First Officer vs. Captain

A first officer is the right-hand man or woman of the captain and their main role is to assist with flying the aircraft, looking after its systems, and talking with air traffic control, while the captain is responsible for overseeing all of the operations of the crew, loading of the aircraft, and operation of the aircraft.

How To Become A First Officer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a first officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

First officers, also referred to as co-pilots, are the second in command of the aircraft after the captain. They assist the captain in flight preparation and in overseeing the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft. They are also the people on hand to fly the plane in the event of incapacitation of the captain. Generally, a first officer is an extremely essential member of the cabin crew in any aircraft.

Successful first officers should have strong relevant technical skills. Other essential skills include good communication skills, attention to detail, good report writing skills, and good visual acuity. They should also have a good working relationship with the captain and other members of the flight crew as well as the ground crew.

First officers don't generally have a regular work schedule. Their work depends on the flight schedules, and they may work in shifts.

ScoreFirst OfficerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $82,510

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.15%

Asian 3.52%

Black or African American 11.30%

Hispanic or Latino 17.39%

Unknown 5.13%

White 61.52%

Gender

female 12.10%

male 87.90%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a first officer

Explore first officer education requirements

Most common first officer degrees

Bachelor's

71.0 %

Associate

13.8 %

Master's

7.7 %

Start to develop specific first officer skills

Skills	Percentages
FAA	31.70%
CFR	26.60%
ATP	24.31%
PIC	5.11%
Pilot-In-Command	4.13%

Complete relevant first officer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New first officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a first officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real first officer resumes.

Research first officer duties and responsibilities

Execute and monitor strategic merchandising plans to achieve revenue objectives and reduce expenditures while ensuring payroll remains within budget.
Experience with EFIS, FMS and RNAV.
Base on the Embraer [] fleet
Operate a Lear 35 and 60

Get first officer experience

Prepare your first officer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your first officer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a first officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable first officer resume templates

Build a professional first officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your first officer resume.