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The differences between chief pilots 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 a chief pilot and an air tour pilot. Additionally, an air tour pilot has an average salary of $101,440, which is higher than the $86,920 average annual salary of a chief pilot.
The top three skills for a chief pilot include flight operations, pilot-in-command and PIC. The most important skills for an air tour pilot are PIC, customer service, and UAV.
| Chief Pilot | Air Tour Pilot | |
| Yearly salary | $86,920 | $101,440 |
| Hourly rate | $41.79 | $48.77 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,638 | 3,885 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Chief Pilot assigns and oversees the duties of flight and ground personnel. They ensure compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, including federal aviation regulations.
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.
Chief pilots and air tour pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Pilot | Air Tour Pilot | |
| Average salary | $86,920 | $101,440 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $126,000 | Between $78,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | NetJets | - |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a chief pilot and an air tour pilot in terms of educational background:
| Chief Pilot | Air Tour Pilot | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Aviation | Aviation |
| Most common college | SUNY Farmingdale | SUNY Farmingdale |
Here are the differences between chief pilots' and air tour pilots' demographics:
| Chief Pilot | Air Tour Pilot | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% | 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, 81.9% 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% |