Aviator vs check airman

The differences between aviators and check airmen 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 a check airman. Additionally, an aviator has an average salary of $97,217, which is higher than the $82,530 average annual salary of a check airman.

The top three skills for an aviator include aircraft systems, flight safety and flight training. The most important skills for a check airman are flight training, PIC, and line checks.

Aviator vs check airman overview

	Aviator	Check Airman
Yearly salary	$97,217	$82,530
Hourly rate	$46.74	$39.68
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,482	1,042
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 86%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Aviator vs check airman salary

Aviators and check airmen have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Aviator	Check Airman
Average salary	$97,217	$82,530
Salary range	Between $76,000 And $122,000	Between $64,000 And $105,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between aviator and check airman education

There are a few differences between an aviator and a check airman in terms of educational background:

	Aviator	Check Airman
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 86%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Aerospace Engineering	Aviation
Most common college	Stanford University	SUNY Farmingdale

Aviator vs check airman demographics

Here are the differences between aviators' and check airmen' demographics:

	Aviator	Check Airman
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%	Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5%
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, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 81.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between aviator and check airman duties and responsibilities

Aviator example responsibilities.

Lead first successful DoD disaster recovery program utilizing a commercial backup.
Assist in select flying operations during a USAF training team visit.
Land aircraft with critical malfunctions, preserving millions of dollars in ISR assets.
Project manager; organize & execute complex research projects for DoD & interagency customers.
Progress to PIC, follow by appointment as company check airman for the Westwind.
Experience with multiple specialty payload platforms expanding on the versatile nature of the UAS platform.

Check airman example responsibilities.

Project manage the initial fielding of the RQ-11 tactical UAV system.
Train and educate selected personnel in the emergency reclamation of down aircraft and successfully conduct one combat reclamation of a helicopter.
Oversee flight crewmembers, including co-pilot and flight engineer.

Aviator vs check airman skills

Common aviator skills

Aircraft Systems, 36%
Flight Safety, 32%
Flight Training, 30%
Fixed Wing Aircraft, 0%
Emergency Procedures, 0%
Helicopter Training, 0%

Common check airman skills

Flight Training, 46%
PIC, 12%
Line Checks, 11%
Recurrent Training, 11%
Aircraft Systems, 9%
Airmen, 6%