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The differences between aeronautical engineers and pilots can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an aeronautical engineer and a pilot. Additionally, a pilot has an average salary of $83,128, which is higher than the $80,442 average annual salary of an aeronautical engineer.
The top three skills for an aeronautical engineer include MATLAB, airframe and CAD. The most important skills for a pilot are PIC, pilot-in-command, and flight operations.
| Aeronautical Engineer | Pilot | |
| Yearly salary | $80,442 | $83,128 |
| Hourly rate | $38.67 | $39.97 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 28,911 | 3,049 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Aeronautical engineers are responsible for designing and testing products for aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and satellites. Their tasks involve creating and examining blueprints, starting the criteria for a design system, scanning proposals, and correlating teams from design to manufacturing. They work full-time and often require extra hours to work on larger projects, keep track of progress, and make sure that the designs match the mandatory requirements. Individuals who preferred for the job are those who can communicate well, can control their time effectively and perform on diverse projects at once, and who love working as a part of a team towards common goals.
A pilot is an individual who works in the aviation industry to operate aircraft and transport passengers and cargos from one location to another. Pilots can fly and navigate different types of aircrafts such as helicopters, large commercial aircraft, or cargo planes. They must perform pre-flight inspections and check flight logs to secure safety for all crews and passengers who are on board. Pilots can also decide to work as flight instructors or establish an aviation school when they have gained enough experience in the aviation industry.
Aeronautical engineers and pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Aeronautical Engineer | Pilot | |
| Average salary | $80,442 | $83,128 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $109,000 | Between $58,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Terrafugia | HP |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an aeronautical engineer and a pilot in terms of educational background:
| Aeronautical Engineer | Pilot | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Aerospace Engineering | Aviation |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | SUNY Farmingdale |
Here are the differences between aeronautical engineers' and pilots' demographics:
| Aeronautical Engineer | Pilot | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.1% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 81.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |