Given the cost for one to become a commercial pilot, how much should a rookie pilot expect to make right after graduation from school and certified? For those of us that are older and contemplating a career change, should we take that into account? Thank you.
JB,
First off after you complete your training and are licensed and certified you will not be flying for a Regional. To fly for an airline in the US you need to have a minimum of 1500hrs. When you complete your training you’ll only have about 250. The most common route to build the remaining time is flight instructing. Depending on where you instruct and how busy you are instructors earn between $25-40k and it usually takes a 1-1.5yrs if you’re teaching full time.
After that take a look at this post by Chris that outlines salaries after you get hired by an airline:
https://airlinepilot.life/t/what-do-pilots-really-earn/16495
Adam
1 Like
Thanks, really appreciate it