Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between aviators and air tour 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 aviator and an air tour pilot. Additionally, an air tour pilot has an average salary of $101,440, which is higher than the $97,217 average annual salary of an aviator.
The top three skills for an aviator include aircraft systems, flight safety and flight training. The most important skills for an air tour pilot are PIC, customer service, and UAV.
| Aviator | Air Tour Pilot | |
| Yearly salary | $97,217 | $101,440 |
| Hourly rate | $46.74 | $48.77 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 3,482 | 3,885 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An aviator, also known as a pilot, operates aircraft for commercial or private use. Although their duties vary upon their company or industry of employment, it usually entails performing regular inspections before and after every flight, coordinating with staff, maintaining an active communication line with air traffic controller, determining routes and schedules, analyzing flight plans, and monitoring the weather conditions. Moreover, as an aviator, it is essential to be proactive and professional in dealing with issues and concerns.
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.
Aviators and air tour pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Aviator | Air Tour Pilot | |
| Average salary | $97,217 | $101,440 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $122,000 | Between $78,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an aviator and an air tour pilot in terms of educational background:
| Aviator | Air Tour Pilot | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Aerospace Engineering | Aviation |
| Most common college | Stanford University | SUNY Farmingdale |
Here are the differences between aviators' and air tour pilots' demographics:
| Aviator | Air Tour Pilot | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% | Male, 97.1% Female, 2.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 2.7% White, 81.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |