how much does a pilot get paid per year?

Question

please tell if omeone who is just starting out in this job could expect to earn about ????? per year. and someone with lots of experience could earn up to ?????? per year ...

Answer 1

airlinepilotcentral.com is a great resource. Keep in mind that when you look at the hourly rate, you need to look at the monthly guarentee as well. For FAR 121 operators (the commercial airlines) you are limited to 100 hours per month of flight time, with most airlines paying at least 70-80 hours per month regardless of how much you fly.

Also keep in mind that basically pilots only get paid when the airplane has pushed off the gate. Pilots are usually not paid during the loading and unloading of the aircraft. They are not paid while reviewing the paperwork or doing pre-flight inspections either. Only from when the aircraft is pushed back from the gate, until the parking brake is set when pulling into the gate is the pilot typically paid.

The other times pilots get paid are for training events, or when deadheading - riding as a passenger in the back while on company business (such as to the training center or to cover a trip out of another base). Deadheading does not include time commuting to and from work if you live out of domicile. Many airlines these days only pay half pay for deadheading, though some pay full hourly rate.

As an example, I am guarenteed 75 hours per month even if I don't fly at all. Typically I get credited between 85 to 95 hours per month.

Also most airlines pay between a dollar and two dollars per hour for expenses while on the road (per-diem). This is tax free money to cover food, entertainment, laundry, etc while on the road (the company pays for single occupancy hotels while on a trip). The pay usually begins at check-in for a trip and ends when the trip ends again in domicile. The pay keeps racking up even while at the hotel on an overnight. So if I check in for a trip at noon on Monday, and stay overnight twice, and end at noon on Wednesday, I will get 48 hours of per-diem pay.

I know this is a long answer. But basically at an entry level regional airline (flying a turboprop or regional jet) you will start at between 15,000-25,000 for the first year (yes you read that right), and captains can earn between 70,000 to 85,000. At a major airline first year pay will be between 30,000 and 50,000 and senior captains can make in excess of 200,000. Jobs at regional airlines are easier to come by, major airline jobs are very hard to get.

Lastly the best paying pilot jobs these days are with the cargo companies. FedEx and UPS pilots make far more than any passenger pilots.

Answer 2

This site gives a pretty good vieuw of what pilots earn per year/month at various airlines

http://airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines.html

Answer 3

Average salaries by jet type can be found here: http://www.jets.com/private_jets.aspx

I believe business and commercial aviation also publishes average pilot salary information once per year. Their site is at: http://www.aviationweek.com/

Answer 4

my Friend's brother is a pilot. I'm relay not sure how much they pay him. but I do know that his family can travel 100% free.