Also called: Freight Pilot, FedEx/UPS Pilot
Flies freighter jets loaded with packages and cargo, usually overnight, for carriers like FedEx, UPS, and Atlas.
Your 'passengers' are shipping containers full of phones, medicine, and online orders. Many flights leave around midnight so packages arrive by morning, often through a giant hub like Memphis or Louisville. There is no cabin crew, just you, your copilot, and a lot of quiet night sky.
Big-package carriers are among the highest-paying airlines in the US; small feeder cargo jobs pay far less.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Same as passenger airlines: ATP certificate (1,500 hours) and usually a bachelor's; many start at regional or small cargo operators.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification, Military. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Aviation / Professional Pilot, Aeronautical Science.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). Grows with e-commerce and airline pilot demand overall (BLS 4%).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Freight carriers may be first to test one-pilot cockpits in the 2030s; until then two-pilot rules keep demand strong.
Classes: Physics, Algebra II, Geography.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-2011.
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.