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Airline pilot vs pilot

The differences between airline pilots 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 airline pilot and a pilot. Additionally, an airline pilot has an average salary of $85,534, which is higher than the $83,128 average annual salary of a pilot.

The top three skills for an airline pilot include aircraft systems, FAA and PIC. The most important skills for a pilot are PIC, pilot-in-command, and flight operations.

Airline pilot vs pilot overview

Airline PilotPilot
Yearly salary$85,534$83,128
Hourly rate$41.12$39.97
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs2,8513,049
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Airline pilot vs pilot salary

Airline pilots and pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.

Airline PilotPilot
Average salary$85,534$83,128
Salary rangeBetween $66,000 And $110,000Between $58,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CitySaint George, UTSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateOregonCalifornia
Best paying companySpirit AirlinesHP
Best paying industryTransportationTransportation

Differences between airline pilot and pilot education

There are a few differences between an airline pilot and a pilot in terms of educational background:

Airline PilotPilot
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorAviationAviation
Most common collegeSUNY FarmingdaleSUNY Farmingdale

Airline pilot vs pilot demographics

Here are the differences between airline pilots' and pilots' demographics:

Airline PilotPilot
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 92.4% Female, 7.6%Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 82.0% 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 Percentage9%9%

Differences between airline pilot and pilot duties and responsibilities

Airline pilot example 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.
  • Conduct pilot proficiency and standardization evaluations in both A320 aircraft and simulator.

Pilot example responsibilities.

  • Pilot company Lear 35 and manage the department.
  • Manage the UAV payload on the ground and in the air to meet customer expectations.
  • Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
  • Supervise aircraft maintenance activity on P-3C patrol and UH-1N helicopter aircraft.
  • Transport people and parts to offshore facilities in VFR and IFR conditions
  • Serve as remote pic and visual observer on a team on various projects involving UAV applications.
  • Show more

Airline pilot vs pilot skills

Common airline pilot skills
  • Aircraft Systems, 35%
  • FAA, 13%
  • PIC, 12%
  • Flight Operations, 10%
  • Federal Aviation, 8%
  • Pilot-In-Command, 6%
Common pilot skills
  • PIC, 16%
  • Pilot-In-Command, 13%
  • Flight Operations, 8%
  • ATP, 7%
  • Helicopter, 5%
  • Federal Aviation, 5%

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