Also called: Flight Check Pilot, Navigational Aid Inspection Pilot
Flies special FAA jets that test the radio beacons and landing systems at airports to make sure they guide planes correctly.
You fly low, precise passes over a runway again and again while a technician in the back watches readings from the airport’s landing system. If the signal is off, you tell the ground crew how to adjust it before airlines can use it.
Estimated from federal pilot pay scales.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor’s degree (usually) plus thousands of flight hours and an ATP certificate.
Ways in: 4-year college, Military, Certification. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Aeronautical Science, Aviation.
Growing about average. A small, steady government team.
Low risk for 10 years. Drones test some signals, but precise inspection flights stay piloted for now.
Classes: Physics, Math, Earth science.
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.