Pilots are highly trained professionals who fly airplanes or helicopters to carry out a wide variety of tasks. Most aviators are airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers who transport passengers and cargo, but one out of five pilots is a commercial pilot involved in tasks such as dusting crops, spreading seed for reforestation, testing aircraft, flying passengers and cargo to areas not served by regular airlines, directing firefighting efforts, tracking criminals, monitoring traffic, and rescuing and evacuating injured persons.
Although some small airlines hire high school graduates, most airlines require at least 2 years of college and prefer to hire college graduates. In fact, most entrants to the pilot employment have a college degree. Because the number of college-educated applicants continues to increase, many employers are making a college degree an educational requirement.
Depending on the type of aircraft, new airline pilots start as first officers or flight engineers. Although some airlines favor applicants for pilot employment who already have a flight engineer's license, they may provide flight engineer training for those who only have  the commercial license. Many pilots begin with smaller regional or commuter airlines, where they obtain experience flying passengers on scheduled flights into busy airports in any weather conditions. These jobs often lead to higher payed jobs with bigger, national or major airlines.
Initial training for airline pilots includes a week of company indoctrination; three to six weeks of ground school and simulator training; and 25 hours of initial operating experience, including a check-ride with an FAA aviation safety inspector. Once trained, pilots are required to attend recurrent training and simulator checks once or twice a year throughout their career.
As for pilot employment, companies other than airlines usually require less flying experience. However, a commercial pilot's license is a minimum requirement for pilot employment, and employers prefer experienced applicants. New employees usually start as first officers, or fly less sophisticated equipment. Test pilots often are required to have an engineering degree.
Pilot recruitment is not that straightforward a process as it may seem. Many pilots start as flight instructors, building up their flying hours while they earn money teaching. As they become more experienced, these pilots occasionally fly charter planes or perhaps get pilot employment with small air transportation firms, such as air-taxi companies. Some advance to flying corporate planes. A small number get flight engineer jobs with the airlines.
In the airlines, advancement usually depends on seniority provisions of union contracts. After 1 to 5 years, flight engineers advance according to seniority to first officer and, after 5 to 15 years, to captain. Seniority also determines which pilots get the more desirable routes. In a nonairline job, a first officer may advance to pilot and, in large companies, to chief pilot or director of aviation in charge of aircraft scheduling, maintenance, and flight procedures. Earnings of airline pilots are among the highest.