Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-2011 · O*NET 53-2011.00
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Requires Federal Air Transport certificate and rating for specific aircraft type used. Includes regional, national, and international airline pilots and flight instructors of airline pilots.
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers fall under the Transportation and Material Moving category in the U.S. occupational classification. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers earn a median salary of $226,600 per year, ranking in the top 0% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +3.9% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers right now
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers fly passengers and cargo on scheduled routes for major and regional carriers. According to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers was $226,600 in May 2024, with employment of airline and commercial pilots projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034 and about 18,200 annual openings across the broader pilot category. Becoming an airline pilot requires a bachelor's degree (often but not always in aviation), an FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificate, an instrument rating, a multiengine rating, a first-class FAA medical certificate, and 1,500 logged flight hours under the FAA's ATP rule (with reductions available for accredited collegiate paths or military training). The hiring picture remains strong as a wave of mandatory retirements continues. FAA rules require pilots to retire at age 65, and industry trackers report roughly 3,000 mandatory retirements at legacy carriers in 2026 alone, with airlines including American, United, and Delta announcing 2026 hiring targets ranging from 600 to nearly 2,500 pilots each. The result is faster career progression and signing bonuses at regional carriers that flow up to majors. For a teen drawn to aviation, parents can encourage early discovery flights, math and physics fundamentals, and exploration of part 141 college flight programs or military pathways. The job has irregular schedules and significant time away from home, but pay scales reach the top quartile of U.S. occupations within roughly a decade of starting at a regional airline.
What do airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers earn?
The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers is $226,600. That puts airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers at #3 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers sit firmly in the top tier of U.S. earnings. Pay this high almost always requires extensive postgraduate education, board certification, or executive-level responsibility. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $98,560 |
| 25th percentile | $154,360 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $226,600 |
| 75th percentile | — |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | — |
Is airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers is +3.9%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 100K positions in 2024 to 103K in 2034, a net change of 3K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.
What do airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.
- 2.Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.
- 3.Confer with flight dispatchers and weather forecasters to keep abreast of flight conditions.
- 4.Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights.
- 5.Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.
- 6.Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
- 7.Brief crews about flight details, such as destinations, duties, and responsibilities.
- 8.Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.
Top skills for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineer?
Many airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
What is the median salary for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers?
The median annual salary for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers is $226,600 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers a growing career?
BLS projects +3.9% growth for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.
What education does my child need to become airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineer?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers?
Related occupations within the Transportation and Material Moving category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.