Commercial Aspirations or Commercial Expectations?

Whenever the topic of pilot progression comes up in conversation, discussion eventual lands on “the airlines.”  Rare is the CFI who conceals their hopes to one day sit behind the controls of a large airliner, frequenting exotic overseas destinations, and reaping the benefit of a generous six-figure salary.  Rarer still is the DPE who can’t help but inject their own Part 135 or Part 121 experiences into any conversation they’re party to – be it sage feedback at the conclusion of a check-ride or sharing funny stories over a cup of coffee with an aspiring aviator at a “fly-in.”  Many students and newly-minted pilots sit in awe and eat it up.  YouTube possessing sufficient data to identify my friends and I as pilots, all but saturates us with Part 141 advertising that prominently displays clips of professionals working behind the controls of modern commercial workhorses.  The easy-going music emanating from my laptop is occasionally interrupted by spokespeople from ATP, King Schools, or Pilot Institute advertising their training services and at a volume that would cause even my hard-of-hearing grandfather who frequently watched TBS to cringe.

A Part 135 or Part 121 career can be rewarding and exciting, but how accurate is the growing dogma that all pilots will filter to the airlines?  Not as accurate as the industry would lead many of us to believe.  This CFI cannot recall one single thirty, forty, or fifty-something pilot who intended to risk their present financial security for a new piloting career.  At the time of this writing, many of the regionals are offering the handsome sum of $80K or more to brand-new first officers averaging 75 flight hours each month.[1]  That’s roughly the same pay I earned as a newly commissioned Air Force 2^nd Lieutenant a few decades back – when adjusted for inflation and including my housing allowance.  But most folks in mid-life with the financial means to fly – or their spouses – are hesitant to accept a substantial pay cut.  Mortgages, car payments, saving for retirement, paying for a grown child’s college tuition, and monthly bills demand much more.  And the rising rate of inflation does not help in meeting those financial obligations, long-term.

“But Josh,” a high-hour CFI or DPE might contend, “most student pilots are sufficiently young for that $80K annual salary to constitute a significant incentive.”  Not necessarily so.  Recent FAA statistics identify the average age of a student pilot to be “35.8” years as of last month.[2]  While 35.8 years doesn’t constitute “mid-life” as our society commonly defines it, its sufficiently mature to almost guarantee significant financial obligations that most young twenty-somethings need not plan for, like rearing children.  While the average age of mothers in the US is on the rise, most will have given birth to their first child by “27.5 years.”[3]  With those kids comes additional necessities like larger living arrangements and a family car that can accommodate more than just a married couple.  Then there is the accompanying mortgage, rent, car payment, bills, etc.  When the average worker in the US – aged 35 to 44 – can expect to earn approximately $86K annually, is it worth risking your job security to pursue a new career in aviation with significant, up-front, financial demands only to absorb a $6K annual pay cut?[4]  Probably not.  While income data on US aviators isn’t tracked by the FAA, it’s also worth asking whether or not most mid-lifers who pay for flight training or buy aircraft are earning more than the $80K advertised by the regional air carriers.  I’d bet my next paycheck that an overwhelming majority of them do and so that “financial incentive” would be lost on most students in the 40-plus category.

FAA stats also reveal additional information about how frequently private pilots upgrade to a commercial pilot certificate.  The FAA’s records stretching between 2016 and 2025 indicate an approximate 1:2 ratio between commercial pilot certificates and private pilot certificates issued last year.[5]  Simply put, only one out of three private pilots upgraded to a commercial pilot certificate.  Those same records also identify an approximate 1:4 ratio between private pilot certificates and air transport pilot certificates issued last year.[6]  This suggests that no more than 20% of private pilots will ever earn the ATP required to fly for Part 121 Air Carriers and that is preferred by many Part 135 operators.  The numbers don’t support the industry-wide belief that every private pilot will eventually pursue a career with the airlines.  Statistically speaking, a private pilot is much more likely to be content with their current certificate for the remainder of their flying days.

Senior pilots, DPEs, and CFIs who feed this commonly held misconception do our industry a disservice.  The idea that a private pilot will eventually consider a commercial career can even unfairly bias the Airman Certification Process.  A DPE with whom I recently reviewed a student’s check-ride performance stated, “[they] didn’t perform the partial power loss scenario with as much speed as I would have preferred.  And [they] failed to make it back to the runway.  That’s a skill [they] will need to master if they’re carrying a plane full of commercial passengers.”  The DPE was a multi-decade Part 135 veteran who had witnessed their fair share of emergency situations.  But I knew the student in question and also knew that they simply desired the ability to fly their own small private airplane without supervision.

