The pilot example below shows what a strong Transportation resume includes, section by section, and why each part is there.
Pilot Resume Example
Updated · By the OneTwo Resume editorial team · Salary data: BLS OES, May 2025
A pilot resume is read against a checklist before anyone reads a word of prose. The recruiter or chief pilot office wants to see certificates, ratings, medical class and flight time in seconds, because airlines hire against published minimums. So put those items at the top of page one, not on page two. Write one line of contact details, one line of certificates and ratings, a flight-time block, and a short summary that states your aircraft category, your operation type and your safety record. Everything below that is evidence.
The flight-time block does the heavy lifting. List total time, pilot in command, second in command, turbine, multi-engine, instrument and cross-country hours, and state the date the totals were current. The unrestricted ATP certificate in the United States requires 1,500 hours of total time, while a restricted ATP can be issued at lower hours to graduates of approved collegiate aviation programs and certain military pilots, so state which you hold. Airlines care about the difference between PIC and SIC, and about turbine time in type, so keep them separate and make sure every number could be matched to a logbook. An overstatement caught in a background check ends the application.
Write experience bullets that carry volume, standard and outcome. Volume is block hours a month, legs flown, fleet and seat count. Standard is the regulation or procedure you flew to: Part 121 or Part 135, company SOPs, CAT I approaches, stabilized approach criteria, MEL and fuel policy. Outcome is what the record shows: no incidents or violations, checks passed on the first attempt, safety reports submitted, new first officers mentored. A bullet such as "flew 85 block hours a month on a 76-seat regional jet in Part 121 service with a clean line check record" shows scope, rules and result at once.
Group the rest the way airline postings are written. Certificates: ATP, commercial, instrument, multi-engine, flight instructor. Type ratings and aircraft. Medical class. Skills: CRM, instrument approaches, winter operations, flight planning, dispatch coordination. Training and education follow. If you are a flight instructor or a military pilot, translate your flying into civilian terms, and say which of your hours count toward the airline's minimums. Keep the resume to one page if you can, two at most, with no photo.
Salary Snapshot
U.S. national data · BLS OES, May 2025
Salary Range
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), occupation 53-2011 — Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. BLS profile · O*NET profile
How a Strong Pilot Resume Reads
Professional formatting that passes ATS systems and impresses hiring managers
Maya Cohen
Pilot | Philadelphia, PA
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
First Officer with 5 years of experience flying regional jet operations under 14 CFR Part 121, with 4,200 total hours, 1,900 hours in type on the CRJ-...
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Not sure which to include? Skills to put on a resume (100+ examples)
WORK EXPERIENCE
Pilot
Summit Logistics | 2019 - Present
- Flew 85 block hours a month as First Officer on a 76-seat regional jet in schedu...
- Held an ATP certificate with a CRJ-700/900 type rating and a current First-Class...
ATS-Optimized Features
- Mirrors Pilot keywords like Atp Certificate and Multi-Engine Instrument Rating
- Quantified Pilot achievements, not a list of duties
- Standard headers (Experience, Skills, Education) ATS parsers expect
- Clean single-column layout — no tables, columns, or graphics
- Transportation terminology hiring managers actually screen for
Role Snapshot
What Hiring Managers Actually Look For
Pilot hiring teams screen first on minimums: certificates, medical, total time, turbine or PIC time, and type rating where it is required. They next look for a clean record. Training failures, checkride busts, accidents, incidents and gaps will be asked about in the interview, so a resume that shows first-attempt passes and clear dates is easier to trust. They want to see the aircraft category and operation you have flown, whether Part 135 charter, regional Part 121 or corporate, because it indicates how quickly you will upgrade or transition to their fleet.
The interview goes past the paper. Expect technical questions on regulations, systems and weather, scenario questions on decision making, and behavioral questions about crew conflicts and judgment calls under pressure. Bullets that show CRM, callouts, mentoring and safety reporting prepare you for those conversations. Be precise about hours and dates: logbook entries get verified, and one inflated number costs more than a lower honest figure. If you are building time as an instructor, say so plainly and show the students you trained and the check results they earned.
Your Opening Pitch
First Officer with 5 years of experience flying regional jet operations under 14 CFR Part 121, with 4,200 total hours, 1,900 hours in type on the CRJ-700/900 and an ATP certificate with a CRJ-700/900 type rating. Flies multi-leg day schedules in Class B and Class C airspace and in winter weather, working CRM, checklist discipline and fuel planning with captains and dispatch. Completed 4 years of line operations with no incidents or violations, and passed all proficiency checks on first attempt.
