Safe and boring would get my vote too. I work with a ton of pilots and various airport admin staff. I bet he can find a small airport nearby to help manage if he wants to stay plugged in to aviation but needs more of a safe challenge. Airport boards, part time ops staff, it all takes people knowledgeable in aviation. It might help scratch that itch without the downsides. I'm not a pilot, but I hear them talk, often about firefighting ops. You think get-home-itis is bad, gotta-save-the-town-itis puts pilots in bad spots too.
