Chief pilot vs private pilot

The differences between chief pilots and private 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 a private pilot. Additionally, a private pilot has an average salary of $100,673, 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 a private pilot are FAA, pilot license, and single engine.

Chief pilot vs private pilot overview

	Chief Pilot	Private Pilot
Yearly salary	$86,920	$100,673
Hourly rate	$41.79	$48.40
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	16,638	5,013
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Chief pilot vs private pilot salary

Chief pilots and private pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Pilot	Private Pilot
Average salary	$86,920	$100,673
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $126,000	Between $74,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	NetJets	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between chief pilot and private pilot education

There are a few differences between a chief pilot and a private pilot in terms of educational background:

	Chief Pilot	Private Pilot
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Aviation	Aviation
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	Stanford University

Chief pilot vs private pilot demographics

Here are the differences between chief pilots' and private pilots' demographics:

	Chief Pilot	Private Pilot
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%	Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
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, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 81.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between chief pilot and private pilot duties and responsibilities

Chief pilot example responsibilities.

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Maintain and operate aircraft to FAA standards for airworthiness and maintenance.
Take ownership of the entire storage infrastructure, from Compellent SAN to third-party technology products.
Perform the duties of, flight planning, aircraft utilization and pilot/co-pilot duties in the Caribbean.
File IFR flight plans with FSS, calculate weight/balance and fuel requirements prior to each flight segment.
Develop and implement operational and administrative policies to align company policies and procedures with government (FAA) regulatory guidelines.

Private pilot example responsibilities.

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Complete FAA certify private private pilot training.
Assist with all aspects of administration, logistics and equipment inventory, ensuring successful financial execution.
Ferry and sightseeing flights done at request of management in accordance with 14 CFR part 91.

Chief pilot vs private pilot skills

Common chief pilot skills

Flight Operations, 15%
Pilot-In-Command, 9%
PIC, 8%
Operations Specifications, 6%
Training Programs, 5%
ATP, 4%

Common private pilot skills

FAA, 59%
Pilot License, 31%
Single Engine, 10%

Chief Pilot vs. similar jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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