“[This student] doesn’t want to fly for the airlines,” I countered, “why would you expect a private pilot applicant to respond to such a situation like you would in your previous commercial role?  Making it back to the runway in this case would also mean entering the pattern from a non-standard direction – a right hand-base entry at a field requiring left-hand patterns and expecting pilots to enter 45 degrees off the downwind.  I can appreciate the need for realism, but an evaluation is still a training scenario and I worry about how safe this ‘simulated’ maneuver was.  Had [name omitted] completed the maneuver as you envisioned, they would have turned base at precisely the same spot where traffic was expected to enter the downwind.  We must mitigate for the risk of mid-air collisions…”[7]

The DPE countered with a more passionate recap of their justifications, omitting any redress of my safety concern – I was just a naïve CFI and their thousands of hours of commercial experience guaranteed an accurate interpretation of regulations.  Might this DPE have unfairly interpreted the standards for a “partial power loss” in the ACS in this particular case?[8]  Might the student have successfully completed the maneuver otherwise?  It’s difficult for me to determine solely based on what this DPE recalled or what I saw on FlightAware.  I wasn’t on the flight deck to witness it and could not see or hear what transpired for myself.  That said, the DPE’s justification demonstrated a link between the community’s current dogma toward professional aviation and how ACS standards might be subjectively applied to a level of skill above that which a student is testing at.

Furthermore, the community risks alienating a large percentage of its private aviators via its ceaseless campaign for ever greater aerial achievement.  I internalized Continuous Process Improvement for a quarter of a century and there is something to be said about an eagerness to learn even more as a pilot, professional, or a person.  But there will come a point in every Airman’s career where how far we’ve come is “far enough.”[9]  I harbor no inclinations toward the airlines and many interactions I’ve shared with professional aviators led to their disappointment and my frustration.  “Josh,” a DPE recently suggested, “you need to begin working on your multi-engine certificate and flying more hours if you hope to be competitive for an airline job.”  “I don’t want to go to the airlines,” I responded, “airline pilots have my respect, but their lifestyle is not for me.”  The DPE shifted uncomfortably in their seat while their face briefly flashed with resentment.  This CFI had failed to live up to the expectations of a DPE I had just met and because our professional goals didn’t align.  How vain.  Needless to say, I don’t keep up with this person. 

Is it ethical that a DPE, another CFI, or some other aviation professional judge another pilot’s merit or character on account of not wanting to walk a similar path?  Is there anything wrong with remaining a private pilot or finding contentment as a part-time CFI?  NO.  But for those DPEs or CFIs out there reading this:  if your inner voice answered “yes” to either of these questions, it’s appropriate to ask yourself if teaching or evaluating is right for you.  Your experiencing flattery when others want to emulate you feels great in the moment, but is also a poor long-term teaching strategy.  It means that you’re hitching your own happiness to another’s career choices, which will lead to long-term frustration when a sufficient number of pupils charts a course dissimilar from your own.  Each of us pilots will define “self-actualization” in aviation differently and trying to force your own vision onto someone else will ultimately prove frustrating after many disappointing encounters.[10] 

What separates truly awesome CFIs and DPEs from the rest is their ability to compartmentalize – to omit their own hopes and dreams from the teaching process and focus squarely on what’s best for the student in that moment.  And de-personalizing the teaching process is a difficult thing to do!  By virtue of our position and experience, DPEs and CFIs are often sought after as mentors and we feel all the more validated when doing so.  This former professor and now CFI found mentorship to be one of the more inspiring aspects of the job.  But just because we’re so often solicited, doesn’t automatically mean that every student or pilot junior to us wants or even needs our input regarding their professional choices.  It certainly doesn’t mean that we may subjectively interpret testing standards in a way that we assume will best fit their future needs.  At worst, our best intentions might instill resentment in the very people we hope to teach and lead.  Doing what’s best for the community means taking a step back and allowing our students to chart their own aviation journey and mastering our urge to pass judgement.

Fly on Folks,

Josh Meyer

[1] Brock Willes. “Regional Airline Pilot Salary: What First Officers Really Earn in 2026.” Phoenix East Aviation. 28 May 2026:  https://pea.com/blog/regional-airline-pilot-salary-what-first-officers-earn/

[2] Ryan Ewing. “What FAA Data Shows About Student Pilots and a Younger Pilot Population.” Flyingmag.com. 10 April 2026:  https://www.flyingmag.com/what-faa-data-shows-about-student-pilots-and-a-younger-pilot-population/

[3] “The Rising Age of Motherhood in the United States.” CDC.gov, 13 June 2025: https://blogs.cdc.gov/nchs/2025/06/13/7780/

[4] Jeanette Beebe. “How Median Income for 35-to-44-Year-Olds Compares to Other Age Groups.” Investopedia. 14 may 2026: https://www.investopedia.com/how-average-earnings-for-35-to-44-year-olds-stack-up-how-you-compare-11965493

[5] “US Civil Airman Statistics.” FAA.gov, 2026: https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/civil_airmen_statistics

[6] Ibid.

[7] Advisory Circular 90-66C: Non-Towered Airport Operations. FAA.gov, 6 June 2023: https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-66C.pdf

[8] “Airman Certification Standards,” FAA.gov. 2026: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acs

[9] Government Services Administration. “Continuous Process Improvement (CPI): A Guide for Businesses.” 6Sigma.us, 16 July 2024: https://www.6sigma.us/process-improvement/continuous-process-improvement-cpi/

[10] Aviation Instructor’s Handbook. FAA.gov., 2022: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/aviation_instructors_handbook