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The differences between air tour pilots and pilot captains can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an air tour pilot and a pilot captain. Additionally, an air tour pilot has an average salary of $101,440, which is higher than the $68,096 average annual salary of a pilot captain.
The top three skills for an air tour pilot include PIC, customer service and UAV. The most important skills for a pilot captain are PIC, FAA, and IFR.
| Air Tour Pilot | Pilot Captain | |
| Yearly salary | $101,440 | $68,096 |
| Hourly rate | $48.77 | $32.74 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 3,885 | 5,093 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Air Tour Pilots fly and navigate helicopters, planes, or any other aircraft providing rides to tourists. The pilot's transport passengers between local destinations, answer queries regarding the areas they pass by, or explain sightseeing opportunities. They usually work for certain companies to transport cargo on their fixed schedules. They conduct safety audits for operations specifications to ensure that the aircraft operates within the safety margins. Also, they take part in station leadership teams representing flight operations.
A pilot captain is an experienced pilot who is primarily responsible for the flight, passengers, and crew. As the pilot with the highest authority in an aircraft, they are in charge of ensuring that all necessary procedures and safety checks are carried out before, during, and after flights. It is also their duty to conduct weather and flight plan checks, coordinate with air-traffic controllers and airport personnel while working together with co-pilots, and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently.
Air tour pilots and pilot captains have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Air Tour Pilot | Pilot Captain | |
| Average salary | $101,440 | $68,096 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $131,000 | Between $57,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Wiggins Airways |
| Best paying industry | - | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an air tour pilot and a pilot captain in terms of educational background:
| Air Tour Pilot | Pilot Captain | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Aviation | Aviation |
| Most common college | SUNY Farmingdale | SUNY Farmingdale |
Here are the differences between air tour pilots' and pilot captains' demographics:
| Air Tour Pilot | Pilot Captain | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.1% Female, 2.9% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% Asian, 2.7% White, 82.1% 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, 81.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |