interesting YouTube channels in the aviation niche:
What do I need to start? | – A camera to record – Portable microphone for better sound – A video editing software |
Read: What I spent for my vlogging gear in first 6 months
3. Build a podcast in the travelling niche
There’s an assortment of ways to experience the joy of travelling – whether it’s watching another person’s video, playing an aviation games or taking a lot photos on a trip.
Some people find enjoyment in listening to others’ experiences through a podcast. As an aspiring content creator, you may also find it easier to create podcasts compared to making videos for YouTube.
As you’ll be posting audio files instead of videos, you won’t spend as much time editing and can do it even with a busy schedule. You can also be recording your podcasts from anywhere in the world as long as you have the right equipment!
Generally, podcasters need a good microphone to speak into and the skills to use an audio editing software. There are various ways to make money with podcasting, including earning from downloads and getting paid by brands for sponsorships.
Some marketing effort is needed as podcasts (Spotify or Apple) don’t work like YouTube where people are suggested random videos to watch.
What do I need to start? | – Good desk microphone – Set of quality earphones – An audio editing software |
Check out: 15 best travelling podcasts to listen to
Another way of sharing your experiences through content is to write for your own blog. You don’t have to be writing long essays to be doing well as a travel blog – as long as you provide the information people are searching for!
Other than a travel blog which is super competitive, you can have a blog for anything you’re passionate about. Whether it’s aviation information, guides on becoming a pilot or managing work-life balance.
Blogging is my favorite no-stress way of creating content and sustaining a remote job as an introvert. Similar to YouTube and podcasting, it can take awhile before you’re able to make good income with blogging.
Just like other online content platforms, blogging allows you to earn from advertising revenue, affiliate income, sponsorships and from selling your own digital products e.g. courses.
Check out this blogging course that teaches you how to grow from zero or my free article for step-by-step guide on how to set up a blog.
What do I need to start? | – A WordPress Website – Domain name & hosting – Passion to write for a specific niche |
Read: Why I invested in a blogging coach before doing anything else
5. Promote affiliate links of products and services to earn commission
There are multiple ways to earn with affiliates. You don’t need to be having a blog or a YouTube channel to be sharing affiliate links for others to purchase or sign up to.
Twitter and Pinterest are two popular platforms to promote affiliate products or services. Depending on your preferred way of content creation, you can make the choice. Twitter involves more writing while Pinterest involves more pictures and graphics.
Essentially, you will include a link for people to click on! Once they make a purchase, you’ll earn a commission.
If the direction of your social account is mostly travelling and lifestyle, you can promote products you personally use as a person that travels a lot e.g. luggage, toiletries or comfortable clothes. For services, hotels and transportation brands usually has referral codes you can share to earn commissions.
Some general affiliate marketplaces you can join are Amazon Associates, CJ affiliate, Clickbank, Share-a-sale and Rakuten Advertising. Sign up for an account, get a link for a suitable product/service based on your audience and promote!
What do I need to start? | – Affiliate products or services you can promote – Social media account with growing followers |
6. Learn professional photography to sell photos with stock websites online
If you’ve been travelling a lot (thanks to your job), you’ve probably taken a lot of photos. Even if you haven’t, the best time to start is now.
Photos of sceneries, activities and travel are popular on stock websites. You can also be selling your photos on the sites I’ve listed below to make passive income over and over again.
It’s best to use a DSLR camera to take these photos as higher quality images are preferred. So if you don’t have any skills, sign up for photography classes today!
Your photos might be purchased by other travel content creators and large websites to use within their online content. Some niches can have a seasonal demand so it’s better to start with an evergreen one.
Selling photos on stock websites is possible even with a tight schedule as you can be doing it remotely. Not all photographers take photos for events and clients!
Stock websites you can join to start:
What do I need to start? | – A good camera & photography skills – Basic photo editing skills – Consistency to upload photos frequently |
7. Get paid teaching others how to fly as an instructor
A popular side hustle for airline pilots is to become a part-time instructor for a flying school. Of course, this depends entirely on your schedule and how much free time you have.
Seasoned airline pilots generally have more time off and are able to dedicate their free time to teaching other aspiring commercial pilots. It’s also much more possible if you live near a flying school and don’t need to travel far to teach.
For part-time arrangements, there’s usually a minimum number of days you need to be working in a month. You’ll need to have enough flying hours and have the right license for a type of airplane (if any).
Although teaching doesn’t pay as much, it’s always good to give back to the community!
What do I need to start? | – Writing skills – Good command of English – Promote your freelance writing service |
8. Create and sell online courses for self improvement
Part of being an airline pilot requires great self discipline, focus and sense of responsibility. If some of these traits resonate with you, consider teaching others how to master these skills.
