Commercial Pilots

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.

On the job, you would:

• Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.
• Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
• Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.

Education

• bachelor's degree
• certificate after high school

Transportation

• movement of people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road

Business

• customer service
• management

Math and Science

• geography
• arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Arts and Humanities

• English language

Basic Skills

• keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
• thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

Problem Solving

• noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

• thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
• figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Realistic

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

• Dependability
• Attention to Detail
• Cooperation
• Self Control
• Stress Tolerance
• Initiative

Controlled Movement

• quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat
• quickly decide if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part

Verbal

• communicate by speaking
• listen and understand what people say

Attention

• pay attention to something without being distracted
• do two or more things at the same time

Ideas and Logic

• notice when problems happen