The outlook varies for different types of pilots. Employment of business pilots is expected to grow more slowly than in the past, while demand for helicopter pilots will increase. Opportunities for Photogrammetry Pilots are limited. Employment of Agricultural Pilots is dropping sharply in California. Career newcomers are discouraged by increased regulation of agricultural aviation, the high cost of insurance, and technological advances that allow one pilot to do the work that in past years required three pilots.
Military pilots earn regular pay for their rank plus monthly incentive pay.
By federal law Airline Pilots cannot fly more than 100 hours a month or 1,000 hours a year. The work hours of Agricultural Pilots, on the other hand, vary during the year according to seasons, weather, cycles of insects and weeds, the number of daylight hours and wind velocity. Pilots who seed small grains fly from early morning until dusk seven days a week for periods of several weeks or months. Pilots dusting crops with hazardous chemicals normally fly the first two or three daylight hours each morning. Some pilots have equipped their aircraft with lights and work at night.