Career
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
Fly passengers and cargo for airlines.
$232,140
Median pay
+8.3%
Job growth, 2025–35
11,200
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.
- Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
- Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.
- Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.
- Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $232,140 a year and 11,200 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- AviationSee the degree →
- Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight CrewCIP 49.0102
- Flight InstructorCIP 49.0108
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Commercial Pilots$123,220 · +5.2%
- Air Traffic Controllers$148,080 · +1.7%
- Airfield Operations Specialists$56,850 · +7.8%
- Aircraft Service Attendants$40,450 · +5.6%
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels$92,460 · +4.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.