Commercial Pilots
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.
47,630 people do this job in the US. $123,220 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 27%
- 1%
- 73%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 24%. Today's estimate: 24%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 24 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 20% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 17% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 14% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Plan and formulate flight activities and test schedules and prepare flight evaluation reports.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | 32%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Supervise other crew members.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min17 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Obtain and review data such as load weights, fuel supplies, weather conditions, and flight schedules to determine flight plans and identify needed changes.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).