How long does it take for a First Officer to become a captain?

Some first officers have waited decades to become a captain while others can upgrade in just a few years, but we'll set an average range of 5-12 years from first officer to captain at a major airline. That means from 0 experience all the way to major airline captain, one can expect a timeline of 15+ years.



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The estimated total pay for a Captain at Delta Air Lines is $108,323 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $94,595 per year.

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How Long Does it Take to Become a Pilot? It takes two months to become a pilot and earn your private pilot license. To become an airline pilot, it takes two years to gain the required 1,500 hours flight time.

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There are no specific height restrictions for pilots under FAA rules. Flight schools and commercial airlines accept pilots for training as long as they are physically able to reach the controls and obtain a full rudder deflection in the aircraft they will operate.

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Commercial airline pilots are addressed as Captain, “sir”, or “ma'am”. Even if you see the First officer standing by to bid you farewell, it's not customary to address them as anything but these three.

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Many pilots are turning down the captain's job as they do not want the unpredictable schedule that comes with the bigger paycheck.

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A Captain is typically the highest rank. However, in some airlines, there is a role of a Training Captain – an experienced pilot who not only performs regular captain duties, but also takes on the responsibility of training and evaluating other pilots (they also wear four Captain stripes).

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While they can sometimes have shared responsibilities, a co-pilot and a pilot typically earn different salaries. A captain usually has the potential to earn a higher salary than a co-pilot, though the specific salary amounts for each position can vary greatly depending on the airline.

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In many countries outside the US, anybody with stripes in the cockpit is addressed as Captain, Cappie, Commander, Commandante or other honoraria so as not to offend and denote respect. In the US crews are sometimes called Skycap, but usually not while in the cockpit.

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A second officer or a flight engineer wears two stripes, a first officer (co-pilot/second-in-command) wears three stripes, and a captain, also known as a pilot-in-command, is awarded four stripes.

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A Captain can marry people if he is also ordained or otherwise has the authority to do so outside of his authority as Captain.

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