How to hire commercial pilots

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
• Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.
• Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
• Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
• Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
• Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
• Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.
• Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Postsecondary nondegree award]
• Strong monitoring, critical thinking, active listening, reading comprehension, speaking and active learning skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service, English Language, transportation and geography
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $123,220 a year.
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for commercial pilots

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
6. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
7. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What commercial pilots do

• Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
• Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.
• Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
• Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
• Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
• Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
• Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.
• Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.

Skills that matter most

MonitoringCritical ThinkingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingActive LearningCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageTransportationGeography

Education, experience and outlook for commercial pilots

• Typical education to start: Postsecondary nondegree award (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 2 to 4 years (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +5.2% over ten years, faster than average · about 5,200 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay commercial pilots

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See commercial pilots pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
• Air Traffic Controllers
• Airfield Operations Specialists
• Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians
• Transportation Inspectors
• Locomotive Engineers
• Avionics Technicians
• Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
• Ship Engineers
• Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.