Salaried aircraft sales jobs sit in three places: a manufacturer (an OEM such as Textron Aviation, Gulfstream, Cirrus or Pilatus), a dealer or brokerage firm, or a company that buys, sells and services aircraft. Getting into aircraft sales as an employee means being hired into one of those teams, often through a support or analyst role first.
This guide covers the employee routes: what manufacturer sales staff do, what real job postings ask for, how dealers hire, which entry roles feed sales, and the internship and graduate programmes we could verify. Going independent as a broker is a different route, covered in how to become an aircraft broker. Every posting below was read on 17 October 2026 and is dated.
Key points
- There are three employee paths into aircraft sales: manufacturer (OEM) sales teams, dealers and brokerage firms, and support or analyst roles that sit next to a sales team.
- Senior OEM sales postings we read asked for a bachelor's degree and 5 to 10 or more years of aircraft sales or aviation experience. Entry support roles asked for about two years of sales or related experience.
- A pilot certificate is required in some postings and not mentioned in others. Travel and CRM skills (often Salesforce) appear in almost all of them.
- Textron Aviation runs a 12-month Sales Development Program for recent graduates and says no aviation background is required.
- Dealer sales teams are small and openings are occasional. On 17 October 2026 Jetcraft listed no vacancies and Duncan Aviation's job feed had no aircraft sales role.
- No course or certificate guarantees a sales job. Pay depends on the employer and is covered in aircraft broker salary.
Three ways in as an employee
An aircraft salesman, or sales consultant, works in one of three kinds of business. The table compares them by the same criteria. The sections after it give the evidence.
| Path | What you sell | Typical entry point | What postings asked for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer (OEM) sales | New aircraft of one brand, plus trade-ins and certified pre-owned aircraft | Sales support, sales development programme, sales support pilot | Degree, years of aircraft sales or aviation experience for director roles, travel, CRM; pilot certificate in some |
| Dealer or brokerage firm | Pre-owned aircraft of many makes, for buyers and sellers | Market research analyst, sales assistant | Few live postings to read; see below |
| Adjacent role that feeds sales | Support to the sales team: proposals, research, events, demos | Sales specialist, analyst, intern | About two years of sales, marketing, hospitality or aviation experience; CRM |
Manufacturer (OEM) sales: what the job is
The manufacturers whose postings we read organise sales by region. A sales director, often titled regional sales director, owns a territory and its prospects, with regional vice presidents above. Bombardier's public sales contact list, read on 17 October 2026, shows this structure: it lists Regional Vice Presidents, Sales Directors and Sales Managers, plus Sales Directors for pre-owned and certified pre-owned aircraft and two Aircraft Acquisition Managers.
Textron Aviation's posting for a Regional Sales Director, Piston/Caravan, in Phoenix (job 332508, shown as posted about three months before we read it in October 2026, on a job board that mirrors Textron's listings) describes the work in practical terms. The director sells new piston and Caravan aircraft in a territory, finds and qualifies prospects including their "financial capability", keeps client records in Salesforce, arranges demonstration flights and trade-ins, and writes weekly and monthly reports, forecasts and an annual sales plan.
Some roles serve a narrower buyer. Pilatus's Director Government Sales in Broomfield, Colorado (listed on Built In Colorado in October 2026) sells PC-12 and PC-24 aircraft to government and special-mission customers, so it adds federal procurement rules to the usual sales skills.
What OEM postings asked for
We read four OEM sales postings. They are listed in the same order and by the same points. Requirements are quoted where the wording matters.
| Posting (date) | Education | Experience | Pilot certificate | Travel and tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textron Aviation, Regional Sales Director, Piston/Caravan, Phoenix (about July 2026) | Bachelor's in business management, aviation management, sales and marketing or related | "Minimum 5 years' relative aircraft sales or aviation experience" | Not mentioned | "Mobile and willing to travel required"; Salesforce account management |
| Pilatus Aircraft USA, Director Government Sales, Broomfield (October 2026) | Bachelor's in business, aviation, engineering or related, or equivalent; MBA preferred | At least 10 years in the aviation industry, including closing high-value aircraft sales | "FAA Pilot Certificate required" | Domestic and international travel; CRM and sales reporting software |
| Gulfstream, Regional Sales Specialist, Savannah (17 June 2026) | Bachelor's in business or marketing, or equivalent education and experience | "2 years sales, marketing, hospitality, aviation, or administrative sales support experience" | Not mentioned | Travel as required; "CRM systems proficiency required", Salesforce preferred |
| Cirrus Aircraft, Sales Support Pilot, remote (live on 17 October 2026) | Bachelor's degree or 2 to 4 years in sales and marketing | One year of sales or marketing experience "desired" | FAA commercial pilot with instrument rating and second-class medical required; CFII preferred | "Extensive travel will be required"; advanced MS Office |
Only one of the four published pay. Pilatus states "The hiring range is $150,000 - $180,000 per year" for its director role. The others did not publish a range, so we do not give one. For what salary sites report across sales and broker titles, see aircraft broker salary.
