Pilot/ATC pay over career

[flyeagle111]

I was bored and made a pay chart comparing ATC vs. Airline Pilot pay.
Obviously these are rough estimates and for the pilot route, this is probably the best case scenario. The ATC pay is based on that of a level eleven facility.
Btw, starting at age 26, they are all airline rates. I figured the atc pay would be about 120,000 for his/her whole career.
AGE ATC PILOT
23 40,000 20,000
24 60,000 30,000
25 120,000/yr 30,000
for next 23
26 55,000 (for next three years as rj captain)
29 35,000 (first year major domestic FO)
30 70,000
31 80,000 (for next three years)
34 110,000 (76 FO, for next three years)
37 130,000 (77 FO, for next two years)
40 150,000 (Domestic captain, next ten years)
50 180,000 (International captain, next 15 years)
In the end, the controller will make 2,860,000 over his 25 year career and have a good pension at 48 years old. The pilot makes 2,830,000 the first 25 years and goes on to make another 2.5 million the rest of his/her career until retired at 65. Feel free to make comments on adjustments that should be made for those that are current pilots and controllers! I heard from a Delta third year md FO that he makes 80,000 too, so hopefully they are somewhat accurate.

 

[frog_flyer]

You forgot the zero pay in years 8 and 12, when the pilot's airline(s) go fold. You must start the pay over again at years 9 and 13, respectively. Retire in the right seat of a narrow body Airbus.

Airways FTW.

 

[mshunter]

And working for a contract tower after retiring from the FAA. Talk to the guys @ WHP tower. Collecting a pension and working on another one.

Edit to add: If I had to do it over again, I'd probably do an ATC career. The schedule and QOL have a much better potential it seems.

 

[CoffeeIcePapers]

It depends on when you get in. If you got into Eagle 10 years ago as an FO at 23, you are now 33 and topped out at $37/hr.

 

[Douglas]

Edit to add: If I had to do it over again, I'd probably do an ATC career. The schedule and QOL have a much better potential it seems.

No joke. Me too.

 

[boondr]

ATC pay is a bit skewed as it doesn't account for locality, yearly raises, differential pay, overtime and holiday. let's just say it doesn't top out at 120 for the rest of a career.

 

[dasleben]

I was bored and made a pay chart comparing ATC vs. Airline Pilot pay.
Obviously these are rough estimates and for the pilot route, this is probably the best case scenario. The ATC pay is based on that of a level eleven facility.
Btw, starting at age 26, they are all airline rates. I figured the atc pay would be about 120,000 for his/her whole career.
AGE ATC PILOT
23 40,000 20,000
24 60,000 30,000
25 120,000/yr 30,000
for next 23
26 55,000 (for next three years as rj captain)
29 35,000 (first year major domestic FO)
30 70,000
31 80,000 (for next three years)
34 110,000 (76 FO, for next three years)
37 130,000 (77 FO, for next two years)
40 150,000 (Domestic captain, next ten years)
50 180,000 (International captain, next 15 years)
In the end, the controller will make 2,860,000 over his 25 year career and have a good pension at 48 years old. The pilot makes 2,830,000 the first 25 years and goes on to make another 2.5 million the rest of his/her career until retired at 65. Feel free to make comments on adjustments that should be made for those that are current pilots and controllers! I heard from a Delta third year md FO that he makes 80,000 too, so hopefully they are somewhat accurate.

I'm supposed to be an RJ captain right now? How'd I miss that boat? :bandit:

 

[Douglas]

I'm supposed to be an RJ captain right now? How'd I miss that boat? :bandit:

You didn't miss the boat, the boat missed you. Stay thirsty my friend. :bandit:

 

[dasleben]

You didn't miss the boat, the boat missed you. Stay thirsty my friend. :bandit:

 

[boondr]

I did some basic math, assuming only basic raises (outside the current contract) if i stayed at my facility i will make a little over 4 mil by the time i reach mandatory retirement at 56 and I started at 28. This is Lvl 12 and doesn't account for the inevitable overtime etc.

 

[fholbert]

I thinking of my friends who retired from major US air carriers.

• Never made it past the right seat.
• 27 years left seat in a DC9/MD80.
• 767 left seat ran at first chance before Delta stole his retirement.

One of them does fly 747 left seat Sidney LAX/SFO/JFK. With 15 to 17 hour legs currency is an issue.

 

[seaav8tor]

What the OP fails to take into cosideration is trend data. The trend of pilot pay has been down if you do a 10, 20, or 30 year look back. The trend for ATC has been up. looking forward I expect to see the lines continue along the well established trend.

 

[Hootie]

The atc path is more reliable to predict. The airline path has about 50 different scenarios that could play out. Factor probabilities of airline survival,etc.

 

[Hootie]

awesome. I love a good demotivational poster.

 

[Hootie]

Also NO WAY does atc pay 120k at year three. Where are you getting your data!!

 

[boondr]

Also NO WAY does atc pay 120k at year three. Where are you getting your data!!

Depends someone gets hired today to level 11, let's say Boston TRACON, in 2012 their BASE pay if fully checked out will be $122,407(using an old locality percentage). That does not include night differential, Sunday pay, holiday and overtime etc. So in reality if assuming a normal schedule it will be somewhere around 130k. That's less than two years

 

[CamYZ125]

Also NO WAY does atc pay 120k at year three. Where are you getting your data!!

It can. Just heard from a guy at a level 12 center who started in Spring of 2008. He's completely checked out now, making over $100k a year. Oh, and he's 23. Freakin' crazy...

 

[Hootie]

I stand corrected. But still I bet 25% of that total is locality pay due to having to live in a NYC,SFO, or BOS style $$$ situation. Either way impressive. And a lot more stress than being a pilot.

 

[dasleben]

Depends someone gets hired today to level 11, let's say Boston TRACON, in 2012 their BASE pay if fully checked out will be $122,407(using an old locality percentage). That does not include night differential, Sunday pay, holiday and overtime etc. So in reality if assuming a normal schedule it will be somewhere around 130k. That's less than two years

It can. Just heard from a guy at a level 12 center who started in Spring of 2008. He's completely checked out now, making over $100k a year. Oh, and he's 23. Freakin' crazy...

So....what's that number to check my CTI eligibility again?

 

[wheelsup]

Wow I didn't realize ATC pay was so good, I thought they took large pay cuts. Is there even a demand for ATCs these days? Or is the pipeline full? I can't imagine being 23 making 6 figures with a pension waiting for me.

The federal pension is the big draw.