Airline Pilot
Description:
- Pilot and navigate the flight of multi-engine aircraft in regularly scheduled service for the transport of passengers.
Salary Range*:
- $60,000 - $125,000.
Job Growth:
- 12.9% from 2006-2016.
Education Required:
- For military, pilot training and flight hours. For civilians, bachelor’s degree plus flight training or flight school.
Job Requirements:
- Flight experience (i.e. lots of flight hours). Commercial pilot certificate which means passing commercial pilot ground school with a minimum of 250 flight hours. Medical certificate for health and fitness requirements. Multi-engine rating through lessons and by passing a flying test (known as a “check-ride”). Instrument rating by passing a instrument rating check-ride.
Relevant Military Jobs:
- Airplane pilots; airplane navigators; flight engineers.
Branch of Service Offering Jobs:
- Air Force; Coast Guard; Marines; Navy.
On-the-Job Training:
- Newly hired pilots are trained on the airline’s procedures and FAA-approved training curriculum, which lasts about ten weeks. In the beginning, pilots specialize in one type of airplane and fly with instructors to get more operating experience (mininum of 25 hours of flight time).
Core Skills:
- Operation monitoring, control and operate equipment, systems analysis, judgment and decision making, systems evaluation.
Examples of Employers:
- American Airlines; Federal Express; Singapore Airlines; private jet services.
Job Openings:
- 33,000 total from 2006-2016.
Difficulty for Entry:
- Medium to High, due to number of flight hours and training, certification requirements, and short supply of job openings.