U.S. Army test pilot Lt. F. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services W. "Mike" Hunter wearing a flight suit. flight suit is a full body garment worn while flying a powered Aircraft such as Military airplanes and helicopters Image from the Office of War Information, 1942. The United States Office of War Information (OWI was a US government agency created during World War II to consolidate government information services

An aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. The word is normally applied to pilots, but it can be applied more broadly, for example to include people such as wing-walkers who regularly take part in an aerobatic display sequence. Seen in Airshows and Barnstorming during the 1920s wing walking is the act of moving on the wings of an Airplane during flight Aerobatics is the demonstration of flying maneuvers for Training, Recreation or Entertainment. The word aviatrix is sometimes used of women flyers, reflecting the word's Latin root. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.

The term was more used in the early days of aviation and has connotations of bravery and adventure. Aviation refers to activities involving man-made flying devices ( Aircraft) including the people organizations and regulatory bodies involved with them Anyone can fly an aircraft, with or without a certificate. However, at all times the aircraft must be under the operational control of a properly certified and current pilot, who is responsible for the safe and legal completion of the flight. The first certificate was delivered by the Aero Club de France to Louis Blériot in 1908, followed by Glenn Curtiss, Leon Delagrange and Robert Esnault-Pelterie. Louis Blériot ( July 1 1872 in Cambrai, France &ndash August 1 1936 in Paris, France) was a Glenn Hammond Curtiss ( 21 May 1878 &ndash 23 July 1930) was an American Aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane Léon Delagrange ( 1873 - January 4 1910) was a French aviator also a sculptor Robert Albert Charles Esnault-Pelterie ( November 8, 1881 &ndash December 6, 1957) was a pioneering French Aircraft designer The absolute authority given to the Pilot in Command is derived from that of a ship’s captain.

As of 2006, just over 6% of certified pilots (both private and commercial) in the U. S. were women. ^[1]

Civilian

Delta Air Lines Pilots

Hot air balloon pilot and passenger in basket

Civilian pilots fly privately for pleasure, charity, or in pursuance of a business, for non-scheduled commercial air transport companies, or for airlines. The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying Flight technology When flying for an airline, pilots are usually referred to as airline pilots, with the pilot in command often referred to as the captain.

United States

United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, long considered the most prestigious and lucrative employers, have slashed their pilot payscales and benefits in the face of fierce competition from low-cost carriers. United Air Lines Inc, trading as United Airlines ( is a major airline of the United States. Delta Air Lines Inc ( is a United States Airline based and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In fact, Southwest Airlines captains and first officers both start off with significantly higher salaries than the legacy carriers. Southwest Airlines Co ( is an American low-cost Airline based in Dallas Texas, with its largest focus city at Las Vegas ' McCarran As of May 2004, median annual earnings of airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers were $129,250. ^[2] However, such salaries represent the upper level of airline pay scales. Salaries at regional airlines can be considerably less - though according to the Bureau of Labor statistics, median annual earnings of commercial pilots were $53,870, with the middle 50 percent earning between $37,170 and $79,390. Regional airlines commonly called commuter airlines or feeder airlines, when they provide service to smaller communities that do not generate sufficient passengers ^[3] Pilots making very large salaries are typically senior airline captains, while pilots making very small salaries are generally low-seniority first officers. In practice, most pilots make reasonable average working salaries. A large variability in salaries can easily skew an average. Thus, the use of median wages to gauge such things as salary. Where large gaps are seen between a median figure, and a lower bound figure, this usually reflects those who don't stay in that particular field. Viewing this middle ground in context to the upper bound numbers can give a burgeoning pilot an idea of what to expect if they are able to stay with flying as a full time career. Based upon voluntary pilot reports, many US airline payscales are listed here: [5]. Most airline pilots are unionized, with the Air Line Pilot's Association (ALPA) ^[4] being the largest pilot labor union in the United States.

