Visit the Air Force ROTC website, then explore more about the different programs and opportunities that are available to see if this would be a good fit for you.

Learn about the Air Force ROTC.

Practice traveling with a mission! Geocaching is an activity where you find a hidden object using GPS--then log your discovery and re-hide it for others to find. Sign up and try it!

Find hidden treasures all around you with geocaching!

Learn more about all of the people who keep an airport running, from parking lot shuttle drivers to pilots and flight attendants. Do you think you'd like traveling for work like this?

See a day in the life of the world's busiest airport.

When you find something you're passionate about, the motivation to pursue it will follow. Let go of practical concerns for a moment and focus on the one thing you're most passionate about.

Identify what you're most passionate about.

Check out the FAA's rules for getting a pilot's license. What kind of flying do you want to do? What do you want to learn how to fly? 

Learn more about becoming a pilot!

Act as a guide and plan a tour for a local attraction, hike, landmark, or anything else you think should be seen near where you live! Make a schedule for the day and a list of supplies you'd need!

Plan your own outdoor adventure.

Follow these directions from Google Earth to use their online flight simulator and then jet around wherever you like!

Try an online flight simulator.

Watch "Black Sky: The Race for Space" to learn more about the design, creation, and launch of SpaceShipOne.

Watch the making of SpaceShipOne.

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.

The ability to see details at a distance.

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Commercial Pilots

Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots. Excludes regional, national, and international airline pilots.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

There was a lot of controversy about being a woman in an agricultural pilot's role and people would say things, but I wouldn't ever listen to it, I wouldn't even hear it.

Helicopter Pilot

Test Pilot

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers

Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Air Transportation Workers

Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.

Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.

Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.

Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.

Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.

Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.

Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.

Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.

Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.

Check baggage or cargo to ensure that it has been loaded correctly.

Adobe Creative Cloud software

Calibration software

Litchi

Pilot Navigator Software Load Balance

Pix4D Pix4Dmapper

Airline Pilots Daily Aviation Log PPC

AirSmith FlightPrompt

RMS Technology Flitesoft

Skylog Services Skylog Pro

ESRI Site Scan for ArcGIS

OpenDroneMap

AeroPlanner

Notam Development Group Airport Insight

ArduPilot Mission Planner

Standard generalized markup language SGML

Microsoft Office software

Navzilla

Aeronautical charts

DroneDeploy

Landing pad

Local area augmentation system LAAS receivers

Microwave landing system MLS receivers

Airborne collision avoidance systems ACAS

Engine indicating and crew alerting systems EICAS

Ground proximity warning systems GPWS

Traffic alert and collision avoidance system TCAS

Digital communications display units DCDU

High frequency HF radio communication systems

On-board intercom systems

Ultra high frequency UHF radio communication systems

Air data computers

Autopilot systems

Flight director FD systems

Stability augmentation systems SAS

Autobrakes

Pneumatic emergency brake systems

Power brake systems

Air pressurization systems

Emergency pressurization systems

Recirculation control systems

Engine anti-icing equipment

Windscreen ice control systems

Wing anti-ice systems

Automatic landing systems

Mechanical nose wheel steering systems

Yaw damper systems

Fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles UAV

Multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles UAV

Engine fire extinguishing systems

Fire suppression and control systems

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.

Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?

Every day

How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?

How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

A lot of freedom

Some freedom

How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?

Very high responsibility

High responsibility

What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?

Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results

Very important results

Moderate results

How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?

Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team

Extremely important

Very important

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Number of hours typically worked in one week.

More than 40 hours

40 hours

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

Contact with others most of the time

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Commercial Pilots

Overview

Career

What Commercial Pilots Do

Other Job Titles Commercial Pilots May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Commercial Pilots

Overview

Career

What Commercial Pilots Do

Other Job Titles Commercial Pilots May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Commercial Pilots

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders