What does a commercial pilot do?
Commercial pilot responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real commercial pilot resumes:
- Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
- Instruct pilots in recurrent flight training and grind school for aircraft systems, FAA regulations, company policies and procedures.
- Grind school, IFR and advance simulator training.
- Monitor and ensure compliance with establish policies, directives, and FAA operation specifications.
- Assist with all aspects of administration, logistics and equipment inventory, ensuring successful financial execution.
- Arm airborne helicopter escort and SAR operations.
- Ferry and sightseeing flights done at request of management in accordance with 14 CFR part 91.
Commercial pilot skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Commercial Pilots are proficient in FAA, Flight Operations, and Pilot-In-Command. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Problem-solving skills, and Quick reaction time.
We break down the percentage of Commercial Pilots that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- FAA, 24%
Performed in the capacity of a Trained and Licensed Pilot under FAA Part 135.
- Flight Operations, 12%
Coordinated between various flight operations departments to ensure flight operated safe and within all applicable regulations.
- Pilot-In-Command, 11%
Earned pilot-in-command status as most junior aviator assigned to unit.
- PIC, 11%
Operate as a Part 135 PIC during air ambulance EMS patient carrying flights.
- Flight Planning, 6%
Completed full range of flight planning, pre-flight, flight, and post-flight procedures.
- Customer Service, 6%
Created excellence through superior internal and external customer service.
Most commercial pilots use their skills in "faa," "flight operations," and "pilot-in-command" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential commercial pilot responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a commercial pilot to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "pilots must speak clearly when conveying information to air traffic controllers and other crew members." Commercial pilots often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "focus on safety, efficiency and daily communication with management, squad members and air traffic control"
Problem-solving skills. Another essential skill to perform commercial pilot duties is problem-solving skills. Commercial pilots responsibilities require that "pilots must be able to identify complex problems and figure out appropriate solutions." Commercial pilots also use problem-solving skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "resolved contract, pricing and billing disputes in a timely fashion. "
Quick reaction time. commercial pilots are also known for quick reaction time, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to commercial pilot responsibilities, because "pilots must respond quickly, and with good judgment, to any impending danger." A commercial pilot resume example shows how quick reaction time is used in the workplace: "flight time: 14,558 hours total 11,158 hours multiengine turbine 14,200 hours pic/ 7 hours sic 25 hours multiengine recip. "
The three companies that hire the most commercial pilots are:
- Rampart Aviation2 commercial pilots jobs
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Compare different commercial pilots
Commercial pilot vs. Air ambulance captain
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, commercial pilot responsibilities require skills like "flight operations," "pilot-in-command," "pic," and "flight planning." Meanwhile a typical air ambulance captain has skills in areas such as "ems," "single pilot," "patient transport," and "lear." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that air ambulance captains earn slightly differ from commercial pilots. In particular, air ambulance captains are 5.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a commercial pilot. Additionally, they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Commercial pilot vs. Plane captain
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that commercial pilot responsibilities requires skills like "faa," "flight operations," "pilot-in-command," and "pic." But a plane captain might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "hand tools," "cleanliness," "maintenance manuals," and "fod."
In general, plane captains achieve lower levels of education than commercial pilots. They're 6.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Commercial pilot vs. Captain/check airman
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, commercial pilots are more likely to have skills like "flight operations," "pilot-in-command," "flight planning," and "customer service." But a captain/check airman is more likely to have skills like "passenger safety," "line checks," "unscheduled," and "training programs."
When it comes to education, captain/check airmen tend to earn similar degree levels compared to commercial pilots. In fact, they're 1.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Commercial pilot vs. Check airman
Types of commercial pilot
Updated January 8, 2025
