Commercial Pilots
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots. Excludes regional, national, and international airline pilots.
Also called: Captain · Charter Pilot · Check Airman · Commercial Helicopter Pilot · Commercial Pilot · EMS Helicopter Pilot (Emergency Medical Service Helicopter Pilot)
Median pay (national)
$122,670
$59,330–$239,200+ (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
51,830
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+5.1%
~6,600 openings/yr
Typical entry
Postsecondary nondegree award
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for commercial pilots shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $239,200+ versus $59,330 at the bottom 10% — 4.0x. The median of $122,670 leaves roughly 95% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +5.1% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 6,600 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 51 states with released data, New Jersey pays the most for this role (median $239,200, +95% vs the national median), while New Hampshire sits lowest at $60,920 — a 293% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
- Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.
- Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
- Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.
- Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
- Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
- Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
- Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.
- Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
- Check baggage or cargo to ensure that it has been loaded correctly.
Tools & technology
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Aeronautical charts
- AeroPlanner
- Airdata
- Airline Pilots Daily Aviation Log PPC
- AirSmith FlightPrompt
- ArduPilot Mission Planner
- Calibration software
- CloudCompare
- doXstor Flight Level Logbook
- Electronic aircraft information databases
- ESRI Site Scan for ArcGIS
- Flight simulation software
- FLIR Thermal Studio Suite
- Kitty Hawk
- Litchi
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Transportation
- Geography
- Public Safety and Security
- Mechanical
- Law and Government
- Computers and Electronics