Airline and Commercial Pilots

I. JOB SUMMARY

Main Topic: Physical Geography
Secondary Topic: Places and Regions

Overview:  Airline and commercial pilots fly and navigate airplanes, helicopters, and other aircraft transporting people and goods. Airline pilots need a bachelor’s degree, while all pilots need pilot’s license from the Federal Aviation Administration and an airline transport pilot certificate. Pilots must check the condition of the aircraft before flights, prepare and submit flight plans to air traffic control, communicate with air traffic control, monitor the aircraft, respond to changing conditions, and understand cockpit instruments. Airline and commercial pilots also need to understand weather conditions and patterns to navigate and modify flight plans. The most demanding parts of the job are takeoff and landing that require coordination with air traffic control, ground personnel, and other key individuals. Pilots mostly work in the private sector and the field expects continued job growth.

Geographers at work: GIS and Remote Sensing Specialists, Climatologist, Meteorologist,

Recommended College Courses: Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems, Advanced GIS, Remote Sensing, Weather and Climate, Transportation systems, GPS and GIS, Location Analysis

Skills: GIS, Remote Sensing, Lidar, location analysis, climate and weather forecasting,

Occupation Group: Transportation and Material Moving

Learn more about Airline and Commercial Pilots from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/airline-and-commercial-pilots.htm