Pilots

Pilots are trained professionals who operate aircraft to transport passengers or cargo, perform aerial work, or serve in military forces. They fly fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft across civil, commercial, and defense sectors. Core responsibilities include flight planning, navigation, monitoring systems, communicating with air traffic control, and ensuring safety and regulatory compliance. In multi-crew operations, pilots share workload with copilots, flight engineers, and cabin crew.

Training and certification: Becoming a pilot typically follows a staged path of licenses and ratings. Most start with a private pilot license for recreational flying, then add an instrument rating for IFR flight. A commercial pilot license allows revenue operations, and an airline transport pilot license is required for captain duties on major airlines. Medical certificates establish ongoing health standards. Flight time requirements vary by country; for example, the United States requires about 1,500 total hours for an airline transport pilot license.

Aircraft operations and technology: Modern pilots rely on automation such as autopilots and flight management systems, but they maintain manual control when needed and must respond to equipment failures or weather changes. They perform preflight inspections, load planning, fuel calculations, and coordinate with dispatchers, maintenance personnel, and air traffic controllers.

Regulation and safety: Licensing, airworthiness, and operating rules are set by national authorities and international bodies, with recurrent training and checks to maintain proficiency. The term pilot can also refer to non-aviation contexts, such as a pilot episode or a trial program, but this article focuses on aviation pilots.