Also called: LSO, Paddles
A Navy or Marine pilot who stands at the back of an aircraft carrier and talks fellow pilots down onto the deck, grading every landing.
During flight operations LSOs stand on a small platform at the stern, watching each jet on approach and giving radio calls like 'power' or 'wave off'. They grade every landing and debrief pilots afterward. It is an extra duty for experienced pilots on top of their own flying.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for officers O-1 to O-5, 2026 estimate. A 20-year career earns a lifetime pension. Aviators add flight pay and retention bonuses.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 7 years after high school. Bachelor's degree, commission, Navy flight training, then LSO school and carrier qualification. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, 4-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering, Any major, Physics.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Medium risk for 10 years. Software like Magic Carpet makes landings easier; LSOs still judge safety and coach pilots.
Classes: Physics, Math, Speech.
Official data: O*NET occupation 55-1012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.