CAREERS IN THE SKY
Aviation needs all kinds of talent, not just pilots. Explore six careers, the subjects to study, what pros do every day, and the training path to get there.
Airline Pilot
Pilots command aircraft, transporting passengers and cargo safely around the world. They plan flights, monitor instruments, and make real-time decisions in the sky.
- 1Earn a private pilot license
- 2Build flight hours & ratings
- 3Get an Airline Transport Pilot certificate
- 4Join an airline as a first officer
The FAA does not require a college degree, the legal path is earning FAA certificates: private, instrument, commercial, and finally the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, which normally requires 1,500 hours of flight experience. Some restricted ATP (R-ATP) pathways allow fewer hours, for example 1,000 with an approved aviation bachelor's degree or 1,250 with an approved aviation associate degree, with limits until the full minimums are met. A four-year degree is not the law, but many airlines prefer it as an employer preference.
- Plan each flight, route, fuel, and weather, with the dispatcher
- Run checklists and brief the crew and passengers before takeoff
- Monitor instruments and autopilot, and hand-fly when needed
- Talk with air traffic control from push-back to parking
Salaries vary by experience, employer, and location. A median means half of workers earn more and half earn less, it's not a guarantee of what any one person will earn.
Ground school pays off here, pass these check-rides to prep for this career path.
You don't have to wait until you're grown up. Here's how to explore this career as a middle or high school student.
FOCUS ON IN SCHOOL- Take a free demonstration flight through EAA's Young Eagles program (ages 8-17)
- Join a school STEM or aviation club
- Visit an airshow or airport open house and talk to real pilots
- Take an introductory lesson at a local flight school
- Fly a flight simulator at home and learn what each control does
- Learn to read a sectional chart, then plan a pretend cross-country flight
- Track real airliners on a live flight map and study their routes
- Free FAA learning materials and flight simulators online
- Civil Air Patrol cadet program
- EAA Young Eagles, free flights for young students
- Local flight school intro lessons
People in this career often share these interests and enjoy these kinds of activities.
- Airplanes and how things fly
- Travel, maps, and geography
- Weather and the sky
- Flying simulators or model planes
- Watching takeoffs and landings
- Solving problems calmly, step by step
This isn't a test or a prediction of what you're able to do, interests can grow and change. If any of this sounds fun, that's a great reason to explore more.