Airline Pilot

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

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Potential job titles in this career

Airbus Captain, Airline Captain, Airline Pilot, Captain, Check Airman, Co-Pilot, Commercial Airline Pilot, First Officer, Line Pilot, Pilot

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.

What will I do?

Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.

Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.

Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.

Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.

Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.

Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.

Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.

Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed.

Steer aircraft along planned routes, using autopilot and flight management computers.

Check passenger and cargo distributions and fuel amounts to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met.

In this career, it is important to know

Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

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.

Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

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.

Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

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.

Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

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.

It's useful to be good at

Response Orientation - The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.

Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.

Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.

Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.

Employment trends

Location	Pay period	2022
Location	Pay period	10%	25%	Median%	75%	90%
United States	Hourly
United States	Yearly	$98,680	$129,520	$211,790
Arizona	Hourly
Arizona	Yearly	$84,930	$137,380	$179,660

2022 Median%
United States	Hourly	$211,790 Yearly
Arizona	Hourly	$179,660 Yearly

Employment (2022)

91,700 employees

Projected growth (2022 - 2032)

Slower than average (2% to 3%)

Projected job openings (2022 - 2032)

10,800

* Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).

What are accelerated programs?

Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

3 year programs

These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.

Accelerated master's

These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

What are concurrent programs?

Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.

What are joint programs?

Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

What constitutes a new program?

ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the “New Programs” option.

What are online programs?

ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.

What is the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)?

The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program in which residents of western states (other than Arizona) may be eligible for reduced nonresident tuition. See more information and eligibility requirements on the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program.