How To Become An Aircraft Pilot: What It Is and Career Path

What is an aircraft pilot and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Many people are jealous of aircraft pilots because they have such cool jobs. They get to spend most of their workday thousands of feet in the air watching the clouds go by. They get to travel all over the world and visit exotic locations. As if that's not enough, they also get to wear a really cool uniform, complete with a pilot's cap.

However, along with the fun perks of the job comes a lot of responsibility. An aircraft pilot literally holds the lives of all of the passengers and crew in their hands. They're responsible for navigating the aircraft safely and making sure that all maintenance work is up to par. Military aircraft pilots have the additional responsibility of flying dangerous missions.

Many aspects of an aircraft pilot's job are actually quite difficult. They work long hours and spend a lot of time away from their families. They have to spend years training for the position by logging their necessary flight hours and getting their pilot's license. However, for most aircraft pilots, the thrill of getting in the air and the average salary of $108,033 a year is worth all the hard work.

ScoreAircraft PilotUS Average

Salary

7.4

Avg. Salary $94,207

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.9

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.26%

Asian 2.78%

Black or African American 2.73%

Hispanic or Latino 7.19%

Unknown 5.57%

White 81.47%

Gender

female 4.35%

male 95.65%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.2

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.4

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an aircraft pilot

Explore aircraft pilot education requirements

Most common aircraft pilot degrees

Bachelor's

77.2 %

Associate

14.9 %

Master's

3.5 %

Start to develop specific aircraft pilot skills

Skills	Percentages
FAA	37.91%
Airspace	10.95%
Mission Planning	8.47%
UAS	7.58%
Army Aviation	6.35%

Complete relevant aircraft pilot training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New aircraft pilots learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an aircraft pilot based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real aircraft pilot resumes.

Research aircraft pilot duties and responsibilities

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Conduct academic and flight training for USAF and international pilots in air-to-air combat tactics.
Plan, brief, execute and debrief air combat training missions.
Assist with all aspects of administration, logistics and equipment inventory, ensuring successful financial execution.

Prepare your aircraft pilot resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your aircraft pilot resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an aircraft pilot resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Aircraft Pilot Resume templates

Build a professional Aircraft Pilot resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Aircraft Pilot resume.

Apply for aircraft pilot jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an aircraft pilot job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do aircraft pilots rate their job?