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Commercial Pilots

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots. Excludes regional, national, and international airline pilots.

Related: Air Traffic Controllers Airfield Operations Specialists Airline Pilots, Copilots, & Flight Engineers Aviation Inspectors Locomotive Engineers

Industries: Transportation & Storage

Summary
Details

Supervise other crew members.
Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
Write specified information in flight records, such as flight times, altitudes flown, and fuel consumption.
Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.
Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.
Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights.
Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
File instrument flight plans with air traffic control so that flights can be coordinated with other air traffic.
Perform minor aircraft maintenance and repair work, or arrange for major maintenance.
Request changes in altitudes or routes as circumstances dictate.
Check baggage or cargo to ensure that it has been loaded correctly.
Plan and formulate flight activities and test schedules and prepare flight evaluation reports.
Instruct other pilots and student pilots in aircraft operations.
Conduct in-flight tests and evaluations at specified altitudes and in all types of weather to determine the receptivity and other characteristics of equipment and systems.
Rescue and evacuate injured persons.
Plan and formulate flight activities and test schedules and prepare flight evaluation reports.
Obtain and review data such as load weights, fuel supplies, weather conditions, and flight schedules to determine flight plans and identify needed changes.
Coordinate flight activities with ground crews and air traffic control, and inform crew members of flight and test procedures.
Fly with other pilots or pilot-license applicants to evaluate their proficiency.
Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.
Perform minor aircraft maintenance and repair work, or arrange for major maintenance.
Teach company regulations and procedures to other pilots.

Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.

Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Education

Postsecondary certificate

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

123530/yr

Currently Employed

1,810

Yearly Projected Openings

250

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Stress Tolerance
Integrity
Self Control
Adaptability/Flexibility

Adjustable widemouth pliers
Aerospace cockpit display panels
Aerospace head up display HUDs
Aircraft anti skid controls
Aircraft braking systems
Aircraft communication systems
Aircraft cooling fans
Aircraft deicing equipment
Aircraft environment controllers
Aircraft environment regulators
Aircraft escape or ejection systems
Aircraft fire control or extinguishing systems
Aircraft flight simulators or trainers
Aircraft fuel management systems
Aircraft guidance systems
Aircraft hydraulic systems
Aircraft navigation beacons
Aircraft onboard defrosting or defogging systems
Aircraft oxygen equipment
Aircraft power supply units
Aircraft steering controls
Aircraft warning systems
Airships
Anemometers
Area lighting
Battery chargers
Desktop computers
Fire extinguishers
Flight computer systems
Frequency analyzers
Gas generators
Hard hats
Landing gear assemblies
Locking pliers
Multimeters
Notebook computers
Personal computers
Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
Plotter printers
Pocket calculator
Reflective apparel or accessories
Specialty wrenches
Tablet computers
Traffic cones or delineators

Analytical or scientific software
Aviation ground support software
Calendar and scheduling software
Charting software
Data base user interface and query software
Development environment software
Flight control software
Graphics or photo imaging software
Information retrieval or search software
Map creation software
Office suite software
Project management software
Route navigation software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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Statewide occupation search

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Commercial Pilots

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