10 Of The Best Things About Being An Airline Pilot in the U.S.

1. Who Doesn’t Love to Travel?

Traveling is one of the major perks of becoming a pilot. One advantage of being an airline pilot is that you have opportunities to go to places you’ve never been - and get paid to do it! Learn more about pilot salaries.

With all the different routes that pilots travel, every working day means taking off in one state or country only to land in another - potentially to a destination you haven’t explored yet.

Depending on your route and schedule, you can end up staying overnight or even longer, giving you the chance to explore new cities and spend time experiencing different cultures.

When you enroll onto a pilot training course, such as our Edge or Private Pilot License course, you will undertake training at our Orlando Flight School. This may mean that you have the unique opportunity to train in a new state that you have not visited before, so traveling starts before you qualify as a commercial airline pilot.

We are also proud to have very strong relationships with U.S. airlines, operating from different states and internationally, so when you train with L3Harris, your career prospects may enable you to travel further afield. Find out more about why you should train to be a pilot with L3Harris and how we set you up for success.

2. You Can’t Beat the View

If you are looking for a unique career that offers opportunities other people may not have and are wondering why you should train as a pilot, not many people in the world can say they have an office in the clouds. Most airline pilots say it’s a view they never grow tired of and agree that it is one of the biggest advantages of being a pilot.

From witnessing thunderstorms form in distant clouds to looking out at a vast, never-ending blue sky, it’s easy to see why. The incredible views and weather conditions also make life as a pilot exciting because everyday is different. One day you might be on a domestic flight in beautiful sunshine, while another you may be flying in fog, rain or thunderstorms.

3. Travel Discounts for Family and Friends

One of the other travel-related benefits of being a pilot is the discounts you can expect to have when traveling.

While pilots travel often, it isn’t always fun to do it alone. Being an airline pilot, it is likely that you will have access to discounted (and sometimes free) plane tickets for family and friends, which means good deals on great vacations. Some airlines may ask friends and family to pay charges and taxes, but this is likely to be the extent of what your loved ones will have to pay - in some cases, you can even upgrade to business or first class.

And in addition to airfare, a number of hotels provide discounted prices as well! The advantages of being a pilot extend further than just yourself, they can positively impact your family and friends too.

4. Career Focus

We think that one of the most important benefits of being a pilot is the major job satisfaction that comes with taking to the skies. Commanding a plane filled with passengers and getting them safely from A to B is as satisfying as it gets.

One of the major benefits of being a pilot is you can expect a hugely rewarding career; from taking your first solo flight, completing your first landing, flying to a new destination to overcoming challenges, every day is rewarding as a pilot in the cockpit.

Why train to be a pilot with L3Harris specifically? We are committed to maintaining gold standard performance within the aviation industry which is why we support you through every step of your pilot training course, from selection to recruitment. We take your career as seriously as you do.

Our airline relationships

5. Work Stays at Work

At the halfway point of our top 10 reasons to be a pilot is the fantastic work-life balance you have when you become an airline pilot. No one likes taking their work home with them, and aside from studying for annual tests, pilots leave their work in the plane. There’s nothing to take home once you finish your day and close that cockpit door. This leaves for more time to explore the latest city of the week, spend time with the ones you love, or pick up a new hobby.

Similarly to the last benefit, work-life balance is one of the biggest advantages of being a pilot because looking after yourself and establishing work-life boundaries is important for both your home life and your career satisfaction.

6. Flexible Working

Because traveling from country to country can seem potentially rigid and demanding, many are surprised that a career in aviation can offer such flexibility.

Flexible working has always been a major advantage of being a pilot. It's not your typical 9-5, Monday to Friday job. Most pilots work an average of 2-3 weeks a month, which means you have the rest of the month to enjoy yourself.

Also, pilot hours and shifts vary which means you may have regular mornings, afternoons, evenings or whole days off in a row.

Most pilots take advantage of this time to connect with their family, take vacations, or just relax. Pilots can spend their days however they wish to and with a free pass around the world, their options are nearly unlimited.

Much like our previous benefits of being a pilot, flexible working ensures pilots have significant downtime so that they are rested and prepared to deliver exceptional flight operations around the U.S. and internationally.

7. Challenge Yourself

Being a pilot means constantly learning, from the second you begin training at our Orlando Flight School, to the day you retire. While it’s important to know the specifics and regulations, learning goes beyond the books in this job. Real-time learning happens behind the controls of a plane, but luckily pilots can learn from everyone around them which is one of the biggest advantages of being a pilot.

Anything can happen once the plane leaves the ground, and pilots challenge themselves by going into a workday and not knowing exactly how it will go, but making it work anyway.

With so many flights departing airports every single day, no two flights are ever the same - even when you’re a pilot. Each day can bring a new challenge, which not only keeps things exciting but also encourages you to become a better pilot.

Being a pilot and dealing with new challenges requires numerous skills, including:

• Ambition
• Confidence
• Hand-eye coordination
• Critical thinking
• Coping well under pressure

Learn more about the skills and qualifications needed to be a pilot.

8. Meet New People

We mentioned earlier that one of the biggest benefits of being a pilot is being able to travel to new places. As a pilot, you will also constantly have the opportunity to meet new people. From your flight crew to passengers, to residents of the cities you visit, you’ll be introduced to people and cultures you may not have otherwise had the opportunity to meet.

Whether you are flying to a new state, country or even continent, meeting new people is undoubtedly one of our favorite advantages of being a pilot.

9. Salary and Health Benefits

Aviation is a career that allows for substantial growth opportunities. Nearly all airlines offer:

• Standard annual raises
• Dental health benefits
• Vision health benefits

While it can take a while to advance in your career as a pilot, when you do rise in the ranks, the salary is nothing short of attractive and is often considered to be one of the biggest benefits of being a pilot. The average salary of a commercial pilot in the USA is $77,200 per year and you could go on to earn more than $147,240 annually.

It is worth considering that your salary will vary based on a number of factors including:

• Whether you’re a pilot with a regional or major airline
• Which specific airline you work for
• Your experience
• How many hours you are contracted to work

How much a pilot earns

10. Do What You Love

Last on our list of the top 10 reasons to be a pilot, but most importantly, becoming a pilot allows you to do what you love. Pilots have a passion for flying high in the sky, and nothing is more rewarding than taking people along for the ride. Reaching your dreams is not an impossible task, and pilots can attest to that. As the saying goes, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

Find out more about the benefits of being a pilot and what life as a commercial airline pilot could look like by watching our video.

Why Train to Be a Pilot With L3Harris?

From the unique opportunity to travel to new countries and meet new people, to enjoying an incredible work-life balance, there are countless benefits of being a pilot.

If you have fallen in love with the advantages of being a pilot and are ready to take the next step in your career, you might be wondering why you should train with L3Harris.

We are proud to be industry leaders in delivering world-class pilot training courses that can take you from zero experience to a qualified commercial pilot. Some of the benefits of training to be a pilot with L3Harris include:

• State-of-the-art facilities at our Orlando Flight School
• Access to high-specification training technologies and an exceptional fleet of training aircraft
• Experienced instructor, selection and recruitment teams to support you
• Opportunities to fund your pilot training through scholarships and loans
• You will also benefit from our strong airline relationships

If you have any questions about the advantages of being a pilot or want to learn more about applying to train with L3Harris, please get in touch with us today.