In the United States, due to pay cuts, airline bankruptcies, and other industry problems there are fewer young people who want to make a career out of flying. First year pilots at AMR Corporation's outsourced operation called American Connection which is flown by Trans States Airlines, would only see $22,000 a year if they could pick up and fit into their schedule, all the extra flying allowed under federal FAA rules. AMR Corporation ( is a commercial aviation business and Airline Holding company based in Fort Worth Texas. Outsourced is a modern day comedy of cross-cultural conflict and romance directed by John Jeffcoat, released in 2006. AmericanConnection is a brand name used by two Regional airlines and their Holding companies to feed American Airlines 's flights at the airline's Miami Trans States Airlines is the thirteenth largest American Regional airline based in St ^[5]

Commercial airline pilots in the United States have a mandatory retirement age of 65, increased from age 60 in 2007. ^[6]

International

In some countries (e. g. , Pakistan, Thailand and several African countries), there is a strong relationship between the military and the principal national airlines, such that many or most airline pilots come from the military; that is no longer the case in the USA and Western Europe. While the flight decks of US and European airliners do have many ex-military pilots, they have just as many, if not more, pilots who spend their entire career as civilians. With the increasing popularity of European-style airline training schools in the USA and the fact that military training and flying, while rigorous, is fundamentally different in many ways from civilian piloting, it seems likely that the percentage of ex-military pilots flying for the airlines will continue to decrease.

F-16 pilot in flight

Military

Military pilots fly under government contract for the defense of countries. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Their tasks involve combat and non-combat operations, including direct hostile engagements and support operations. The ComBat was an Aluminium Cricket bat and the subject of an incident that occurred at the WACA cricket ground in Perth in December 1979. Military pilots undergo specialized training, often with weapons). A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons

Military pilots are trained with a completely different syllabus than civilian pilots, which is delivered by military instructors. This is due to the different aircraft, flight goals, flight situations chain of responsibility. Some military pilots do transfer over to civilian pilot qualification after they leave they military, although they are the exception rather than the rule. Those who convert have to certify as a pilot just as anyone else would.

Becoming a Pilot

It is well known that becoming a pilot in Europe is an expensive, time consuming and hard task. To be a commercial pilot, pilots are required to go through many hours of training, starting with the General Flying Proficiency's Test (GFPT) leading to the Private Pilots Licence (PPL). From here, the most common path is onto Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL). Other endorsements can also be obtained, such as Night Qualification, Multi-Engine Rating (MEP), Instrument Rating (IR), Multi Crew Co-operating Certification (MCC) and Air Transport License (ATL). Many flight schools offer a direct route to either CPL or ATL which also cover the required lower licenses and endorsements. This route is quite expensive though, and usually only taken by those wishing to become airline pilots, as opposed to general aviators.

Aviators in space

In human spaceflight, a pilot is someone who directly controls the operation of a spacecraft while located within the same craft. A human spaceflight is a Spaceflight with a human crew, and possibly passengers A spacecraft is a Vehicle or machine designed for Spaceflight. This term derives directly from the usage of the word "pilot" in aviation, where it is synonymous with "aviator". Aviation refers to activities involving man-made flying devices ( Aircraft) including the people organizations and regulatory bodies involved with them Note that on the US Space Shuttle, the term "pilot" is analogous to the term "co-pilot" in aviation, as the "commander" has ultimate responsibility for the shuttle. NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States In Commercial aviation, the first officer is the second pilot (sometimes referred to as the "co-pilot" of an Aircraft.

Well-known aviators

People largely known for their contributions to the history of aviation

While all of these people were pilots (and some still are), many are also noted for contributions in areas such as aircraft design and manufacturing, navigation or popularization.

See also: List of aviators

Legendary aviators

• Abbas Ibn Firnas, 9th Century AD, first aviator to make an attempt at controlled flight
• Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi, legendary Turkish aviator flying with artificial wings in 17th century
• Lagari Hasan Çelebi, first aviator to attempt a rocket flight, brother of above
• Eilmer of Malmesbury legendary 12th Century monk
• Bartolomeu de Gusmão

Famous military pilots

People from other walks of life with aviation in their history

See also

• List of aerospace engineers
• Pilot licensing and certification
• Workplace safety

References

External links

• Will Fly 4 Food - Aspiring pilot's resource! Photos, videos, forums and weather information
• Jeffrey Sigmon.com - The likes, dislikes, and hobbies of a licensed Pilot and Aviation enthusiast
• Occupation Information - Pilot
• Ask a Pilot Questions
• Pilot Salary Resources
• Meeting Point for Pilots
• Pilot Job Resources