Plane captain vs chief pilot

The differences between plane captains and chief 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 plane captain and a chief pilot. Additionally, a chief pilot has an average salary of $86,920, 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 a chief pilot are flight operations, pilot-in-command, and PIC.

Plane captain vs chief pilot overview

	Plane Captain	Chief Pilot
Yearly salary	$51,391	$86,920
Hourly rate	$24.71	$41.79
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	2,555	16,638
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Plane captain vs chief pilot salary

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

	Plane Captain	Chief Pilot
Average salary	$51,391	$86,920
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $78,000	Between $59,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	NetJets
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between plane captain and chief pilot education

There are a few differences between a plane captain and a chief pilot in terms of educational background:

	Plane Captain	Chief Pilot
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Aviation	Aviation
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	SUNY Farmingdale

Plane captain vs chief pilot demographics

Here are the differences between plane captains' and chief pilots' demographics:

	Plane Captain	Chief Pilot
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
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, 81.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between plane captain and chief pilot 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

Chief pilot example responsibilities.

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Maintain and operate aircraft to FAA standards for airworthiness and maintenance.
Take ownership of the entire storage infrastructure, from Compellent SAN to third-party technology products.
Perform the duties of, flight planning, aircraft utilization and pilot/co-pilot duties in the Caribbean.
File IFR flight plans with FSS, calculate weight/balance and fuel requirements prior to each flight segment.
Develop and implement operational and administrative policies to align company policies and procedures with government (FAA) regulatory guidelines.

Plane captain vs chief pilot skills

Common plane captain skills

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

Common chief pilot skills

Flight Operations, 15%
Pilot-In-Command, 9%
PIC, 8%
Operations Specifications, 6%
Training Programs, 5%
ATP, 4%