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Article:
Do You Want To Be A Pilot In The United States? by: Julia Dean, President AirlineJOB.net I receive many emails requesting information about becoming an airline pilot in the United States. This article addresses many of the general questions I receive about the types of pilot careers, salaries, FAA requirements, training, advancement opportunities and the employment outlook for pilots. (Please note that the commercial pilot industry is very competitive, particularly since 9/11. The information gathered for this article was sourced mainly from government labour research organizations, noted at the end of the article). TYPES OF PILOT CAREERS There are four general types of pilot careers: 1. Commercial Airline Pilots 2. Agricultural Pilots 3. Helicopter Pilots 4. Photogrammetry Pilots COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PILOTS 4 out of 5 pilots Commercial Airline Pilots in the US are responsible for transporting cargo and/or passengers. The other 20% of commercial pilots have positions involved in search and rescue, testing aircraft, flight instruction or examination, monitoring car traffic or tracking criminals. Some commercial pilots also fly agricultural planes, described below in more detail. There are generally three categories of careers for commercial airline pilots: the Pilot, or the Captain is the most senior officer and supervises the flight crew; the Co-Pilot, called the First Officer, who assists the captain; and the Flight Engineer, or Second Officer, who assists the other pilots and performs such tasks as monitoring and operating instruments. Most aircraft fly with only two pilots as computerized equipment is replacing the need for flight engineers in modern, more sophisticated planes. About 75% of pilots fly 75 hours a month, and spend about 75 hours completing non-flying work responsibilities. About 25% of pilots work more than 40 hours per week. AGRICULTURAL PILOTS Agricultural Pilots fly helicopters or airplanes and are typically responsible for dusting crops, distributing seeds for reforestation, fighting forest fires, inspecting pipelines, or distributing fish into lakes. HELICOPTER PILOTS Helicopter pilots provide a variety of services working for businesses and government. Areas of specialty include traffic monitoring, oil and gas exploration, pipeline monitoring, logging, construction, agriculture, search and rescue, emergency medical transport, law enforcement, and newsgathering. Other helicopter pilot positions are available for corporate or travel charter. PHOTOGRAMMETRY PILOTS Photogrammetry Pilots specialize at flying at specific altitudes and speeds suitable for aerial photography. Aerial photography is used for mapping the earth's surface, real estate purposes, and business or government research requirements. PILOTS - WHAT ARE THEY EARNING TODAY? The median annual income of all commercial pilots in the US is $'43
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