1 min readBy Aaron Spray
How Much Do US Air Force Fighter Pilots Make Compared To Commercial Airline Pilots?
While US fighter jet pilots earn somewhat comparable incomes to commuter and regional pilots, narrowbody and widebody pilots earn much more.
By Aaron SprayZimbabwe

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In both the military and commercial sectors, pilots are paid based on years of service and rank. In the military, rank and years of service are determining factors, although the aviation bonus provides some variation depending on the community. In the commercial sector, pay is mostly influenced by seniority and rank (namely first officer and captain). For the sake of brevity, first officers are not considered in this article. It's also worth noting that commuter and regional carriers tend to pay their pilots considerably less, but those are beyond the scope of this article.
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About this article
- Length
- 95 words · 1 min read
- Published
- September 15, 2026
- Byline
- Aaron Spray
- Source
- Simple Flying