Pilot aircraft.

Pilot aircraft. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 4 occupations and seen in 9 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Operate transportation equipment or vehicles. in Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 9 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 1 (11%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required. · Commercial Pilots · importance 4.9 · no direct exposure
• Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor. · Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · importance 4.9 · exposure with tools
• Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor. · Commercial Pilots · importance 4.9 · no direct exposure
• Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures. · Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · importance 4.9 · no direct exposure
• Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings. · Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · importance 4.9 · no direct exposure
• Steer aircraft along planned routes, using autopilot and flight management computers. · Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · importance 4.7 · no direct exposure
• Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures. · Commercial Pilots · importance 4.7 · no direct exposure
• Use airfield landing and navigational aids and digital data terminal communications equipment to perform duties. · Airfield Operations Specialists · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Start aircraft and observe gauges, meters, and other instruments to detect evidence of malfunctions. · Aviation Inspectors · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Commercial Pilots
• Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
• Airfield Operations Specialists
• Aviation Inspectors

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-pilot-aircraft,
  title  = {Pilot aircraft.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/pilot-aircraft}
}