Flight superintendent vs airline pilot

The differences between flight superintendents and airline 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 flight superintendent and an airline pilot. Additionally, an airline pilot has an average salary of $85,534, which is higher than the $75,311 average annual salary of a flight superintendent.

The top three skills for a flight superintendent include logistics, flight safety and training programs. The most important skills for an airline pilot are aircraft systems, FAA, and PIC.

Flight superintendent vs airline pilot overview

	Flight Superintendent	Airline Pilot
Yearly salary	$75,311	$85,534
Hourly rate	$36.21	$41.12
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	12,812	2,851
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Flight superintendent vs airline pilot salary

Flight superintendents and airline pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Flight Superintendent	Airline Pilot
Average salary	$75,311	$85,534
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $110,000	Between $66,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	-	Saint George, UT
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Spirit Airlines
Best paying industry	-	Transportation

Differences between flight superintendent and airline pilot education

There are a few differences between a flight superintendent and an airline pilot in terms of educational background:

	Flight Superintendent	Airline Pilot
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Aviation
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	SUNY Farmingdale

Flight superintendent vs airline pilot demographics

Here are the differences between flight superintendents' and airline pilots' demographics:

	Flight Superintendent	Airline Pilot
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%	Male, 92.4% Female, 7.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 2.7% White, 82.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 82.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between flight superintendent and airline pilot duties and responsibilities

Flight superintendent example responsibilities.

Manage 111 F110-129 jet engines value at $477 million in direct support of combat readiness and test missions.
Manage and monitor all flight systems and electrical in-flight avionics of various commercial aircraft equipment types.
Coordinate with defense contractors to test and evaluate new and advance munitions systems for the USAF arsenal.
Serve as the primary focal point to ensure all aircraft and equipment maintenance practices are compliant with USAF policies and instructions.
Conduct intelligence debriefings of U.S. and ally military personnel involve in combat operations.
Act as aircraft systems expert in troubleshooting and compensating for systems errors and malfunctions in all associate avionics and mechanical components.

Airline pilot example responsibilities.

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Assist with all aspects of administration, logistics and equipment inventory, ensuring successful financial execution.
Conduct pilot proficiency and standardization evaluations in both A320 aircraft and simulator.

Flight superintendent vs airline pilot skills

Common flight superintendent skills

Logistics, 16%
Flight Safety, 13%
Training Programs, 8%
Combat, 8%
USAF, 4%
Aircraft Maintenance, 4%

Common airline pilot skills

Aircraft Systems, 35%
FAA, 13%
PIC, 12%
Flight Operations, 10%
Federal Aviation, 8%
Pilot-In-Command, 6%

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Transportation Industry
Flight Superintendent
Flight Superintendent vs Airline Pilot

Updated January 8, 2025

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