How To Become An Air Tour Pilot: What It Is and Career Path

What is an air tour pilot and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

An air tour pilot is someone who flies a plane or helicopter for tourism tours that give visitors an aerial view of the place that they are visiting or drop them off to a remote location. They are the pilot in command on a predetermined route designed to give tourists the best views.

Air tour pilots need to be skilled in operating an aircraft, navigating, and making emergency repairs, just like any other pilot. However, because they work directly with people they also need to have excellent customer service skills. Sometimes, they're expected to explain the sights that they are passing to the tourists on board, acting like a tour guide in addition to their role as pilot.

Just like any other commercial pilot, an air tour pilot needs a commercial pilot's license. Getting a commercial pilot license involves 250 hours of flying practice and a written exam. Some air tour pilots get bachelor's degrees as well, although it isn't necessary in the field. The field of air tourism may be hard to get into, but it is a lucrative one. Air tour pilots earn an average annual salary of $103,114.

ScoreAir Tour PilotUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $101,440

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.26%

Asian 2.73%

Black or African American 2.63%

Hispanic or Latino 6.81%

Unknown 5.49%

White 82.07%

Gender

female 2.86%

male 97.14%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an air tour pilot

Explore air tour pilot education requirements

Most common air tour pilot degrees

Bachelor's

55.3 %

Associate

19.1 %

Certificate

14.9 %

Start to develop specific air tour pilot skills

Skills	Percentages
PIC	94.01%
Customer Service	4.33%
UAV	1.66%

Complete relevant air tour pilot training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New air tour pilots learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an air tour pilot based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real air tour pilot resumes.

Research air tour pilot duties and responsibilities

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Assist with all aspects of administration, logistics and equipment inventory, ensuring successful financial execution.
Perform air refueling, airlift, navigation, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Prepare your air tour pilot resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your air tour pilot resume.

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Choose from 10+ customizable air tour pilot resume templates

Build a professional air tour pilot resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your air tour pilot resume.