What You'll Do

  • Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
  • Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
  • 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.
  • Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
  • Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
  • Obtain and review data such as load weights, fuel supplies, weather conditions, and flight schedules to determine flight plans and identify needed changes.
  • Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.
  • Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.
  • Check baggage or cargo to ensure that it has been loaded correctly.

Essential Skills

Operation and Control 4.75/5
Operations Monitoring 4.38/5
Monitoring 4.12/5
Critical Thinking 4.0/5
Active Listening 3.88/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.88/5
Reading Comprehension 3.75/5
Speaking 3.75/5
Active Learning 3.62/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.62/5
Coordination 3.25/5
Learning Strategies 3.12/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Leader: Taking charge and moving ideas forward motivates you.

Common styles

Cautiousness, Self-Control, Dependability, Attention to Detail, Stress Tolerance

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Problem Sensitivity 4.12/5
Perceptual Speed 4.12/5
Control Precision 4.12/5
Near Vision 4.12/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Deductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 4.0/5

Technologies & Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud software Aeronautical charts AeroPlanner Airdata Airline Pilots Daily Aviation Log PPC AirSmith FlightPrompt ArduPilot Mission Planner Calibration software CloudCompare doXstor Flight Level Logbook Electronic aircraft information databases ESRI Site Scan for ArcGIS Flight simulation software FLIR Thermal Studio Suite Kitty Hawk Litchi LP360 Microsoft Office software MJICCS PilotLog Navzilla

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Cautiousness (High importance: 5.0/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 5.0/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.95/5)
  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.83/5)
  • Stress Tolerance (High importance: 4.78/5)

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How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Advanced Air Mobility Operator (AAM Operator) Advanced Air Mobility Pilot (AAM Pilot) Advanced Air Mobility Technician (AAM Technician) Aerial Advertiser Aerial Crop Duster Aerial Hurricane Hunter Aerial Sprayer Agricultural Pilot Air Ambulance Captain Air Ambulance Helicopter Pilot Air Tour Pilot Air Transport Pilot Airplane Patroller Airplane Pilot Aviator Balloon Pilot Balloonist Captain Charter Pilot Check Airman Chopper Operator Commercial Airplane Pilot Commercial Charter Pilot Commercial Helicopter Pilot Commercial Pilot Commercial Pilot Certified Charter Pilot Copilot Corporate Pilot Crop Duster EMS Helicopter Pilot (Emergency Medical Service Helicopter Pilot) EMS Pilot (Emergency Medical Services Pilot) EMS Rotary Wing Pilot (Emergency Medical Service Rotary Wing Pilot) Executive Pilot First Officer First Officer Pilot (FO Pilot) Fixed Wing Pilot Flight Operator Flyer Forestry Pilot Helicopter Air Ambulance Pilot Helicopter Pilot Line Pilot Mapping Pilot Photogrammetry Airplane Pilot Pilot Rotor Pilot Rotor Wing Pilot Spray Pilot Test Pilot Transport Pilot Urban Air Mobility Operator (UAM Operator) Urban Air Mobility Pilot (UAM Pilot) Urban Air Mobility Technician (UAM Technician)

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.