Textron's posting also lists preferred knowledge that shows what the job really tests: its own and competitors' product lines, "capital equipment finance and lease terms", and cost of ownership and net present value analysis. Those are things you can learn before you apply.
Dealers and brokerage firms
Dealers and sales brokerage firms sell pre-owned aircraft of many makes. Their sales teams are small and senior, so openings are rare and seldom advertised as entry-level. What three well-known firms showed on 17 October 2026:
- Jetcraft. Its careers page said: "There are currently no vacancies." It names no trainee or graduate scheme.
- Duncan Aviation. Its public job feed listed 64 openings. None was in aircraft sales; the only internship was a SkillBridge placement for active-duty service members. Duncan's own student magazine describes one employee's route in: he started as a human resources intern, later worked as a parts sales assistant, "applied for the Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions Market Research Analyst position in July of 2021", and then "made the jump from analyst to full-time Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions Sales Representative."
- Elliott Aviation. Its careers page recruits avionics, maintenance, paint and interior technicians and does not mention sales roles. Aircraft sales appears on the site only as a service.
With so few postings, a research or support role inside the sales team is the realistic first job at a dealer. Check target firms' careers pages regularly, and see aircraft broker jobs for the titles and boards to search.
Entry roles that feed sales
Several jobs sit next to a sales team and teach the business from the inside. Each one below is backed by a posting or a company account we read.
- Sales support specialist. Gulfstream's Regional Sales Specialist prepares proposals, sales contracts and technical sales documents, keeps CRM records up to date, and coordinates customer visits, demo flights and events. The experience bar is two years, and hospitality counts.
- Sales support pilot. Cirrus's role plans and flies product demonstrations, runs events and prospects for leads with the Regional Sales Directors. It needs a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating, which makes it a route for flight instructors and other working pilots.
- Market research analyst. At Duncan Aviation the analyst role was the step between support work and a sales representative job, as described above. Analysts track the aircraft market for the sales team. Market data tools are covered in aircraft broker tools.
- Pre-owned and acquisition roles. OEMs take aircraft in trade when they sell new ones, then resell them. Bombardier lists Sales Directors for pre-owned and certified pre-owned aircraft and Aircraft Acquisition Managers among its sales contacts. These teams work like a dealer inside the manufacturer.
- Completions and interiors. Some OEM service centres employ sales specialists who quote cabin and avionics work. We found no live posting of this kind on 17 October 2026, so we cannot describe current requirements.
How a sale runs from letter of intent to closing is explained in how an aircraft sale closes.
Internships and graduate programmes
Formal entry programmes for aircraft sales are rare. These are the ones we could verify:
- Textron Aviation Sales Development Program. Textron's page describes a 12-month programme for "recent graduates interested in sales", starting in Wichita, Kansas. Participants "rotate through various business and customer service operations within the company", with training in technical marketing, negotiating and product knowledge. The page says "No aviation background? No problem." After the programme, participants move into field-based roles. The page does not state application dates.
- Textron Aviation sales internship. Embry-Riddle reported on 9 October 2026 that one of its business students spent summer 2026 on a sales internship in Wichita, which was then extended into a year-long rotation across parts, programmes, aftermarket service and aircraft sales. This is one reported case, not a published scheme.
- Bombardier sales internships. Search results on 17 October 2026 showed fall 2026 listings on Bombardier's job site titled Intern, Sales Operations; Intern, Sales & Marketing Support; Intern, Sales Engineering; and Intern, Aircraft Parts Sales Support. When we opened them, Bombardier's site said they were no longer available, so we could not read their requirements. We found no 2027 sales internship yet. Bombardier groups these under Internships & New Graduate Programs on its job site.
For courses and certificates aimed at aviation salespeople generally, including college programmes, see aviation sales training.
What employers ask for
Across the postings above, five requirements come up again and again.
- A degree, or experience in its place. Every posting named a bachelor's degree in business, aviation, marketing or a related subject. Pilatus, Gulfstream and Cirrus accept equivalent experience instead.
- Aviation knowledge. Director roles want years of aviation or aircraft sales experience. Support roles accept experience from sales, marketing or hospitality, and Textron's graduate programme requires none.
