Now is the time to consider a career as a professional pilot. A 2016 study by Boeing predicted a need for 617,000 pilots over the next 20 years – that is approximately 31,000 new pilots per year. Given this and other unique market conditions, the commercial airline industry expects to experience a deficit of up to 15,000 pilots within the next 10 years.

Although alarming, this trajectory toward a pilot deficit creates an opportunity that is both exciting and lucrative for those who pick aviation as a career. Pilot wages have already begun to increase, and top new-hires can receive up to $22,000 as a signing bonus. Captains of large jet aircraft now earn an average of $262 per hour, and because of the looming shortage, the pathway to becoming a commercial pilot is becoming quicker. Aspiring pilots can begin to fly solo as early as age 16 and can be flying for a commercial airline by age 23.