Pilot

What is this job like?		Back to Top

Pilots fly airplanes and helicopters in order to get various jobs done. Most pilots fly people and cargo from place to place. Some pilots test new planes, fight fires, do police work, or rescue people who are hurt or in danger.

Before they take off, pilots plan their flight carefully. They check their plane to make sure that it is working properly. They also make sure that baggage or cargo has been loaded correctly. They check the weather forecast to see if they will run into any bad weather on their trip. They then decide what route they should take and how high and fast they should fly.

Takeoff and landing are the hardest parts. Pilots must be especially careful during those times. The rest of the flight is fairly easy, if the weather is good. Planes have indicators to tell pilots if their trip is going according to plan. These indicators show whether there is enough fuel, whether the weather is changing, and whether the plane is on course. Pilots must check these indicators often during the trip to be sure that all is going well. If problems come up, the pilots take steps to solve them.

The law says that pilots who work for an airline cannot fly more than 100 hours a month or more than 1,000 hours a year. Most airline pilots fly about 65-75 hours a month, and work another 75 hours a month at other parts of the job. When they are flying, airline pilots must very often stay away from home overnight. Airlines have flights at all hours of the day and night. This means that airline pilots often are asked to work odd hours.

Pilots who do not work for the airlines can have unusual work schedules, too. For example, they may fly 30 hours one month and 90 hours the next. Most of them do not have to stay away from home overnight, but they may have to work odd hours.

Pilots who fly very long distances may have "jet lag." This is fatigue caused by moving through different time zones. The work of pilots who test new planes may be dangerous. Pilots who work on farms or who help police and firefighters also might get hurt on their jobs.

Flying does not involve much hard physical work. However, pilots can feel a lot of stress because they know that they are responsible for the safety of their passengers. They must be careful and quick to react if something goes wrong.

How do you get ready?		Back to Top

All pilots who are paid to fly must have a license from the Federal Government. They must be at least 18 years old. They must have flown at least 250 hours. To get an airline pilot's license, a person must be at least 23 years old. The person must have flown for a total of 1,500 hours, or have gone to a special school for pilots.

A doctor must also examine the person. The doctor makes sure that the person can see and hear well, and is healthy enough to fly. Pilots must also pass a written test to show that they know how to fly properly. The pilot's employer may ask him or her to pass other special tests as well.

Many pilots learn how to fly in the military. Others become pilots by going to flight schools. Most companies want the pilots they hire to have some college education. In fact, most people who enter this occupation have a college degree.

How much does this job pay?		Back to Top

In 2006, median annual earnings of airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers were $141,090—this means that half earned more than this amount and half earned less.

Median annual earnings of commercial pilots—who work for employers other than the airlines—were $57,480 in 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $40,780 and $83,760. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $28,450. The highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $115,220.

Pilots may be paid extra for flying at night or for flying to other countries. Usually, pilots who fly jets earn more than other pilots.

How many jobs are there?		Back to Top

There were about 107,000 pilots outside of the military in 2006. About 79,000 worked for airlines as pilots, copilots, and flight engineers. The rest were commercial pilots who taught other people to fly or who worked for businesses that fly cargo and workers in their own airplanes or helicopters.

Pilots are located across the country, but airline pilots usually are based near major metropolitan airports or airports which have a high amount of flying activity relative to their population.

What about the future?		Back to Top

Pilots are expected to face strong competition for jobs through the year 2016, especially with major airlines. Opportunities should be better with fast growing regional and low-fare airlines. There are several reasons for the strong competition. More and more qualified people are trying to become pilots. This is because they think the job is interesting and exciting. Also, pilots often can travel for personal reasons free of charge. Although the number of pilots is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2016, demand for pilots will not be as great as it could be. This is because computers make it easier to fly a plane and because today's larger planes can carry more people and cargo, but do not need more pilots to fly them. Another reason that applicants will face competition is that very few pilots quit their jobs because they love the work and the pay is very high.

Military pilots have an advantage over other applicants. This is because they usually have spent more time flying, using more advanced equipment, than other pilots. Pilots who have more special pilot's licenses also will have a better chance.

When the economy is bad and fewer people choose to fly, some pilots may lose their jobs.

Are there other jobs like this?		Back to Top

• Air traffic controllers
• Airfield operations specialists

Where can you find more information?		Back to Top

More BLS information about aircraft pilots and flight engineers can be found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The Handbook also shows where to find out even more about this job.

Last Modified Date: April 29, 2008