How To Become An Aviator: What It Is and Career Path

What is an aviator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

When you hear the word â€˜aviator', your mind probably goes to a cool-looking individual in a pilot suit and those classic aviator shades. But what exactly is an aviator, and what do they do?

An aviator is simply an aircraft pilot responsible for bringing an aircraft from one point to another safely and on time. Usually, the term aviator applies to small aircraft pilots, as those who fly commercial planes are generally referred to as pilots.

Aside from flying the aircraft, an aviator is also typically responsible for performing basic maintenance on their aircraft, such as cleanup and repairing minor issues.

If you want to become an aviator, you would need to go to a flying school and pass a flight test to get your pilot's license. To qualify for flight school, you have to pass a medical examination, a basic test, and a background check before you can enroll.

Aviators make an average of $46 per hour, roughly $96,000 a year. Naturally, aviators who fly for larger airlines will make more, but the salary for small aircraft pilots is also competitive.

ScoreAviatorUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $97,217

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 2.75%

Black or African American 2.67%

Hispanic or Latino 6.96%

Unknown 5.52%

White 81.84%

Gender

female 5.31%

male 94.69%

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 aviator

Explore aviator education requirements

Most common aviator degrees

Bachelor's

85.5 %

Master's

6.6 %

Associate

5.8 %

Start to develop specific aviator skills

Skills	Percentages
Aircraft Systems	36.05%
Flight Safety	31.83%
Flight Training	30.06%
Fixed Wing Aircraft	0.47%
Emergency Procedures	0.25%

Complete relevant aviator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New aviators 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 aviator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real aviator resumes.

Research aviator duties and responsibilities

Lead first successful DoD disaster recovery program utilizing a commercial backup.
Assist in select flying operations during a USAF training team visit.
Land aircraft with critical malfunctions, preserving millions of dollars in ISR assets.
Project manager; organize & execute complex research projects for DoD & interagency customers.

Prepare your aviator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your aviator 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 aviator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Aviator Resume templates

Build a professional Aviator 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 Aviator resume.