You can earn passive income by selling short online courses on the sites I’ve listed down below. Aside from communicating with buyers from time-to-time, there’s little management needed.
Once you’ve set up a course, it can be sold repeatedly!
Of course, you can be selling short courses in the aviation or pilot niche, but these skills are not easily transferable or taught via online courses. This makes it less appealing for buyers to purchase online!
The usual price points for a single payment short online course are $30, $47 and $67. You’re free to create courses for anything you want as long as it’s helpful to others and is high in demand.
Some sites you can host online courses on:
What do I need to start? | – A niched course idea – Well thought out module – Tools to record your lessons e.g. screen record, microphone |
Creating courses sound like too much work for you? Here’s a list of digital products you can make to sell on easy platforms like Etsy. I’ve made a quick guide on how to make these products too!
9. Self-publish your own e-book with Amazon KDP
If recording videos of yourself for the purpose of online courses sounds like too much work, consider writing an e-book instead.
Compared to traditional publishing, you no longer need to wait years on end to get your book published. We are able to self-publish our own books nowadays with sites like Amazon KDP, Lulu or Book Baby.
You can also print hard copy versions of your book with some of these sites!
Aside from creating a guide book for pilots, you can be writing any kind of books you wish including self improvement. One of the YouTubers I’ve listed above sells her own e-book teaching others how to become a pilot on her own website.
Compared to physical books, you can include affiliate links in e-books as a way to make extra side income. When a reader clicks on a link within the e-book, they will be directed to the product or service you’re promoting (as long as they’re connected to the internet). This is possible even when selling Kindle e-books!
You can choose to write the book yourself or hire ghostwriters if you’re short on time. You’ll still earn a commission on every sale just like traditional publishing.
What do I need to start? | – Book writing skills – Join an online self-publishing platform |
10. Tune cars remotely online
Are you a handy person that loves cars and don’t mind an automotive side hustle? You can offer remote car tuning services.
I know this is a random idea given the other things I’ve listed here. But it’s from a research I did on the topic.
There’s a podcast that talked about a pilot (first officer) that started remote tuning as a side hustle which eventually became a profitable side business.
The great thing is he did it completely remote while on layovers. While it’s good to have some prior knowledge, he mentioned that it is not necessary. He also purchased the tools online!
Listen to the podcast episode on how a pilot started a car tuning side hustle. The podcast also has other episodes on real side hustles explored by real airline pilots.
What do I need to start? | – Tools and software for remote tuning – Knowledge and ability to tune cars remotely |
11. Sell digital products on Etsy
If you’re computer savvy and don’t mind running an online business, I suggest selling these digital products on Etsy.
There’s a wide selection of digital products you can sell which includes social media templates, graphics, themes and e-book guides. These products only need to be created once and be updated from time-to-time.
The great thing is you can sell them over and over again without needing to do much work other than answering any questions customers might have. No additional production cost involved!
Most are not aware but Etsy allows listing of digital products that require no shipping on the seller’s end. Once a customer makes a purchase, they will immediately be prompted to download the digital file.
What do I need to start? | – A digital product idea – Tools to create the digital product – Platform to sell on |
12. Offer short air tour packages
Setting up a full fledged business as a pilot might sound like a daunting task. Sometimes it’s best to start a small side hustle by offering limited services before going big.
If you live near a touristic or scenic area and able to rent planes to bring others for a short flight, consider starting a side hustle with short air tours.
Structure your tour packages depending on what customers get to see, length of the flight and whether additional resources is needed. You should be able to get a few bookings on the weekends and charge per trip or per person!
Once the business is stable enough, consider starting a real side business for air tours.
What do I need to start? | – Ability to rent a plane for tours – Tour package details with pricing – Platform to market your services |
13. Design and sell your own merchandise with print on demand
Unsure about creating digital products but still want to sell something online with minimal supervision?Print on demand is another business model that’s perfect for beginners looking to start a side business online – here’s seven reasons why POD is for you.
POD works similar to dropshipping as sellers don’t need to own stock and don’t need to be handling any operations on a day-to-day basis. As sellers, you only need to make designs and place them on merchandises like t-shirts, phone cases and tote bags – then sell them on sites like Etsy.
Once you get a sale, POD suppliers like Printify and Printful will print your product and ship it directly to your customers. You’ll keep the difference between your selling price and the product cost!
Start by making designs using tools like Canva or Kittl then upload them to merchandise you want to sell. Alternatively, you can buy ready designs on marketplaces like Envato Elements or Creative Market.
If you love collecting luggage tags, you’ll love these beautiful accessories!