Pro Tip: Customize this summary to match the specific job description you're applying for.
Bullet Points That Land
Flew 85 block hours a month as First Officer on a 76-seat regional jet in scheduled Part 121 service, completing 1,000+ legs in two years with a 99% on-time departure record for assigned pairings.
Held an ATP certificate with a CRJ-700/900 type rating and a current First-Class medical, and passed every initial, recurrent and line check on the first attempt.
Performed preflight planning with dispatch on weather, fuel, alternates and MEL items for each flight, and applied standard callouts and checklists to keep every flight within company and FAA limits.
Applied crew resource management on high-workload approaches in low visibility, monitored the captain's flight path, and called out deviations, with zero reportable events across 4,200 total hours.
Flew non-precision and CAT I ILS approaches to minimums in icing and crosswind conditions, using de-icing procedures and stabilized approach criteria that resulted in no go-arounds attributed to crew error.
Completed 50 hours of check airman observation and mentoring for new-hire first officers, briefing them on SOPs, flows and automation, which shortened line-qualification time by one pairing.
Served as a safety committee representative, submitting and reviewing ASAP reports and presenting three lessons on runway incursion prevention to 120 line pilots at quarterly safety meetings.
Bullet Point Formula: Start with a strong action verb, describe the task, and end with a measurable result. Example from this role: "Flew 85 block hours a month as First Officer on a 76-seat regional jet in scheduled Part 121 service..."
Essential Skills
Complete Pilot Resume Guide
Keep your header clean: full name, phone, a professional email, and city. For Pilot roles, also include your LinkedIn profile and any role-relevant credentials — it is one of the first things a transportation hiring manager looks for.
Example header for a Pilot:
Good Example:
Maya Cohen — Philadelphia, PA (555) 123-4567 | pilot@email.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pilot
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a pilot resume include?
Put certificates, ratings, medical class, total time and PIC, SIC and turbine hours on top, then a short summary naming your aircraft category and operation. Add experience bullets with block hours, legs and standards flown, type ratings with dates, safety record, training and education. Keep every number traceable to your logbook and stay within one or two pages.
What skills should I list on a pilot resume?
List your certificates and ratings, type ratings, and operation experience such as Part 121 or Part 135. Add instrument approaches, crew resource management, flight planning, weather analysis, MEL and dispatch coordination, glass cockpit avionics and radio communications. Include soft skills like decision making and mentoring only if a bullet supports them.
How do I write bullet points for a pilot resume?
Use the pattern of scope, standard and outcome: block hours or legs flown, the aircraft and rules, and the record such as checks passed or incident-free operation. The examples here are illustrations, so use the numbers from your own logbook and records. Never state a number you cannot document.
How do I write a pilot resume with low flight hours?
Lead with your certificates, ratings and medical, then show flight instruction, charter or ferry work, and training results such as first-attempt checkrides. List hours accurately and explain your path to the minimums, for example the restricted ATP provisions for approved collegiate programs, if they apply to you.
What education and certification does an airline pilot need?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for airline pilots, with less than five years of related experience and moderate-term on-the-job training. Airline pilots also need an FAA ATP certificate, a first-class medical, and a type rating for the aircraft, so put those near the top.
How can I make my pilot resume stand out?
Make the minimums obvious, keep PIC, SIC and turbine time separate, and show a clean training and safety record. Name the aircraft category, the operation and the standards you flew to. Add mentoring, safety reporting or check airman work. Use the same terms as the airline's posting, and match every figure to your logbook.
Should I list PIC and SIC hours separately on a pilot resume?
Yes. Airlines and recruiters read pilot in command and second in command time as different measures of experience, and many postings state minimums for each. Show total time, PIC, SIC, turbine, multi-engine and instrument hours in a small table, and state the date the totals were current, so a reviewer can check them quickly.
Preparing to interview as a pilot?
See the questions you should expect — with answer strategies and a prep checklist.
Pilot interview questions & answers →Related Transportation Roles
Career Path & Related Roles
Explore career progression and alternative paths for Pilot professionals
Career Progression
Entry Level
Junior Pilot
Current Level
Pilot
Senior Level
Senior Pilot
Management Track
Engineering Manager
Alternative Paths
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Pilot Job Market Snapshot
Current U.S. labor market data for Pilot positions
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), occupation 53-2011 — Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. bls.gov
Top skills employers look for in Pilot candidates
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