How to become an aircraft pilot
Official title: Aircraft pilot (excluding commercial airline and air force)
Also called: Helicopter pilot (air transport), Seaplane pilot, Test pilot (aircraft), Helicopter pilot (air transport), Seaplane pilot, Test pilot (aircraft)
Aircraft pilot (excluding commercial airline and air force) operates and navigates aircraft for purposes other than passenger, mail or freight transportation, such as for testing or delivering aircraft, spraying insecticides and fungicides for pest control, aerial surveys, aerial photography, and exhibitions of flying skill.
Main tasks
- Applying knowledge of principles and practices of flying in order to identify and solve problems arising in the course of their work
- Preparing and submitting flight plan or examining standard flight plan flying and navigating aircraft in accordance with established control and operating procedures
- Controlling the operation of mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment and ensuring that all instruments and controls work properly
- Examining maintenance records and conducting inspections to ensure that aircraft are mechanically sound, maintenance has been performed and that all equipment is operational
- Signing necessary certificates and maintaining official records of flight
- Obtaining briefings and clearances before flights and maintaining contact with air traffic or flight control during flight
Ways in
- Licence or registration: Pilots of Singapore-registered aircraft need a pilot licence from CAAS, such as a commercial or airline transport pilot licence for paid flying. You train at an approved training organisation, pass the licence tests and hold a valid aviation medical certificate. Law: Air Navigation Act 1966. Regulator: Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) (https://www.caas.gov.sg).
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
Will AI change the work of an aircraft pilot?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026