Flight Operator Salary
$30K - $36K
5% of jobs
$36K - $42K
12% of jobs
$42K - $48K
6% of jobs
$48.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$48K - $54K
25% of jobs
The median wage is $54.5K / yr.
$54K - $60K
34% of jobs
$60K - $66K
9% of jobs
$66K - $72K
2% of jobs
$72K - $78K
0% of jobs
$78K - $84K
0% of jobs
$84K - $90K
7% of jobs
$90K - $96K
1% of jobs
$30K
$55K
$98K
$58,871
/year
$28.30
/hour
Flight Operator Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$58,871
Columbus
Ohio
$56,864
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How much does a Flight Operator make?
As of Jul 26, 2026, the average annual pay for a Flight Operator in the United States is $58,871 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $28.30 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,132/week or $4,905/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $98,000 and as low as $30,000, the majority of Flight Operator salaries currently range between $50,500 (25th percentile) to $60,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $86,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Flight Operator varies little (about 9500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Flight Operator in your area makes on average $56,864 per year, or $2,007 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $58,871. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Flight Operator salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Flight Operator jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Flight Operator on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Flight Operator Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Flight Operator job is above the national average. Topping the list is Drew, MS, , with Barrow, AK, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $14,159 (24.1%), and Drew, MS, furthers that trend with another $23,415 (39.8%) above the $58,871 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Flight Operator appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 15% between Drew, MS, and Holdrege, NE, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Flight Operator role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Drew, MS | $82,286 | $39.56 |
Barrow, AK | $73,340 | $35.26 |
Nome, AK | $73,030 | $35.11 |
Berkeley, CA | $72,084 | $34.66 |
Lonaconing, MD | $71,893 | $34.56 |
Brookings, OR | $71,350 | $34.30 |
Aspen, CO | $71,159 | $34.21 |
Sitka, AK | $70,921 | $34.10 |
Brisbane, CA | $70,868 | $34.07 |
Holdrege, NE | $70,520 | $33.90 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Flight Operator Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Flight Operator category.
For example Leonardo Helicopters jobs pay as much as $41,378 (70.3%) more than the average Flight Operator salary of $58,871. If you're qualified, finding work as a Leonardo Helicopters may help you make more money than that of the average Flight Operator position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Leonardo Helicopters | $100,249 | $48.20 |
Aircraft Parts Inspector | $73,848 | $35.50 |
Aircraft Operations | $62,382 | $29.99 |
Jet Aviation | $44,812 | $21.54 |
Airline Ground Crew | $44,261 | $21.28 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
