How to hire a chief pilot

How to hire a chief pilot, step by step

Here's a step-by-step chief pilot hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a chief pilot job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new chief pilot
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a chief pilot do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The chief pilot hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a chief pilot to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a chief pilot that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of chief pilots and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Chief Pilot	Description	Hourly rate
   Chief Pilot	Airline and commercial pilots fly and navigate airplanes, helicopters, and other aircraft. Airline pilots fly for airlines that transport people and cargo on a fixed schedule... Show more	$28-60
   Aviator	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... Show more	$36-58
   Pilot Instructor	The key role of a Pilot Instructor is to teach students procedures and techniques about how to fly aircraft. They offer instruction for both on the ground and in the sky, prepare lesson plans, and assess and monitor students performance.	$28-63

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Flight Operations
   • Pilot-In-Command
   • PIC
   • Operations Specifications
   • Training Programs
   • ATP
   • SMS
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Operations Manuals
   • UAS
   • DOD
   • CFI
   • Helicopter
   • Aircraft Maintenance

   Check all skills

   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.

   More chief pilot duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the chief pilot job description is a good way to get more applicants. A chief pilot salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a chief pilot in Nebraska may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level chief pilot. Additionally, a chief pilot with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average chief pilot salary

   $86,920yearly

   $41.79 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level chief pilot salary

   $59,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average chief pilot salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$128,075	$62
   2	Florida	$107,651	$52
   3	Nevada	$103,446	$50
   4	Arizona	$86,279	$41
   5	Kentucky	$80,460	$39
   6	North Carolina	$78,356	$38
   7	Texas	$77,819	$37
   8	Idaho	$76,358	$37
   9	Alaska	$74,615	$36
   10	Nebraska	$67,127	$32
   11	Indiana	$65,557	$32
   12	Alabama	$62,261	$30

   Average chief pilot salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NetJets	$89,376	$42.97
   2	Mesa Airlines	$89,268	$42.92	1
   3	Dot Foods	$89,170	$42.87
   4	UPS	$87,724	$42.17	2
   5	Executive Jet Management	$86,593	$41.63	13
   6	ETS, LLC	$84,620	$40.68
   7	Jet Aviation	$83,571	$40.18	4
   8	Archer	$82,560	$39.69	1
   9	General Dynamics	$82,242	$39.54	9
   10	Banesco USA	$82,057	$39.45
   11	Jet Linx	$81,896	$39.37	1
   12	Driscoll's	$81,765	$39.31
   13	Samet	$77,204	$37.12
   14	University of Alaska	$74,757	$35.94	4

4. Writing a chief pilot job description

   A good chief pilot job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a chief pilot job description:

   Chief pilot job description example

   Introduction to Shield AI
   Shield AI's mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Shield AI is a fast growing, venture-backed defense-technology company built around a team of proven executives, distinguished warfighters, and world-class AI engineers. Since 2018, Shield AI's products and people have supported operations around the world with the US Department of Defense and our allies. Most recently, we acquired Heron Systems and Martin UAV as wholly owned subsidiaries of Shield AI. Join our team and shape the future of artificially intelligent systems.
   
   Are you a motivated, energetic, and ambitious elite former military pilot looking to work on the cutting edge of military aviation?
   Are you interested in helping to build the world's best AI pilot?
   Are you looking to work for a company that has purpose and compelling vision?
   
   We are currently seeking a Chief Standardization Pilot to join our team to head our Standardization and Evaluation Team to define best practices for flight operations. You must be highly organized, extremely collaborative and an excellent influencer. You will collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Training, Support, Deployed Operations, and Leadership Teams. You must be team player with an extremely high bar.
   What You'll Do:Serve as head of V-Bat Standardization and Evaluation Board Keep flight SOPs in line with leading practices from across industry and military Collaborate with Training team to establish world class training program to ensure all new V-Bat operators meet the highest levels of proficiency and standardization Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance, Training teams to publish and control V-Bat operating manuals Ensure all flights within NAS are performed IAW applicable FAA rules & regulations Support the Aviation Safety Officer during incident reviews Work with V-Bat Support, Engineering, and Tech Pubs teams to ensure training and documentation reflects the most up to date configuration information and procedures. Maintain the Ground and Flight Operating Procedures for V-Bat internal and external use.
   Required Qualifications:10 or more years of military aviation experience Must be capable of maintaining a US DoD SECRET or higher Security Clearance Must be willing to relocate to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex if not already in the area
   Preferred Qualifications:Part 61 or greater (Instrument or Commercial Rating Preferred) Rotary wing experience Graduate of or instructor from an elite military flight program (e.g., WTI, Fighter Weapons School) Test pilot experience Extensive experience managing flight standardization Extensive experience training new pilots or operators Group II or Group III UAV Deployed operations company E-learning or IMI experience Experience as a DoD UAS Master Trainer Familiar with CJCSI 3255.01
   #LI-JM1
   
   If you're interested in being part of our team, apply now!
   
   Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
   
   To conform to U.S. Government regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right chief pilot for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your chief pilot job on Zippia to find and recruit chief pilot candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit chief pilots, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new chief pilot

   Once you've found the chief pilot candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new chief pilot. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a chief pilot?