Aerial Survey pilot job at Skylens
- Brian Childs
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
Skylens Aerial Imaging, based in Louisiana, is hiring for their 2026-2027 imaging season starting on July 27, 2026. Don't miss out on this great commercial flying job! Find details here:
About Skylens
SkyLens Aerial Imaging is based in Hammond, Louisiana. They operate includes Cessna 172's and 182's, as well as Piper Aztec twin engine aircraft. They advertise that pilots can log over 80 hours per month, including IFR, cross-country, and night flight.
"Regular season contract is 7 month commitment with no hard time off. Downtime for weather and aircraft maintenance provides plenty of time off however pilots must remain based with aircraft."
"Most pilots will start in the C172 regardless of airframe experience. All aircraft assignments including determinations and qualifications into the Piper Aztecs or C182s are made DURING the training and orientation in Hammond, LA with both simulator and aircraft checkouts. Pilots qualified into the Aztecs may be required to fly the single engine aircraft at times during the season"
Learn about Aerial Survey pilot jobs here
The following requirements must be met to be considered for a role. They state that pilots who do not meet all their basic requirements will not be considered.
Pilot experience requirements
Commercial Single Engine Land
​Commercial Multi Engine Land Certificate
300 total logged flight hours
40 logged multiengine flight hours
5 hours in PA23-250 Aztec
​(All qualifying time must be logged in aircraft, not simulator)
Additional requirements
21 years of age or older by October 15th
​Legally eligible to work in the USA
FAA issued Pilot Certificate
2nd or 1st Class Medical Certificate
Instrument rated, current and proficient
Read, write and speak clear English
Impeccable radio skills
Experience in busy class B and C airspace
Life situation that allows for 7+ months away from home & other obligations
COVID19 and seasonal Flu vaccinations
Competitive qualifications
400 to 600 logged total flight hours
50 hrs multi w 20+ logged in PA23-250 at controls
All time must be in aircraft, not sim time
How to apply
Their hiring window opens on Monday, July 27, 2026 at 12:01 AM Central Daylight Time. They have extensive and detailed instructions on their website. All applicants should review these prior to submitting their resume. They state that failure to follow these instructions will result in your application not being reviewed. They also request pilots to not call them for information about their pilot roles. They get a lot of applications.
From their website (these are instructions quoted from their site):
Email your resumé to: jobs@skylensaerial.com Put the word "resume" in the subject field (w/o the quotes) followed by a space then your last name. ​ Example: Resume Smith
Attach your resume to your email in the form of an actual pdf, doc or other word processor file. (Not a downloadable link like Google docs). Resumés should be a simple layout, black on white, succinct as possible, while containing all the relevant information requested here.​
Please include on your resume:
your flight training history
complete employment/education history for the past 5 years
Total time
Multi time
Actual IFR time AND Hood IFR time
PA23-250 Aztec time
Any previous aerial mapping experience and type of aircraft flown.
Prominently list your A&P credentials if you have them.
***Break out simulator time, safety pilot times, or other logged non-flying time from your totals
In the email body, write a short cover letter about how you would deal with the 7 month stretch away from home and any other details that would make you a good SkyLens pilot candidate. If you are being referred by a mutual acquaintance not listed in your resumé please indicate so.
They provide updates on hiring and when roles are open through their Facebook page as well: https://facebook.com/SkyLensLLC/
Pilot compensation
From the website: "Entry level hourly pay for the C172 pilot is $20. Pilots are paid for every calendar day while deployed in the field. Each pilot is paid a minimum daily equivalent to 3 hours PLUS the hourly wage for all revenue flight hours. Once a pilot reaches 40 combined hours in a week, he/she is paid 1.5x overtime."
How to build Piper Aztec time
Skylens provides a nice page with a list of companies that do time building in Piper Aztecs here: https://skylens.biz/aztec/
There is also a list of time building programs for these and other aircraft on this map at Low Time Pilot: https://www.lowtimepilot.com/post/list-of-time-building-programs-for-pilots
