Airline Captains


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Airline Captains

Airline Captains - At a Glance

Airplane and commercial pilots fly airplanes and helicopters.

Quick Facts:  Airplane Pilots
WagesEarn $80,285 - $234,419 per year
EmploymentLarge occupation
10 Year GrowthAverage growth
Annual OpeningsHigh

Preparation 

Preparation

The Preparation section describes the education, training, and experience you need to prepare for work in an occupation. This section covers the types of formal and informal training programs you should take. In addition, this topic covers the amount of experience you need to enter an occupation.

For more information see the Preparation topic.

An airplane pilot typically needs to:

  • have at least a high school diploma or equivalent
  • have good health and vision
  • complete flight training
  • complete requirements for a commercial pilot's certificate
  • have an instrument rating

Working Conditions 

Working Conditions

The Working Conditions section describes an occupation's characteristics. This section covers the conditions and settings that workers in an occupation are exposed to. This list also shows characteristics that a worker needs to do well in the occupation.

For more information see the Working Conditions topic.

In a typical work setting, airplane pilots:

  • Have a high level of responsibility for the health and safety of passengers and crew members.
  • Are regularly exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting and uncomfortable.
  • Must fully complete and be exact in their work to ensure the safety of passengers. Any errors may result in serious or fatal injuries.
  • Usually fly 75 to 100 hours a month. They also spend about 75 hours a month preparing for flights, writing reports, and waiting for planes to arrive.

Wages 

Wages

Multiple SOC version:

The Wage section gives you a sense of how much money workers earn in an occupation. Annual wage data appear for most occupations. The annual amount is based on working full time for 12 months.

Two types of information are given about wages--the median wage and the wage range. The median wage is represented by the line in the bar. The median wage is the amount above which half of all workers are paid and below which half of all workers are paid. This is similar to an average. The wage range from the 25% to the 75% is represented by the bar. The 25% means that one-quarter of workers in the occupation earn less than that amount. Similarly, one-quarter of workers in the occupation earn more than the 75%. Move your cursor over the bar to see the wage values.

For more information see the Wages topic.

In Illinois, airplane pilots earn a median wage of $80,285 - $234,419 per year.

$0 $50 $100 $150 $200
Illinois

$ amounts are in thousands of dollars.

Employment and Outlook 

Employment and Outlook

The Employment and Outlook section gives you information about the size of an occupation, whether it is growing or declining in size, and how many job openings there may be each year.

There are five size categories for occupations in CIS: very small, small, medium, large, and very large. Similarly, five categories are used for the number of job openings: very few, few, moderate, high, and very high.

Five categories are also used for growth: declining, more slowly than average, average, faster than average, and much faster than average. The growth rate tells you how rapidly an occupation is expected to grow in comparison to all other occupations. This information is an estimate. No one can predict exactly how many jobs will be available. The rate of growth of an occupation is determined by several factors. A few major factors are the state of the economy, competition, technological advances, and environmental rules.

For more information see the Employment and Outlook topic.

In Illinois, 6,552 airplane pilots work in this large occupation.

LocationEmployment10 Year GrowthAnnual Openings
Illinois6,552
Large
11.9%
Average
821
High
Source: Illinois Career Information System (CIS) brought to you by Illinois Department of Employment Security.