What You Need to Know About Commercial Pilot
Career Description Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-winged 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.
Life As a Commercial Pilot: What Do They Do?
- Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
- Obtain and review data such as load weights, fuel supplies, weather conditions, and flight schedules to determine flight plans and identify needed changes.
- Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights.
- Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
- Plan and formulate flight activities and test schedules and prepare flight evaluation reports.
- Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.
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What a Commercial Pilot Should Know
These are the skills Commercial Pilots say are the most useful in their careers:
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Pilot
- Balloon Pilot
- Line Pilot
- Rotor Pilot
- Mapping Pilot
Commercial Pilot Job Outlook
In the United States, there were 40,800 jobs for Commercial Pilot in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 3.7% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,500 new jobs for Commercial Pilot by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 4,000 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Commercial Pilot are Tennessee, Utah, and Arizona. Watch out if you plan on working in Minnesota, Massachusetts, or Vermont. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Commercial Pilot Average Salary
The average yearly salary of a Commercial Pilot ranges between $44,660 and $160,480.
Commercial Pilots who work in South Carolina, Connecticut, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Commercial Pilots in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $91,100 |
| Alaska | $91,850 |
| Arizona | $80,000 |
| Arkansas | $78,310 |
| California | $97,720 |
| Colorado | $91,930 |
| Connecticut | $127,950 |
| Delaware | $97,420 |
| Florida | $110,540 |
| Georgia | $130,760 |
| Hawaii | $102,350 |
| Idaho | $76,310 |
| Illinois | $99,990 |
| Indiana | $75,790 |
| Iowa | $92,090 |
| Kansas | $96,370 |
| Kentucky | $106,470 |
| Louisiana | $85,440 |
| Maine | $58,540 |
| Maryland | $110,240 |
| Massachusetts | $97,740 |
| Michigan | $93,640 |
| Minnesota | $106,300 |
| Mississippi | $103,000 |
| Missouri | $93,420 |
| Montana | $82,290 |
| Nebraska | $79,700 |
| Nevada | $102,590 |
| New Hampshire | $66,240 |
| New Jersey | $93,440 |
| New Mexico | $99,400 |
| New York | $127,590 |
| North Carolina | $82,060 |
| North Dakota | $82,880 |
| Ohio | $88,830 |
| Oklahoma | $80,300 |
| Oregon | $70,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $89,030 |
| South Carolina | $106,170 |
| South Dakota | $63,090 |
| Tennessee | $72,300 |
| Texas | $104,680 |
| Utah | $77,550 |
| Vermont | $84,610 |
| Washington | $106,360 |
| West Virginia | $75,890 |
| Wisconsin | $80,520 |
| Wyoming | $77,970 |
What Tools do Commercial Pilots Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Commercial Pilots may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Office
- SBS International Maestro Suite
- RMS Technology Flitesoft
- Electronic aircraft information databases
- MJICCS PilotLog
- Nimblefeet Technologies Captain’s Keeper
- Polaris Microsystems AeroLog Pro
- Polaris Microsystems CharterLog
- AirSmith FlightPrompt
- Skylog Services Skylog Pro
- doXstor Flight Level Logbook
- AeroPlanner
- Notam Development Group Airport Insight
- Standard generalized markup language SGML
- Navzilla
- Pilot Navigator Software Load Balance
- Flight simulation software
Becoming a Commercial Pilot
What education or degrees do I need to become a Commercial Pilot?
How many years of work experience do I need?
Who Employs Commercial Pilots?
The table below shows the approximate number of Commercial Pilots employed by various industries.
You May Also Be Interested In…
Those interested in being a Commercial Pilot may also be interested in:
References:
Image Credit: Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol via U.S. Air Force photo
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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