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+--- Thread: How would you describe a pilots salary? (/thread-60575.html)
Pages: 1 2
- buzz1299 - 02-13-2013 02:56 AM
Like everyone is saying, it depends on a lot of things. As an aerial applicator, my pay is decent and I am home every night. Plus I don't have to put up with whiny passengers. I have never flown for an airline, and I never want to. What I do is just simply too enjoyable. Nothing beats flying an airplane 6 feet off the deck while dodging the occasional deer.
- Salary Helper - 02-13-2013 02:56 AM
As others have said, many factors will influence a Pilot's salary. Here's a link showing the median salary of a Commercial Airline Pilot in different cities: http://www.payscale.com/?src=yahooA
Hope that helps,
Assistant to Dr. Salary
- kay-g - 02-13-2013 02:56 AM
high. quite high even after tax
- Coffeebuzz - 02-13-2013 02:56 AM
There are a lot of variables to that question. A lot of people who gave you an answer at the high end were referring to the top pay one could expect before retirement. There are a lot of lower paying pilot jobs that people take as a means to get to other higher paying jobs. Many times, there is a tradeoff between pay and lifestyle as well.
Here is a "typical" career progression:
Note: This outline is for the civilian progression. The steps will be quite different for people who learn to fly through the military.
Prerequisites: A college degree is not required, but it is highly recommended and certainly helps with getting any kind of competitive job.
Training, training and more training. Before you can make money as a pilot, you need to have the proper licenses (called "certificates" and "ratings" in the industry). The normal progression is:
(a) Private Pilot certificate (min. 40 hours of flight time)
(b) Instrument Rating (allows to to fly in clouds and reduced visibility conditions
© Commercial Pilot certificate (min. 250 hours of cumulative flight time) - allows you to get paid to fly
(d) Multiengine Rating - a fairly quick add-on to learn procedures for flying an airplane with more than one engine
At this point training costs have probably totaled between $20,000 and $60,000 depending on the hours it took, the type of aircraft used, the experience of the instructor, etc. With the certificates and ratings outlined above, you can start making money to fly. What kind of job it is at this point depends on the market. Generally speaking, don't expect to climb into a jet as soon as you have these certificates and ratings. MOST jobs at this point will have a starting pay of less than $20,000 a year. These jobs include flight instructing (with additional certificate), traffic watch flights, pipeline inspection, skydive flights, and banner towing.
As experience builds, so do options. Here is a sampling of different jobs and their starting pay:
Regional airline F/O (First Officer or copilot): Around $20,000
Charter F/O: under $20,000 to around $40,000
Regional airline pay starts low, but progresses relatively quickly based on years with the company. When you have the experience, other jobs become available:
Regional airline captain: Starting $40k-60k depending on plane. Top pay currently around $100-120k with 10 years experience at the same airline
Major airline pilot: Starting F/O pay $30k-40k. Captain with 10 years experience at the same airline: $95k-140k (some airlines and cargo carriers are up to $200k).
Corporate: F/O starts $35-60k. Average $45k-70k with experience. Captain pay averages $50k-100k depending on airplane size.
Fractional and Charter: Similar pay structure as corporate, but about 20% lower.
In general, if nothing changes (nearly impossible), somebody starting training today can expect to be making $20,000 in 2-5 years, $50,000 in 10 years, $70,000-100,000 in 15 years, and $100,000-150,000 in 20-25 years to retirement. These are all in today's dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
- Robert L - 02-13-2013 02:56 AM
Mucho dinero!
.
- tomorjerry - 02-13-2013 02:56 AM
Salaries vary depending on many factors. To find more accurate salary data you can try salary.com or payscale.com. You will find that jobs like these are negotiable when it comes to salary.More information, tips and help at http://moreaboutsalary.blogspot.com/
- john k - 02-13-2013 02:56 AM
Low to high.
A friend of mine started at Continental Express and made less than the poverty level for the first two years he flew as the co-pilot. This was after years of flying even worse jobs for even less pay. Since then he has worked his way up to the 737 and finally the 757 as a co-pilot. He is making good money now but it took him years of hard work at meager wages and silly hours to get where he is now.