Guidance.help

Commercial Pilots

The occupation Commercial Pilots covers people who pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. The job can ask you to check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly. On the six-type interest model it reads CRE, meaning orderly work with data, records and clear procedures comes first, followed by hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world. Plan on one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree; O*NET labels this medium preparation. Strength in operation and control, operations monitoring, and monitoring helps most here. If you want orderly work with data, records and clear procedures, keep it on your list. If you need creative work with room for original expression, it may feel thin.

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.

Main tasks

  • Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
  • Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.
  • Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
  • Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.
  • Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
  • Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.

Skills

  • Operation and Control
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Monitoring
  • Critical Thinking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Active Listening

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
  • You are comfortable relying on operation and control and operations monitoring.

May not suit you if

  • You get restless with routine, records and exact procedures.
  • You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.1 out of 7 here.
  • You need to start within a few months, with no training period.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code CRE takes the three highest, and Conventional comes first here.

Preparation

Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Captain
  • Charter Pilot
  • Check Airman
  • Commercial Helicopter Pilot
  • Commercial Pilot

Related careers

Is this your direction?

See how your interests line up with CRE and 906 other careers.

Take the career test

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.