Offering custom airborne solutions using specialised hardware, equipment, and personnel to meet our customers diverse needs, ESAO are offering an exciting opportunity for ambitious and driven pilots to join our team.

Operating a fleet of DA42, DA62 and Beech King Air aircraft, the specialised solutions required by our customers means that this is no ordinary job!

You will be required to work autonomously through out the UK, Europe and beyond, often being deployed in small teams for extended periods of time.

ESAO pilots are highly motivated, independent, and commercially savvy. They are trusted to make decisions, often at short notice and consistently go the extra mile to ensure that mission objectives are achieved successfully.

If this sounds like the role for you, then ESAO welcome you to become part of our close-knit and dynamic team.

About you

• High professional standards. Confident, competent, and independently diligent in your professional approach to flying, fostering an atmosphere of safety in all areas.
• Adventurous spirit. Enjoy spending time away from home, embracing the varied nature of your work and operating autonomously in a dynamic environment where plans may change at short notice.
• Self-motivated. Take ownership of your mission objectives, whilst developing your flying skills to embrace the challenges that ESAO’s operational profiles represent.
• Team driven. An ability to foster an atmosphere of shared goals, objectives, and upkeep of morale.
• Resilient and flexible. Willing to operate in challenging environments, often at night and/or to shift patterns that vary, and to the limits of instrument ratings and procedures.
• Growth mindset. Proactively seek opportunities to expand ESAO’s business and foster shared progress and advancement.
• Customer focussed. Solving issues as they arise and putting the customers’ needs at the heart of the operation.

Mandatory Experience

In addition to the requirements below, please have your IFR, MEP, and Night Flying hours ready before applying.

• A valid UK CAA CPL/ATPL or EASA CPL/ATPL.
• Hold, or within the last 3 years have held, a multi engine instrument rating single pilot, MEIR(SP).
• A minimum of 480hrs total flying time.
• 250hrs PIC (not including PICUS or simulator time). Note, Co-pilot hours can be included toward this requirement at a factor of 0.5. E.g. A pilot with 400hrs co-pilot could contribute 200 hrs towards the PIC requirement.
• 50hrs IFR flying time. Note, this should not be confused with instrument flying time, which is logged separately.
• Current Class 1 medical certificate.
• ICAO LEVEL 5 proficiency or higher in the English Language.
• Able to live and work in the UK and/or the EU.
• Willing to work away from home for extended periods (up to 3-5 weeks at a time).
• Have not been invited to an assessment with ESAO/DEA in the last 6 months.
• The ability to obtain a Basic Disclosure certificate via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (or equivalent in your country) with respect to any “unspent” criminal convictions.

Desirable Experience

• Hold, or have held a security clearance allowing you access to information classified as EU Confidential or NATO Secret.
• Have not had a permanent address in more than one country in the past 5 years.
• Dual UK/EU passport holder.
• Dual UK CAA/EASA CPL/ATPL holder.
• Previous DA42/62 or King Air experience.
• Foreign language ability.

Principal Accountabilities

• Act in the capacity of single-pilot commander on ESAO’s DA42/62 aircraft fleet.
• Deliver a high standard of operation on a mixture of weekdays and weekends, including day/night flying as rostered 365 days/year.
• Maintain a professional flying standard and commitment to safe operations.
• Execute any administrative duties to support the business as necessary.