Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
SOC Code: 53-2011
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers carries a 64% AI exposure score (Very High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $226,600 and +3.9% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 100,000 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 64% AI exposure, Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers sits 27 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 96% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
59/100
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A+ $226,600
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth B- +3.9%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 64% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers in the Very High band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Average (378 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
64% Higher than most higher than 96% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers's Very High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 53-2011) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.
- 2. Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
- 3. Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.
- 4. Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.
- 5. Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.
- 6. Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
- 7. Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
- 8. Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed.
- 9. Steer aircraft along planned routes, using autopilot and flight management computers.
- 10. Check passenger and cargo distributions and fuel amounts to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met.
Key Skills Required
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Time Management
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Knowledge Areas
- Transportation
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Mechanical
- Geography
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
- Physics
- Law and Government
- Administration and Management
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers?
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers has an AI exposure score of 64%, indicating a very high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers is projected to grow by 3.9% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 100,000 workers.
What skills are needed for Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers?
Key skills for Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers include Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers earn?
The median annual wage for Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers is $226,600, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers?
The typical entry-level education for Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect Less than 5 years of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers?
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Very High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A majority of tasks in this occupation are susceptible to AI automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (64% here).
- Interviewers, except eligibility and loan · AI exposure 64%
- Postal service clerks · AI exposure 64%
- Library technicians · AI exposure 63%
- Tellers · AI exposure 65%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+3.9% here).
- Animal control workers · growth +3.9%
- Architects, except landscape and naval · growth +3.9%
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment · growth +3.9%
- Environmental engineers · growth +3.9%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 49 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).