Similar to most other careers, pilots must start at the bottom and then slowly work their way up.
As a pilot climbs the ranks they enjoy far more benefits and perks than other employees in other industries that aren’t just limited to a higher salary.
The highest-ranking member of a flight crew and the commander of the aircraft is the captain.
The captain usually has at least 3,000 hours of flying experience, sits in the left-hand seat, and is responsible for the aircraft, its crew, and all other occupants.
They usually have less experience than a senior first officer, though this is not true in every case, as some airlines issue all new pilots the rank of FO regardless of how experienced they are.
A first officer wears 2 stripes on their uniform.
Typically, they start off with pay between $50,000-100,000 in their first year. After six years, a salary of $150,000 is the standard.
Even when acting as deadhead pilots, all pilots get paid, even though they don’t fly the plane.
A second officer isn’t found on every flight, but when they are, it is usually on international or long haul flights to ensure that the captain, senior first officer, and first officer can get adequate rest.
A second officer wears 2 stripes on their uniform. In some airlines, the second officer acts as a first officer.
The Relationship Between Seniority & Pilot Ranks
There is no other factor that is more important to a pilot’s career than seniority.
Seniority determines everything from a pilot’s schedule, the routes they fly, which days off they can take, when they can take a vacation, how much they earn, who gets furloughed, how quickly they can progress to Captain, as well as where a pilot is based, what aircraft they can fly, and how many flights pilots must fly a day.
Here’s the thing about seniority, though.
It starts from the very first day a pilot is hired by an airline and doesn’t transfer.
Unlike other careers, if a pilot with 20 years of experience moves airlines they will be treated as a junior pilot with none of the benefits they may have been accustomed to and enjoyed with the previous airline they worked for.
A pilot can move up the seniority list as other pilots working for the airline retire. An airline pilot must retire at 65 years old.
Helen Krasner holds a PPL(A), with 15 years experience flying fixed-wing aircraft; a PPL(H), with 13 years experience flying helicopters; and a CPL(H), Helicopter Instructor Rating, with 12 years working as a helicopter instructor.
Helen is an accomplished aviation writer with 12 years of experience, having authored several books and published numerous articles while also serving as the Editor of the BWPA (British Women Pilots Association) newsletter, with her excellent work having been recognized with her nomination of the “Aviation Journalist of the Year” award.
Helen has won the “Dawn to Dusk” International Flying Competition, along with the best all-female competitors, three times with her copilot.
