Military pilot vs test pilot

The differences between military pilots and test 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 military pilot and a test pilot. Additionally, a military pilot has an average salary of $100,754, which is higher than the $96,060 average annual salary of a test pilot.

The top three skills for a military pilot include helicopter, logistics and safety. The most important skills for a test pilot are FAA, pilot-in-command, and aircraft maintenance.

Military pilot vs test pilot overview

	Military Pilot	Test Pilot
Yearly salary	$100,754	$96,060
Hourly rate	$48.44	$46.18
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,217	20,665
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Military pilot vs test pilot salary

Military pilots and test pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Military Pilot	Test Pilot
Average salary	$100,754	$96,060
Salary range	Between $73,000 And $137,000	Between $67,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	-	Mountain View, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Learjet
Best paying industry	-	Transportation

Differences between military pilot and test pilot education

There are a few differences between a military pilot and a test pilot in terms of educational background:

	Military Pilot	Test Pilot
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Aviation	Aviation
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Military pilot vs test pilot demographics

Here are the differences between military pilots' and test pilots' demographics:

	Military Pilot	Test Pilot
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7%	Male, 91.3% Female, 8.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 82.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 2.8% White, 81.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between military pilot and test pilot duties and responsibilities

Military 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.
Qualify in helicopters, multi-engine transports and various training aircraft.
Coordinate with AATD and USMA to assist with visits to the UK.

Test pilot example responsibilities.

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Perform production/experimental flight tests of aircraft and systems to assure compliance with FAA.
Balance schedule maintenance activities with the mission demand to ensure combat asset availability.
React with expedite mission management and delegate to the aircrews for efficient no-notice helicopter launches.
Develop regulations and procedures for airlift management.

Military pilot vs test pilot skills

Common military pilot skills

Helicopter, 73%
Logistics, 14%
Safety, 14%

Common test pilot skills

FAA, 26%
Pilot-In-Command, 12%
Aircraft Maintenance, 8%
Logistics, 6%
Flight Operations, 6%
Aircraft Systems, 5%