Pilot plant operator vs wet plant operator

The differences between pilot plant operators and wet plant operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a pilot plant operator and a wet plant operator. Additionally, a wet plant operator has an average salary of $45,759, which is higher than the $42,462 average annual salary of a pilot plant operator.

The top three skills for a pilot plant operator include powerpoint, NAS and federal aviation administration. The most important skills for a wet plant operator are control room, loaders, and wet plant.

Pilot plant operator vs wet plant operator overview

	Pilot Plant Operator	Wet Plant Operator
Yearly salary	$42,462	$45,759
Hourly rate	$20.41	$22.00
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	37,804	34,985
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Diploma, 42%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Pilot plant operator vs wet plant operator salary

Pilot plant operators and wet plant operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pilot Plant Operator	Wet Plant Operator
Average salary	$42,462	$45,759
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $65,000	Between $33,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between pilot plant operator and wet plant operator education

There are a few differences between a pilot plant operator and a wet plant operator in terms of educational background:

	Pilot Plant Operator	Wet Plant Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Chemical Engineering	General Studies
Most common college	University of Cincinnati	Carnegie Mellon University

Pilot plant operator vs wet plant operator demographics

Here are the differences between pilot plant operators' and wet plant operators' demographics:

	Pilot Plant Operator	Wet Plant Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 79.0% Female, 21.0%	Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.1% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between pilot plant operator and wet plant operator duties and responsibilities

Pilot plant operator example responsibilities.

Develop and manage a comprehensive vendor qualification program to support the GMP manufacture of vaccine products.
Set up and maintain distillation columns.
Utilize GC's for routine process analysis.
perform corrective and preventative maintenance of DCS.
Perform LOTO procedures and issue hot work and confine entry permits.
Operate and maintain the batch plant including drycast and wetcast mixers.

Wet plant operator example responsibilities.

Manage environmental team planning and maintenance response services.
Prepare asphalt mixtures per customer requirements, load and unload tankers and monitor tanks and assist with paperwork
Operate tools, including hoists, saws and drills.

Pilot plant operator vs wet plant operator skills

Common pilot plant operator skills

PowerPoint, 19%
NAS, 13%
Federal Aviation Administration, 13%
Voice Commands, 11%
Air Traffic Control, 10%
GMP, 5%

Common wet plant operator skills

Control Room, 29%
Loaders, 25%
Wet Plant, 23%
MSHA, 23%

Pilot Plant Operator vs. similar jobs

Pilot Plant Operator related careers

Pilot Plant Operator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Production and Manufacturing Industry
Pilot Plant Operator
Pilot Plant Operator vs Wet Plant Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse production and manufacturing jobs