Last Updated: December 8th, 2021 by
It wasn’t that long ago that long-distance air flight became more affordable for many people.
Aviation technologies improved, and along with it, the demand to send people and cargo to all corners of the globe increased. That’s why the role of a commercial pilot became a high-paying and high-flying (literally!) career choice for many people.
In this career guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about how to become a commercial pilot!
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Job Description
As a commercial pilot, you’ll be the captain of your plane or helicopter. That means you’re responsible for every aspect of the aircraft, both on the ground and in the air.
On the ground, you’ll schedule the aircraft’s maintenance and fuel to prepare it for flight.
Then, you must make sure that each flight is below the weight limit, whether in terms of passengers or cargo. Overall, the plane and its passengers will only take off if you decide it’s safe to do so.
Once in the air, you’ll fly the plane along the planned route towards the destination. To maximize safety, you must also maintain clear communications with air traffic control and other planes in the sky.
Besides flying people and cargo, commercial pilots are also hired to perform other aerial tasks like crop dusting and firefighting. In short, any activity that involves an aircraft will require the skills and training of a commercial pilot.
What Does an Average Day For a Commercial Pilot Look Like?
Before we dive into how to become a commercial pilot, let’s take a look at what their tasks involve.
Here’s what an average day on the job will look like for you as a commercial pilot:
Daily Briefing
Your day will begin with a thorough briefing with everyone that’s involved with your next flight. Depending on the size of your plane, that might also include a co-pilot and even air stewards or stewardesses.
The purpose of the briefing is to go over all the crucial details of the flight. For example, you and your co-pilot will have to go over the flight path and any other technical details relevant to your operation of the plane.
More importantly, this part of your day also involves checking weather conditions to ensure that it’s safe to fly. If conditions are too risky, you’re responsible for rescheduling the flight to a safer time.
Some flights will also involve other support staff like air stewards or stewardesses. They must also be briefed on details about the flight and the passengers they’ll be serving.
Submit Flight Plans and Manifests
As the Captain of the flight, you must also prepare and submit flight documentation to air traffic control. Those documents include flight plans, which detail the exact flight path your plane will follow.
You’ll also need to update the flight manifest, which details all passengers, staff, and cargo on board the plane.
Pre-Flight Preparations and Inspections
Once the flight details have been confirmed, you must then perform your pre-flight preparations and inspections.
There will be other ground staff responsible for helping you fuel and otherwise prepare your plane for the upcoming flight. However, as the Captain, you’re the person who’s ultimately responsible for the plane’s wellbeing.
For that reason, your pre-flight inspections of the aircraft are very critical.
Regardless of whether you’re on a short-haul (between 30 minutes and 3 hours), medium-haul (3-6 hours), or long-haul flight (any flight longer than 6 hours), you must inspect the aircraft with the same attention to detail before every flight.
Manage Onboard Cargo (Load, Secure, and Unload)
Aircraft often carry more than just people; they also carry cargo. That could mean your passenger’s luggage, equipment, or any other shipments you’re delivering to your destination.
Just like with passengers, you must take time to ensure that the cargo doesn’t exceed your plane’s weight limits.
Then, they must be loaded and secured correctly on the plane to ensure that they don’t move around mid-flight. Once at the destination, you’ll then oversee the unloading of that cargo, as well.
Flight Time
Naturally, a lot of your time will be spent in the air piloting your aircraft to its destination. Each flight begins with take-off procedures at the origin airport and ends with landing at the destination airport.
Throughout the entire flight, you’ll be keeping close communications with air traffic controllers and other aircraft that are nearby.
As you pilot the aircraft along its set flight path, you’ll monitor all of the plane’s systems and processes like fuel consumption, engines, navigation systems, and more.
Depending on the duration of the flight and the type of aircraft you’re using, you might take turns flying with your co-pilot and taking breaks. That will ensure that both of you are well-rested and can stay focused throughout the flight.
Attend Training Sessions
As a commercial pilot, you’ll always be busy and on the move. However, pilots must also undergo additional training at regular intervals to keep their skills and knowledge sharp.
The intervals are typically several months in between sessions, though it depends on the type of aircraft that you fly.
How to Become a Commercial Pilot: Process
Here’s the process for how to become a commercial pilot:
1. Get a Bachelor’s Degree
Most employers that hire commercial pilots will require that you have a Bachelor’s Degree. Thankfully, your degree can be in almost any field, whether it’s Business, Engineering, or any other.
Speaking of Engineering, we wrote an article about How to Become a Flight Engineer. If you have an interest in flight-related careers, it’s definitely worth checking out!
While it’s essential to have a degree, you’ll soon see that your practical training and hours of experience are much more significant for your journey towards becoming a commercial pilot.
With that said, you still have the option of pursuing a degree that’s more closely related to your future as a commercial pilot.
For instance, many leading universities and colleges offer degrees in Transportation or Aviation that you can choose from.
2. Undergo Pilot Training
Once you have your degree, your next step in how to become a commercial pilot is to undergo flight training.
You can do so with independent flight instructors certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or by enrolling at flight schools that offer pilot training.
Commercial pilot training happens both on the ground (Ground School) and in the air (Flight Training).
