How Much Do Pilots Really Earn? The Brutal Truth About Aviation Salaries Revealed!
Ever thought being a pilot is a dream job with huge paychecks? Brace yourself for a reality check! Garrett Ray, a pilot and YouTuber, spills the beans on what pilots flying out of New York airports actually make — and it’s not as glamorous as you think.
Hourly Pay? Not So Great! Garrett says as a first officer (co-pilot), he earns about $97 per hour, roughly 90 euros. He flies about 80 hours a month, which means his monthly earnings are around $7,760 or about 7,200 euros. Sounds decent? Hold on, there’s more.
Long Waiting Days and Low Pay for Downtime! Flying isn’t a 9-to-5 gig. Garrett often has long waits between flights, sometimes up to 24 hours, like on the JFK to Phoenix route. During these layovers, he’s away from home but only paid for 10 hours of flying out of 40 hours away. So, a big chunk of his time is unpaid waiting.
Captains Earn More, But It’s Not All Sunshine If Garrett gets promoted to captain, his hourly rate could jump to about $140 (130 euros), meaning a monthly salary of around $11,200 (10,400 euros). Still, that’s far from the sky-high salaries many imagine pilots earn.
Why Is Being a Pilot Tough? Besides low pay for waiting, pilots have grueling schedules, early mornings, and late nights. Garrett mentioned once he woke up super early and was home by 3 PM — an ideal day, but not the norm.
Bottom Line: The Pilot Dream Isn’t Always Golden While piloting looks glamorous, the reality is salaries are often lower than expected, and the job is demanding. Long unpaid hours, stressful schedules, and downtime make it far from perfect.
Thinking about becoming a pilot? Think twice! It’s not all flying and travel — there’s a lot of waiting and low pay for that time. What do you think? Worth it or not? Drop a comment, maybe someone from the cockpit will surprise us!
Sources: Blic, Daily Mail, Nova.rs