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Air Crew Officers: Career Overview

Perform and direct in-flight duties to ensure the successful completion of combat, reconnaissance, transport, and search and rescue missions. Duties include operating aircraft communications and radar equipment, such as establishing satellite linkages and jamming enemy communications capabilities; operating aircraft weapons and defensive systems; conducting preflight, in-flight, and postflight inspections of onboard equipment; and directing cargo and personnel drops.

What Tasks Do Air Crew Officers Perform?

Related Job Titles

This career also goes by job titles like:

• Airdrop Systems Technician
• Astronaut, Mission Specialist
• Helicopter Officer
• Naval Flight Officer, Airborne Reconnaissance Officer
• Naval Flight Officer, Bombardier/Navigator
• Naval Flight Officer, Electronic Warfare Officer
• Naval Flight Officer, Qualified Supporting Arms Coordinator (Airborne)
• Naval Flight Officer, Radar Intercept Officer

Job Outlook

The U.S. employs around 12,044 air crew officers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +3.6% over the projection horizon.

Salary for Air Crew Officers

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$66,038
Hourly median	$31.75
10th percentile	$44,417
25th percentile	$55,228
75th percentile	$76,849
90th percentile	$87,660

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Sources

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 55-1011.00 (Air Crew Officers).