What do I need to start? | – Basic designing skills – A laptop to work with – An initial niche and product |
Can’t decide what product to design and sell? Check out my product guides before deciding!
- Tote bags for print on demand
- Tumblers for print on demand
- Phone cases for print on demand
- Posters for print on demand
- Leggings for print on demand
- Jewelry for print on demand
- Candles for print on demand
- Doormats for print on demand
- Hoodies for print on demand
- Pet products for print on demand
- Socks for print on demand
- Pajamas for print on demand
- Blankets for print on demand
- Baby clothes for print on demand
- Wrapping paper for print on demand
- Puzzles for print on demand
- Stickers for print on demand
- Athletic wear for print on demand
- Hats for print on demand
- Journals for print on demand
- Greeting cards for print on demand
- Mugs for print on demand
13 Aviation Side Hustles To Explore
Here are 13 ideas on aviation side hustles you can explore:
- Become an instructor for a flying school
- Rent out your properties or vehicles
- Start a YouTube channel about flying
- Deliver food for others with apps like DoorDash
- Tune cars remotely for cash
- Design pilot-theme merchandise with print on demand
- Take orders to shop branded goods abroad and earn commission
- Sell an e-book on pilot training
- Create a podcast talking about something you’re passionate in
- Complete online surveys for quick cash
- Get paid to promote brands as a social media influencer
- Tutor school kids online for a language or subject you’re good at
- Offer pet-sitting services in your free time
9 Free Side Hustles For Airline Pilots
Here are 9 free side hustles for airline pilots:
- Promote affiliate links on Twitter and Pinterest
- Content writing on personal blog
- Start a personal YouTube channel
- Teach others via recorded online courses
- Design and sell merchandise with print on demand
- Resell stuffs you no longer use for extra cash
- Deliver food or packages on the weekends
- Rent out your vehicle or property when not in use
- Create and sell digital templates on Etsy
11 Business Ideas For Flight Attendants
Here are 11 business ideas for flight attendants:
- Sell digital products on Etsy
- Personal overseas shopper
- Nail parlor
- Make-up styling school
- Food delivery business
- Sell online courses for etiquette
- Photographer business
- Fashion guru business
- Airbnb business
- Tour agency
- Car rental business
7 Businesses To Start As A Pilot
These are 7 businesses you can start as a pilot:
- A carwash and car detailing shop
- An air tour business
- A food truck business
- A home décor business
- Dropshipping business
- A drone business
- A flying school
Which Side Hustle Should I Choose?
Unsure which side hustles for airline pilots you should go for? Here are the top 6 things to consider when deciding which is best for you.
- How much time can you commit to it?
- Consider how much time you can set aside for your side hustle for weekdays and weekends
- What type of income are you looking for?
- Do you want to make income actively or passively while you sleep?
- What sparks interest & passion in you?
- Choose a side hustle that aligns to your personal goals and interests as it keeps you motivated
- Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
- Different side hustles requires different level of communication with the outside world, are you comfortable meeting new people every day?
- What is your current partner or friend up to that you can leverage on?
- Doing something with a friend or partner makes things easier and more manageable
- How soon do you need to make extra money?
- Not all side hustles make the same amount of money in the same pace, do you need money today or in a year’s time?
Bottom Line
It can be quite confusing to figure out what type of side hustle you should get into with a job that requires a lot of travelling. That’s why I always encourage my readers to build passive income streams outside their full-time job.
A side hustle should not only give you monetary rewards in the short term but it should also help you buy freedom in the future!
The key to starting a new side hustle is to try. If it doesn’t work out after giving it your best effort, you can always explore something new.
Here are 13 best side hustles for airline pilots:
- Rent out a spare room or your property on Airbnb
- Vlog your days for a personal YouTube channel
- Build a podcast in the travelling niche
- Share your personal opinions and experiences with a blog
- Promote affiliate links of products and services to earn commission
- Learn professional photography to sell photos with stock websites online
- Get paid teaching others how to fly as an instructor
- Create and sell online courses for self improvement
- Self-publish your own e-book with Amazon KDP
- Tune cars remotely online
- Sell digital products on Etsy
- Offer short air tour services
- Design and sell your own merchandise with print on demand
I’m not one to brag, but blogging has changed my life. I’ve been able to earn an income passively while on a coffee date and traveling with my family. With everything, it takes time to learn and not an overnight success – to speed things up, get yourself a blogging coach before starting.
These are my blogging resources to help you out:
- Step-by-step guide how to start blogging in your free time
- Why you need a blogging coach right from the start
- Worried of exposing yourself? You can blog anonymously
Photo by APEX.GRAPHICS