Plane captain vs aviator

The differences between plane captains and aviators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plane captain and an aviator. Additionally, an aviator has an average salary of $97,217, which is higher than the $51,391 average annual salary of a plane captain.

The top three skills for a plane captain include hand tools, cleanliness and maintenance manuals. The most important skills for an aviator are aircraft systems, flight safety, and flight training.

Plane captain vs aviator overview

	Plane Captain	Aviator
Yearly salary	$51,391	$97,217
Hourly rate	$24.71	$46.74
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	2,555	3,482
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Plane captain vs aviator salary

Plane captains and aviators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plane Captain	Aviator
Average salary	$51,391	$97,217
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $78,000	Between $76,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between plane captain and aviator education

There are a few differences between a plane captain and an aviator in terms of educational background:

	Plane Captain	Aviator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Most common major	Aviation	Aerospace Engineering
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	Stanford University

Plane captain vs aviator demographics

Here are the differences between plane captains' and aviators' demographics:

	Plane Captain	Aviator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4%	Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%
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, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 2.7% White, 81.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between plane captain and aviator duties and responsibilities

Plane captain example responsibilities.

Train, direct, and manage firefighting crews, fire-rescue teams, and damage-control parties.
Lead a platoon that earn numerous awards for jamming opposition force artillery nets and conducting counterattacks on opposition electronic warfare platoons.
Experience operation of FMS, HGS, EFIS & GPS.
Clean exterior or interior of aircraft, using portable platform ladders, brushes, rags, water hose, and vacuum.
Experience in HAZMAT handling and storage.
Conduct FOD inspections of assign aircraft and surrounding areas

Aviator example responsibilities.

Lead first successful DoD disaster recovery program utilizing a commercial backup.
Assist in select flying operations during a USAF training team visit.
Land aircraft with critical malfunctions, preserving millions of dollars in ISR assets.
Project manager; organize & execute complex research projects for DoD & interagency customers.
Progress to PIC, follow by appointment as company check airman for the Westwind.
Experience with multiple specialty payload platforms expanding on the versatile nature of the UAS platform.

Plane captain vs aviator skills

Common plane captain skills

Hand Tools, 19%
Cleanliness, 11%
Maintenance Manuals, 7%
FOD, 7%
Hydraulic Systems, 7%
Engine Oil, 6%

Common aviator skills

Aircraft Systems, 36%
Flight Safety, 32%
Flight Training, 30%
Fixed Wing Aircraft, 0%
Emergency Procedures, 0%
Helicopter Training, 0%