co-pilot

Work context

Co-pilot work happens inside a multi-crew cockpit where instrument monitoring, radio calls, checklists and traffic awareness support the captain’s decisions throughout the flight.

Skills and specializations

Useful specializations include navigation calculations, aviation meteorology, aircraft flight control systems, flight planning and calm communication with air traffic control under changing conditions.

Salary context

Salary context depends on aircraft type, route pattern, flight hours, night or standby duties, seniority and whether the role includes training or extra operational responsibility.

Career paths

Experience can lead toward captain roles, simulator instruction, safety coordination, fleet procedures, operations planning or specialist work with particular aircraft systems.

Good to know

Read vacancies for the exact aircraft category, roster pattern, base airport, language expectations, medical fitness requirements and how cockpit duties are divided with the captain.

Editorial note

This guide gives editorial career context for co-pilot work. It is not official labour-market statistics or salary data.

Alternative labels

Occupation group

aircraft pilot (3153.2)

Source facts