What Defines a Professional Pilot?

A small gaffe in a video in his last edition motivates the author to clarify his stance on ‘pro or no?’

Friday, January 07, 2022 at 10:27 AM ET

Verified

The regional airlines have traditionally been a stepping stone for professional pilots, but they needn't be. [Courtesy: Sam Weigel]

Key Takeaways:

The author defines a "professional pilot" for the "V1 Rotate" series as an individual whose primary income is derived from acting as a required crewmember of a crewed aircraft, explicitly excluding roles like drone operators or flight instructors.
This definition is inclusive of a wide range of aviation careers, from test pilots and agricultural applicators to corporate and airline pilots, with a stated aim to avoid an airline-centric bias.
Beyond the income-based definition, "professional" also describes a pilot's conduct in the cockpit—demonstrating skill, methodical consistency, risk assessment, and precision—qualities that enhance safety and reputation for any pilot, regardless of how they earn their living.

See a mistake? Contact us.

When we introduced “V1 Rotate” in early December, I explicitly said that the target audience is prospective, beginning, and current professional pilots. Seems simple enough, right? But then in the very next installment, a video review of the David Clark One-X ANR Headset, I made a telling slip: I declared one particular competing headset as “not really a professional pilot’s headset,” when what I really meant was that it wasn’t an airline pilot’s headset.

I discovered the gaffe late in editing and chose not to reshoot, inserting a wry text comment about my bias showing, but the fact that I had mentally transposed the two was a warning flag. If I’m creating “V1 Rotate” to be a resource for all professional pilots, I need to start out by being clear who I’m talking about.