- A pilot certificate, sometimes. Pilatus and Cirrus required one. Textron and Gulfstream did not mention it. Being a pilot helps with demonstration flights and credibility, but it is not a general requirement.
- Travel. All four OEM postings mention it. Cirrus calls it extensive.
- CRM and reporting. Salesforce is named by Textron and preferred by Gulfstream. Expect to keep a pipeline, forecast and write regular reports.
The IADA broker certification also assumes employment: its rules require a year at an IADA-accredited dealer or OEM before a broker can apply. That certificate and others are compared in aircraft broker certifications.
Employee or independent broker
An employee at an OEM or dealer sells the employer's aircraft or listings, works leads the employer generates, and is usually paid under the employer's plan. An independent broker represents buyers or sellers for a fee or commission, finds every client personally, and carries the business costs, contracts and insurance alone. The employee route asks for a CV that fits a posting. The independent route asks for a network and the money to wait for the first deal.
Some people learn the trade as an employee and go independent later. If that is your aim, read how to become an aircraft broker for the sales-broker route and how to start a charter brokerage for the charter business. Training for sales brokers is compared in aircraft sales broker training.
This page is general information, not career, legal or financial advice. Job postings change often, so check each employer's own site before you apply.
Free from IABI · IABI publishes this guide
Want to talk it through before you spend anything?
IABI runs a free webinar on how to become an aircraft broker, and offers a free one-to-one consultation. Both are a way to ask questions and judge the teaching for yourself before paying for any course.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get into aircraft sales with no experience?
Look for support roles and graduate programmes. Textron Aviation's Sales Development Program targets recent graduates and says no aviation background is needed. Sales support postings, such as Gulfstream's, ask for about two years of sales, marketing, hospitality or aviation experience rather than aircraft sales.
Do you need to be a pilot to become an aircraft salesman?
Not always. Of four OEM postings we read in October 2026, Pilatus and Cirrus required a pilot certificate and Textron and Gulfstream did not mention one. Roles that fly demonstrations are the most likely to require it.
How do I get into private jet sales?
Business-jet manufacturers and dealers hire mostly experienced salespeople. The usual first step is a support, analyst or pre-owned role inside a jet OEM or dealer, then a move into sales. Employers' careers pages and the job titles in our jobs guide are the places to search.
What does an aircraft sales consultant earn?
It depends on the employer and the plan. Of the postings we read, only Pilatus published a range, $150,000 to $180,000 a year for a senior government sales director. For third-party salary estimates and how commission works, see our salary guide.
Will a course get me an aircraft sales job?
No course can guarantee a job. Training can teach the vocabulary, documents and market data employers expect you to know. Hiring still depends on the employer, your experience and the market.
Sources
Every source below was checked on 17 October 2026.
- Cirrus Aircraft, Sales Support Pilot (ID 2026-5044): https://careers-cirrusaircraft.icims.com/jobs/5044/sales-support-pilot---pontiac%2c-michigan/job
- Textron Aviation, Sales Development Program: https://txtav.com/careers/sales-development-program
- Textron Aviation, Students and Grads: https://txtav.com/en/careers/studentsandgrads
- Bombardier, sales contacts: https://bombardier.com/en/contacts/sales
- Jetcraft, careers: https://www.jetcraft.com/careers/
- Duncan Aviation, job board: https://duncanaviation.workgr8.com/jobs
- Duncan Aviation, "From an Internship to Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions" (Debrief, Student Edition 2025): https://duncanaviation.aero/debrief/2025/Student-Edition/from-an-internship-to-aircraft-sales-acquisitions
- Elliott Aviation, careers: https://www.elliottaviation.com/careers/
- IADA, "IADA Certifies 41 Aircraft Brokers" (27 November 2023): https://iada.aero/press-release/166/iada-certifies-41-aircraft-brokers
- Embry-Riddle, "O'Maley College of Business Launches Student's Aviation Career" (9 October 2026): https://erau.edu/about/news-and-stories/hub-spoke/stories/omaley-college-of-business-launches-students-aviation-career
- Bombardier, job site: https://jobs.bombardier.com/
- Job board copy of Textron Aviation posting, Regional Sales Director, Piston/Caravan (job 332508): https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/3541397039-regional-sales-director-piston-caravan
- Job board copy of Gulfstream posting, Regional Sales Specialist (17 June 2026): https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/3541262384-regional-sales-specialist
- Job board copy of Pilatus Aircraft USA posting, Director Government Sales: https://www.builtincolorado.com/job/director-government-sales/11562020