How To Become A Fighter Pilot: What It Is and Career Path

What is a fighter pilot and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a fighter pilot. For example, did you know that they make an average of $49.04 an hour? That's $101,999 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 7,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreFighter PilotUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $101,999

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 2.72%

Black or African American 2.62%

Hispanic or Latino 6.75%

Unknown 5.48%

White 82.18%

Gender

female 0.00%

male 100.00%

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 a fighter pilot

Explore fighter pilot education requirements

Most common fighter pilot degrees

Bachelor's

86.3 %

Master's

11.3 %

High School Diploma

1.3 %

Start to develop specific fighter pilot skills

Skills	Percentages
Fighter	22.38%
Flight Operations	19.96%
Flight Training	18.60%
Combat	11.97%
Syllabus	9.21%

Complete relevant fighter pilot training and internships

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

Research fighter pilot duties and responsibilities

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Translate complex business requirements into an ERP best fit solution.
Instruct newly wing F/A-18 aircrew in safety and tactics in employing the F/A-18.
Participate in early design and testing of the first USAF computer tactical flight planning system.

Prepare your fighter pilot resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fighter 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 fighter 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 Fighter Pilot Resume templates

Build a professional Fighter 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 Fighter Pilot resume.

Apply for fighter pilot jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a fighter 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 fighter pilots rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Fighter Pilot reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

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

Cons

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