Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Commercial Pilots
Occupation · SOC 53-2012.00
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots. Excludes regional, national, and international airline pilots.
Also called: Captain · Commercial Pilot · Helicopter Pilot · Pilot · Charter Pilot · Check Airman · Commercial Helicopter Pilot · EMS Helicopter Pilot (Emergency Medical Service Helicopter Pilot) · First Officer · Line Pilot · Advanced Air Mobility Operator (AAM Operator) · Advanced Air Mobility Pilot (AAM Pilot)
Job family: Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-53-2012-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+5.1% by 2034)
- 6,600 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Median pay $122,670/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
42nd-percentile task overlap — yet about 6,600 openings a year (+5.1% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 44th | -0.2 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 36th | 0.4 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 53rd | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.4). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.6 · 49th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Plan and formulate flight activities and test schedules and prepare flight evaluation reports. | 0.3% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +5.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 6,600 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 55,400 → 58,300 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Commercial Pilots sits at the 51st percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
27% mean task exposure (2025)
51st percentile of 427 placed occupations
+3 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Pilots and Related Associate Professionals · 3153 | 27% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly. Core · importance 5.0
- Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required. Core · importance 4.9
- Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne. Core · importance 4.9
- Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor. Core · importance 4.9
- Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights. Core · importance 4.8
- Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights. Core · importance 4.8
- Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment. Core · importance 4.8
- Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments. Core · importance 4.7
- Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures. Core · importance 4.7
- Check baggage or cargo to ensure that it has been loaded correctly. Core · importance 4.6
- Obtain and review data such as load weights, fuel supplies, weather conditions, and flight schedules to determine flight plans and identify needed changes. Core · importance 4.6
- Conduct in-flight tests and evaluations at specified altitudes and in all types of weather to determine the receptivity and other characteristics of equipment and systems. Supplemental · importance 4.4
- Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights. Core · importance 4.4
- Write specified information in flight records, such as flight times, altitudes flown, and fuel consumption. Core · importance 4.3
- Coordinate flight activities with ground crews and air traffic control, and inform crew members of flight and test procedures. Core · importance 4.3
- Rescue and evacuate injured persons. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Perform minor aircraft maintenance and repair work, or arrange for major maintenance. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Request changes in altitudes or routes as circumstances dictate. Core · importance 4.1
- Supervise other crew members. Core · importance 4.1
- Instruct other pilots and student pilots in aircraft operations. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- File instrument flight plans with air traffic control so that flights can be coordinated with other air traffic. Core · importance 4.0
- Fly with other pilots or pilot-license applicants to evaluate their proficiency. Core · importance 3.8
- Plan and formulate flight activities and test schedules and prepare flight evaluation reports. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Teach company regulations and procedures to other pilots. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Check the flight performance of new and experimental planes. Supplemental
- Pilot airplanes or helicopters over farmlands at low altitudes to dust or spray fields with fertilizers, fungicides, or pesticides. Supplemental
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Operate large scale uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones for various commercial purposes, such as aerial photography, surveying land and structures, or monitoring wildlife.
Work activities
- Inspect aircraft or aircraft components.
- Communicate with others to coordinate vehicle movement.
- Pilot aircraft.
- Monitor engine operation or functioning.
- Choose optimal transportation routes or speeds.
- Resolve issues affecting transportation operations.
- Review work orders or schedules to determine operations or procedures.
- Plan flight operations.
- Inspect cargo to ensure it is properly loaded or secured.
- Coordinate flight control or management activities.
- Record operational details of travel.
- Train transportation or material moving personnel.
- Test performance of aircraft equipment.
- Assist others during emergencies.
- Direct passenger or freight transport activities.
- Arrange maintenance activities.
- Maintain vehicles in good working condition.
- Evaluate performance of applicants, trainees, or employees.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Transferable skills
| Operation and Control | 4.8 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 4.4 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.6 |
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.2 | |
| English Language | 4.0 | |
| Transportation | 4.0 | |
| Geography | 3.6 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.6 | |
| Mechanical | 3.4 |
Essential skills
| Monitoring | 4.1 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Speaking | 3.8 | |
| Active Learning | 3.6 |
Abilities
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.1 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 4.1 | |
| Control Precision | 4.1 | |
| Near Vision | 4.1 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 4.0 | |
| Selective Attention | 4.0 | |
| Response Orientation | 4.0 | |
| Reaction Time | 4.0 | |
| Far Vision | 4.0 | |
| Depth Perception | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Spatial Orientation | 3.9 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.9 | |
| Rate Control | 3.9 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.8 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.8 | |
| Time Sharing | 3.6 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.5 | |
| Written Expression | 3.4 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.4 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Postsecondary nondegree award · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Transportation and Materials Moving . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 28.6% | |
| Some College Courses | 16.9% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 15.1% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 1.2% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 1.1% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 0.6% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Dependability | 8.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 7.0 | |
| Integrity | 6.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 5.0 | |
| Self-Control | 4.0 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 3.0 | |
| Self-Confidence | 2.4 |
Interest areas
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 6.5 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 4.5 | |
| Engineering | 3.5 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.5 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Conventional | 4.8 | |
| Realistic | 4.8 | |
| Enterprising | 3.9 | |
| Social | 2.6 | |
| Investigative | 2.5 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $59,330 |
| 25th percentile | $81,660 |
| Median (50th) | $122,670 |
| 75th percentile | $175,050 |
| 90th percentile | — |
| People employed | 51,830 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 30,970 | $131,680 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 5,870 | $90,180 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 3,850 | $97,250 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 2,160 | $112,650 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 1,780 | $152,090 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting · Sector | 1,110 | $63,730 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 1,100 | $165,920 |
| Information · Sector | 730 | $210,390 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 710 | $161,130 |
| Construction · Sector | 520 | $155,290 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 480 | $155,280 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 350 | $127,940 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 12.46× | 30,970 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting · Sector | 7.8× | 1,110 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 1.88× | 1,780 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 1.28× | 5,870 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 0.9× | 350 |
| Information · Sector | 0.75× | 730 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 0.67× | 130 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 0.6× | 480 |
Related occupations
Part of the Supply Chain & Transportation career cluster.
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · 53-2011.00 Compare →
- Air Traffic Controllers · 53-2021.00 Compare →
- Airfield Operations Specialists · 53-2022.00 Compare →
- Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians · 49-3011.00 Compare →
- Aviation Inspectors · 53-6051.01 Compare →
- Locomotive Engineers · 53-4011.00 Compare →
- Avionics Technicians · 49-2091.00 Compare →
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels · 53-5021.00 Compare →
- Ship Engineers · 53-5031.00 Compare →
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters · 53-4031.00 Compare →
- Aircraft Service Attendants · 53-6032.00 Compare →
- Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors · 53-1041.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Commercial Pilots — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Postsecondary nondegree award · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Transportation and Materials Moving · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 51st percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Commercial Pilots show 42nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,600 annual U.S. openings
- Commercial Pilots rank in the 42nd percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 6,600 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+5.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $122,670, across about 51,830 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Commercial Pilots show 42nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,600 annual U.S. openings • Commercial Pilots rank in the 42nd percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 6,600 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+5.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $122,670, across about 51,830 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Commercial Pilots". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-2012-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Commercial Pilots." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-2012-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Commercial Pilots. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-2012-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-53-2012-00,
title = {Commercial Pilots},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-2012-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.