Also called: Alaska Bush Pilot, Floatplane Pilot, Backcountry Pilot
Flies small planes into remote places with no roads, landing on gravel bars, lakes, glaciers, or tiny dirt strips.
In Alaska you might load groceries, mail, and a dog into a Cessna on floats and fly to a village 200 miles away. You land on a river or beach, unload, and head back before the weather turns. Bush pilots are part pilot, part mechanic, part delivery driver.
Estimated; pay depends heavily on the operator and season.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 3 years after high school. Commercial pilot certificate, tailwheel and float endorsements, and lots of backcountry experience; many start doing summer seasons.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Aviation / Professional Pilot.
Growing about average. Steady demand in Alaska and the Northwest, with frequent turnover.
Low risk for 10 years. Little automation helps on gravel bars and glaciers; judgment in harsh weather keeps bush flying human.
Classes: Physics, Earth science, Small engines.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-2012.
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.