Description
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Requires Federal Air Transport certificate and rating for specific aircraft type used. Includes regional, national, and international airline pilots and flight instructors of airline pilots.
Interests
- Realistic
- Conventional
- Enterprising
Work Values
- Independence
- Support
- Working Conditions
Work Styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Self-Control
- Cooperation
- Stress Tolerance
Tasks
- Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.
- Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
- Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.
- Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.
- Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.
Work Activities
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Detailed Work Activities
- Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
- Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
- Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
- Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
- Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
- Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
Technology Skills
- Spreadsheet software
- Presentation software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Route navigation software
- Information retrieval or search software
Abilities
- Response Orientation
- Problem Sensitivity
- Control Precision
- Far Vision
- Near Vision
Skills
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
Knowledge
- Transportation
- English Language
- Geography
- Mechanical
- Public Safety and Security
Most Common Education Level
The “Most Common Education Level” refers to the level of education held by the majority of workers in a given occupation. For example, if the highest percentage of workers in a role have an Associate’s Degree, that suggests this is the typical educational requirement. Knowing this helps you plan how many years of education you may need to pursue that career.
Certificates
Certificate name
Airline Transport PilotCertifying Organization
Federal Aviation Administration
Type
Advanced
Income Percentile
The income percentiles show how earnings are distributed within a profession. The 10th percentile means that 10% of workers earned less than that amount. The median (50th percentile) indicates that half of workers earned more, and half earned less. The 90th percentile reflects what the top 10% of earners in the field make.
| Income Percentile | Annual Income |
|---|---|
| Low (10%) | $170,015 |
| Median (50%) | $212,716 |
| High (90%) | $292,433 |
Income by Experience
This table shows how income typically grows with experience—from entry level (0–2 years), to mid-level (3–5 years), to senior level (6–8 years), to expert level (8+ years).
| Experience | Income |
|---|---|
Entry Level  | $186,969 |
| Mid Level | $276,232 |
| Senior Level | $277,130 |
| Expert Level | $244,684 |
Employability
There are currently 96,300 jobs in this career path. Over the next 10 years, that number is expected to increase to 101,100 positions, reflecting a projected growth of 5%.
The Projected Job Growth figure refers to the expected increase or decrease in employment within a specific career field over a certain period of time.
Projected Job Growth of 5%
Related Careers
The career information and data on this site incorporates information from O*NET Web Services, Lightcast, CareerOneStop, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For more details regarding the data sources and the specific information sourced, click here.
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