With an aviation career that spans 30 years and includes stints as airline pilot, corporate pilot, FAA employee and aviation writer, frequent AIN contributor Robert Mark has plenty of experience in the industry, and that includes, of course, looking for–and landing–the perfect flying job.

Mark readily admits that it wasn’t always easy and reflects, “I wish I’d known someone in the industry, someone who could have shown me the ropes and helped me avoid some of the pits I managed to fall into along the way.” With years of working in the industry under his belt, Mark has developed a simple philosophy: “people should help other people climb the career ladder.” And this guide is intended to do just that, by giving those with an interest in a professional flying career a look at all the options (airline, corporate, charter and contract flying) and the training and legwork necessary to meet their goals.

What makes the guide an interesting read is the conversational (and sometimes humorous) tone Mark adopts. He is not afraid to point out and make light of his early misconceptions and mistakes, and such candor goes a long way to reaching Mark’s goal of giving the reader a sense of getting information from a mentor over coffee. Also helpful are the interviews with and articles about other pilots and the myriad ways they got their start in the industry.

Throughout the book Mark emphasizes the importance of gathering and analyzing information, about the industry and specific companies. Probably one of the most far-reaching changes since the original guide was published in 1996 is the ubiquity of Internet resources, and Mark offers some guidance about how to make the most effective use of them. Of course, sometimes too much information can be as detrimental as too little and, with that in mind, Mark gives readers a thorough list of useful Web sites to check out as they consider a professional flying career.

Anyone who reads this book should continue through the appendices as they provide a wealth of information–about flight training and interviewing, among other things–presented in a concise, easily digestible format.