Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
What is a commercial pilot and how to become one
Avg. Salary $94,406
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 6%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.26%
Asian 2.76%
Black or African American 2.69%
Hispanic or Latino 7.03%
Unknown 5.54%
White 81.73%
Genderfemale 8.06%
male 91.94%
Age - 44American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 44Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Commercial Pilot career paths
Key steps to become a commercial pilot
Explore commercial pilot education requirements
Start to develop specific commercial pilot skills
Skills 
Percentages FAA 23.55% Flight Operations 11.69% Pilot-In-Command 11.37% PIC 11.21% Flight Planning 6.49% Complete relevant commercial pilot training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New commercial 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 a commercial pilot based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real commercial pilot resumes.Research commercial pilot duties and responsibilities
- Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
- Instruct pilots in recurrent flight training and grind school for aircraft systems, FAA regulations, company policies and procedures.
- Grind school, IFR and advance simulator training.
- Monitor and ensure compliance with establish policies, directives, and FAA operation specifications.
Prepare your commercial pilot resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your commercial 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 a commercial 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 Commercial Pilot Resume templates
Build a professional Commercial 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 Commercial Pilot resume.
Apply for commercial pilot jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a commercial 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 Did You Land Your First Commercial Pilot Job
Are you a Commercial Pilot?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average commercial pilot salary
The average Commercial Pilot salary in the United States is $94,406 per year or $45 per hour. Commercial pilot salaries range between $63,000 and $139,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do commercial pilots rate their job?
Commercial Pilot reviews
challenges career opportunities learning opportunities
Workload 24/7 availability
for sure to travel and meet a lot of people of all kinds .
nothing at all. The way i look at it its kind of nonsense. best da.
Every day at work was different. Each flight was different and flying an airplane well is challenging. When an airline pilot has completed their flight assignment they go home and do not think about the job until the next time they go to work. The FAA regulations require rest periods and days off for pilots. A normal flight schedule offers 8- 20 days off per month. A pilot can choose to fly trips that are 1- 12 days long. Most airlines have a seniority system. This means that the airplane and crew position are determined by the date you were hired. Generally speaking, Senior pilots are Captains that fly the airplane with highest pay rate. Senior pilots also have the best flight schedule. Starting pay at the major airlines in 2019 is about $85,000 year. Senior pilots flying wide-body airplanes can earn up to $600,000 year flying an international schedule
Jet-lag. Fatigue is a fact of life for an airline pilot. Domestic flying often includes trips that depart at 11:00 PM and arrive early in the morning. International trips fly all over the world at all hours of the day. Pilots learn to deal with jet-lag and fatigue, but it remains a fact of life for most aviators
Updated January 8, 2025
