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Boat captain vs airline pilot

The differences between boat captains and airline pilots can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a boat captain, becoming an airline pilot takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an airline pilot has an average salary of $85,534, which is higher than the $43,632 average annual salary of a boat captain.

The top three skills for a boat captain include vessel maintenance, boats and CPR. The most important skills for an airline pilot are aircraft systems, FAA, and PIC.

Boat captain vs airline pilot overview

Boat CaptainAirline Pilot
Yearly salary$43,632$85,534
Hourly rate$20.98$41.12
Growth rate1%6%
Number of jobs2,8602,851
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4244
Years of experience64

Boat captain vs airline pilot salary

Boat captains and airline pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.

Boat CaptainAirline Pilot
Average salary$43,632$85,534
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $66,000Between $66,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City-Saint George, UT
Highest paying state-Oregon
Best paying company-Spirit Airlines
Best paying industry-Transportation

Differences between boat captain and airline pilot education

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

Boat CaptainAirline Pilot
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorBusinessAviation
Most common collegeStanford UniversitySUNY Farmingdale

Boat captain vs airline pilot demographics

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

Boat CaptainAirline Pilot
Average age4244
Gender ratioMale, 92.0% Female, 8.0%Male, 92.4% Female, 7.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 3.2% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black 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%
LGBT Percentage11%9%

Differences between boat captain and airline pilot duties and responsibilities

Boat captain example responsibilities.

  • Lead a platoon that earn numerous awards for jamming opposition force artillery nets and conducting counterattacks on opposition electronic warfare platoons.
  • Train to use an a defibrillator, and conducting CPR.
  • Train law enforcement personnel of several islands of the Caribbean on law enforcement and boarding procedure.
  • Deliver yacht from Europe to Caribbean.
  • Work with NOAA in collecting subsurface oils samples.
  • Experience in weather observation, first aid, CPR, and fire fighting.
  • Show more

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.

Boat captain vs airline pilot skills

Common boat captain skills
  • Vessel Maintenance, 28%
  • Boats, 14%
  • CPR, 13%
  • USCG, 11%
  • Safety Drills, 5%
  • Safety Training, 3%
Common airline pilot skills
  • Aircraft Systems, 35%
  • FAA, 13%
  • PIC, 12%
  • Flight Operations, 10%
  • Federal Aviation, 8%
  • Pilot-In-Command, 6%

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