Ground School
Your on-ground training hours will consist of classroom learning. That’s where you’ll discover theoretical aspects about planes, aerodynamics, weather, and other topics related to air flight.
Flight Training
Flight training, however, is when you’ll pilot the plane in the air under the guidance of a qualified instructor.
The hours you spend in the air will count towards your total flight experience or ‘hours of flight’, which is the measurement of a pilot’s experience.
As you’ll see in the next section, you must gain a specific number of hours of flying a plane to gain your commercial pilot’s license.
3. Pursue Commercial Pilot Certification
Overall, the FAA requires you to have 250 hours of flight time before pursuing a commercial pilot certification. The certification process, itself, involves a medical exam, a written exam, and a practical flight exam.
The medical exam ensures that you have no conditions that might affect your ability to pilot a plane safely. The written and flight exams are there to test your knowledge and skill in piloting according to the FAA’s rules.
4. Employment and Further Training
With a commercial pilot’s license, you can then seek employment with aviation service providers.
Your employer will provide you with further on-the-job training required by the FAA to pilot specific aircraft types and perform the manoeuvres necessary for your job.
Are You Suited For a Commercial Pilot Career?
Learning how to become a commercial pilot is both challenging and rewarding at the same time.
Here are some of the skills and proficiencies you’ll need to go far in this role:
Personality and Skills
As an individual, having strong communication skills is crucial for the role. As the Captain of your aircraft, you must be able to deliver information and instructions clearly to your onboard staff and air traffic controllers.
Once in the cockpit, you’ll need to have or develop an excellent eye for detail. Modern aircraft are complex vehicles with various systems that you must monitor throughout your flight. Being able to catch even the most minor details could mean saving both time and lives.
Lastly, you must be able to think and problem-solve in stressful situations. Once you’re up in the air, it’s just you and your crew (if any) up there. So keeping your cool and solving any problems that come up is a priceless ability in this role.
Credentials and Proficiencies
Knowing how to operate a plane is the number one requirement for becoming a commercial pilot.
Still, you must take the time to develop aircraft-specific knowledge, meaning you have to study the plane model that you fly and know more about it than anyone else.
On top of that, you’ll also need to understand the weather and how it can affect your piloting and understand how to navigate and read maps.
How to Become a Commercial Pilot and Find Work
Now that you know how to become a commercial pilot, how will you find work?
Overall, the best strategy for working as a commercial pilot is to find industries and employers that hire them the most.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), some of the sectors that will see more jobs opening for commercial pilots include:
- Non-scheduled air transportation (e.g. chartered flight providers)
- Aerial sightseeing (e.g. air tour providers)
- Ambulatory healthcare services (e.g. air medical service providers)
You can find jobs in these sectors by identifying the businesses in your area and checking their websites for job openings.
You can also take the traditional approach by calling, emailing, or dropping by their office to ask about any current or future job openings.
For more on this, check out our article about Delta Airlines Careers to get a better feel of the hiring process for commercial pilots.
Commercial Pilot Salaries
When it comes down to how to become a commercial pilot, the salary plays a huge role in determining if the position is right for you.
Commercial pilots earn an average of $93,300 a year. The 90th percentile of commercial pilots earns an average salary of $200,920, while the lower 10th percentile earns $47,570.
This role pays higher in some parts of the country than in others.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), these are the 5 states where commercial pilots earn the most:
- Massachusetts ($151,460 a year)
- Connecticut ($144,600 a year)
- California ($137,180 a year)
- Florida ($126,440 a year)
- Alaska ($123,540 a year)
Aside from your location and seniority, you can increase your earning potential as a commercial pilot in other ways.
Such as:
- Mastering different types of aircrafts
- Becoming a Certified Flight Instructor and providing training to new pilots
- Pursuing an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certification and advancing towards becoming an airline pilot
Commercial Pilot Job Growth
If you’re wondering how to become a commercial pilot, you’ll be happy to know that the growth for commercial pilot jobs is very positive.
The BLS estimates that the sector will grow by 13% between 2020 and 2030. According to them, that growth rate is ‘faster than average’.
Top 4 Most Popular Types of Commercial Pilots
Even within the commercial pilot sector, there are several different types of sub-categories that you can pursue, like:
Cargo Pilot
Cargo keeps the world going ‘round, and you’ll be the pilot that makes that happen. You’ll fly freight instead of people in this role and become a crucial part of the local economy.
Corporate Pilot
Corporations often purchase planes so their executives can travel around much quicker and more comfortably. Here, you’ll be flying smaller aircraft while serving individual passengers or small groups.
Delivery Pilot
All new aircraft must be transported to their buyer’s location. The most efficient way to do that is to fly them directly, and that’s the job of a delivery pilot.
Parachute Drop Pilot
Skydivers need pilots to take them up in the air and fly the plane as they dive out.
Professional Associations
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA)
Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA)
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)
Allied Pilots Association (APA)
Top Colleges and Universities
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
California Institute of Technology
Final Thoughts
By the end of this article, you should know how to become a commercial pilot. This career involves quite a bit of experience in order to ready yourself for flight, including Ground School and Flight Training.
You should now have the tools to make an informed career decison!