Check the plane before flying
Check the gauges, controls and onboard systems before you agree to take the plane up.
Career profile
Commercial Pilot
Commercial pilots fly charter trips, sightseeing tours and other flights outside scheduled airline service.
As the pilot, you fly the plane and also judge when weather, fuel on board or the aircraft's condition calls for a change of plan.
A day in the life
Make the flight plan workable
Compare weather with fuel and cargo weight, changing route or takeoff time when numbers do not add up.
Take off and fly the route
Fly the planned route by gauges and controls, and radio any control tower to arrange departure and landing.
Watch fuel and weather aloft
Track fuel burn and engine gauges, and request a new route or altitude if weather ahead gets worse.
Quick facts
Flight training + certificate
United States · Current requirements checked October 2026
$123,220/year
United States · May 2025
5.2% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Flight training + certificateEarn a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial pilot certificate with the ratings for your aircraft.
Pay
$123,220/yearNational median for commercial pilots; this is not a starting salary.
Outlook
5.2% projected growthAbout 5,200 openings per year nationwide, including replacement openings.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like checking details even when a task feels familiar.
- You can communicate clearly while concentrating.
- You are willing to change a plan when conditions change.
Things to weigh
- Irregular hours and sustained concentration can be tiring.
- Medical eligibility can affect your flying career. Check the requirements before committing heavily to training.
Where AI may help
In equipped aircraft, automation can hold a selected flight path and reduce the need for continuous control inputs.
What people still lead
You choose what to ask the system to do, check its response, and recognize when its behavior no longer fits the situation.
What we can’t predict yet
How much more flying will shift to automation remains uncertain, especially when conditions demand a change from the programmed plan.
Pay in context
Earnings
These figures cover commercial pilots, excluding airline pilots. Pay varies widely across this occupation.
The median and spread
The annual median was $123,220. The 10th and 90th percentiles were $58,850 and $266,620; these are wage positions, not beginner and senior salaries. An hourly equivalent is not published for this occupation.
Workplace type matters
Annual medians were $133,150 in nonscheduled air transportation and $93,820 in private technical and trade schools.
Openings beyond growth
Employment is projected to grow 5.2%. The roughly 5,200 annual openings include workers leaving the occupation, not just newly created jobs.
Getting started
Train with an independent instructor
- What the route involves
- Combine ground study and flying lessons under Part 61, the federal rules for individual pilot certification.
- What it can lead to
- Required experience and instructor endorsements make you eligible for the commercial knowledge and practical tests.
- What to check
- The usual single-engine airplane minimum is 250 flight hours with specified experience—not simply 250 hours of any flying.
Follow an approved flight-school course
- What the route involves
- Follow a structured, FAA-approved curriculum at a Part 141 school. Some colleges include this training in aviation degrees.
- What it can lead to
- Approved courses can provide certificate eligibility with fewer flight hours. Ask which certificates and ratings the specific course covers.
For civilian beginners, both routes lead through private-pilot training toward the commercial certificate and its tests.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Get established
At an on-demand operator, complete company ground and flight training to learn its aircraft and procedures.
Build capability
Build experience and train for additional aircraft, earning the ratings they require.
Move into instruction
Add a flight instructor certificate and teach students to plan flights, handle the aircraft, and recognize mistakes.
Where you can work
Charter and corporate aviation
Passenger trips shape the day. You may also greet travelers, load luggage, and arrange aircraft maintenance.
- Vehicle
- Travel
- Safety-sensitive
Agricultural aviation
Low flying brings power lines and other obstacles close. Chemical handling and unpaved landing strips add different demands.
- Vehicle
- Outdoors
- Field work
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
On paper, plan a pretend charter trip between two airports. List the weather, fuel, aircraft, and passenger information you would need before agreeing to depart. Then add a storm near the destination and explain what you would reconsider. Notice whether that decision-making interests you as much as flying.
Stay safe: This is a thinking exercise, not a flight plan for actual use.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Airline and Commercial Pilots. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Commercial Pilots. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine. Commercial Pilots — 53-2012.00. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Pilot Schools Information. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Part 141 Pilot Schools. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Aviation Administration / eCFR. 14 CFR Part 61, Subpart F — Commercial Pilots. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Aviation Administration / eCFR. 14 CFR 61.23 — Medical certificates: Requirement and duration. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Pilots, Owners, and Operators. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Aviation Administration / eCFR. 14 CFR Part 61, Subpart H — Flight Instructors. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Risk Management Handbook — Automation and Flight Path Management. Accessed 2026-10-03.