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Pilot resume

A pilot resume can fail by reading like a logbook dump: a wall of hour categories with no sense of what kind of flying produced them. The figures a hiring department checks first are total time, PIC, multi-engine, turbine, and instrument, kept in a labeled block by your name beside your certificates, type ratings, current medical class, and the operations you are qualified to fly. List those facts so they match your logbook exactly, since they get verified during hiring, then spend your experience lines on the routes, aircraft, and conditions that turned those hours into command judgment.

ATS ready
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Daniel R. Carver
Airline Transport Pilot | B-737 Type Rated | 6,800 Total Hours
[email protected] · (555) 830-7120 · Sacramento, CA · linkedin.com/in/daniel-carver
Summary

ATP-certificated pilot with 6,800 total flight hours, including 4,100 PIC and 5,200 turbine, across Part 121 and Part 135 operations. Boeing 737 (B-737) type rated and flying the -800, with a clean FAA record and a current first-class medical. Builds shared situational awareness through disciplined CRM, sterile-cockpit adherence, and standard callouts in two-crew operations.

Experience
First Officer, Boeing 737-8002021 - Present
Summit Airlines (Part 121)
  • Operate B737-800 on scheduled domestic and transborder routes, completing 2,900 hours as second-in-command with zero reportable safety events or FAA violations.
  • Program and cross-check FMS routings, RNAV/RNP approaches, and performance data via Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro EFB, supporting on-time arrival on 96 percent of segments.
  • Coordinate two-crew flows, checklists, and ATC communication under sterile-cockpit discipline, applying CRM to resolve a hydraulic-system caution on departure without diversion.
  • Brief and execute Cat II/III approaches to published minimums in low-visibility operations, completing recurrent simulator checks with no maneuver retraining.
Captain, Beechcraft King Air 3502018 - 2021
Front Range Charter (Part 135)
  • Served as pilot-in-command on demand charter and air-ambulance flights, logging 1,950 turbine hours across mountainous terrain and high-density-altitude airports.
  • Made final go/no-go determinations using ForeFlight weather, NOTAMs, and weight-and-balance data, declining 14 flights for weather or maintenance with no schedule pressure overrides.
  • Trained and mentored three first officers on King Air systems and Part 135 standard operating procedures, all passing initial line checks on first attempt.
  • Maintained 100 percent currency on instrument, night, and recurrent Part 135.293/297 checks throughout the contract.
Certified Flight Instructor (CFI/CFII/MEI)2016 - 2018
Mile High Aviation Academy
  • Delivered primary, instrument, and multi-engine instruction across 1,300 dual-given hours with a 92 percent first-time FAA checkride pass rate.
  • Standardized lesson plans to ACS criteria, raising stage-check pass rates and reducing average time-to-checkride by two weeks.
  • Logged 1,100 hours building toward ATP minimums while maintaining zero training incidents.
Skills

Crew Resource Management (CRM) · FMS programming · RNAV/RNP approaches · Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro EFB · ForeFlight · Weight and balance · Part 121 and Part 135 operations · Low-visibility / Cat II/III approaches · Standard operating procedures · ACARS

Education
B.S. in Aviation Science, Metropolitan State University of Denver - 2016
Certifications
  • FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate - Multi-Engine Land
  • Boeing 737 (B-737) Type Rating
  • Commercial Pilot Certificate - Single-Engine Land, Instrument
  • CFI / CFII / MEI (Certified Flight Instructor)
  • ATP-CTP (Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program) Graduation Certificate
  • FAA First-Class Medical Certificate (current)
  • FCC Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit

A worked example for a fictional candidate. Copy the structure, not the details. Swap in your own real experience.

Keyword match

Keywords ATS systems scan for

Use the ones that are genuinely true for you, in your own words. Mirror the exact phrasing from the job posting where it matches.

ATP certificateBoeing 737 type ratingfirst-class medical certificatetotal flight hoursPICcrew resource managementinstrument ratingmulti-engine landPart 121Part 135FMSForeFlight
What recruiters look for

How to make this resume stronger

Specific to pilot roles, not generic advice.

  • Lead with a flight-hours block

    Place a labeled hours summary near the top: Total Time, PIC, Multi-Engine, Turbine, Instrument, and Night. Airline recruiting systems and crew schedulers read these figures first, so keep them as plain text, not buried inside paragraphs or graphics.

  • Spell certificates and aircraft exactly

    Write ATP, B-737, A320, CFII, and type ratings the way the FAA and the job posting do. ATS keyword matching is literal, so a misspelled aircraft model or certificate name can drop you below the cutoff even when you are fully qualified.

  • List currency and medical dates

    State your first-class medical and recurrent check currency, and include issue or expiry context where relevant. A missing or undated medical reads as a red flag to aviation recruiters who verify currency before scheduling an interview.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Omitting the flight-hours breakdown or listing only total time, which forces recruiters to guess at your PIC, turbine, and multi-engine experience.
  • Burying certificates and type ratings inside dense prose instead of a dedicated, scannable section that both ATS and human screeners can parse.
  • Misspelling aircraft types, airline names, or FAA terms, since literal ATS matching will not recognize B-73, Boing, or other near-miss variants.
  • Padding bullets with vague duties like flew aircraft safely instead of citing concrete hours, approaches flown, and a clean safety record.

Pilot resume FAQ

What certificates and ratings should a pilot resume list?

List your FAA certificate level (Private, Commercial, or Airline Transport Pilot) plus every rating: Instrument, Multi-Engine Land, and any aircraft type ratings such as B-737 or A320. Add instructor ratings (CFI/CFII/MEI) if held, your ATP-CTP completion, and a current first-class medical certificate. All are issued or recognized by the FAA, so use the exact official wording.

How do I show flight hours on a pilot resume?

Use a labeled block near the top with categories airlines screen for: Total Time, PIC (pilot-in-command), Multi-Engine, Turbine, Instrument, Night, and Cross-Country. Keep the numbers as plain text so applicant tracking systems can read them, and make sure they match your logbook, since these figures are verified during the hiring process.

How long should a pilot resume be?

One page is standard for most regional and corporate applications, with the flight-hours summary, certificates, and ratings prioritized over older or non-flying roles. Senior captains with type ratings, check-airman experience, and decades of turbine time may extend to two pages, but only when the added detail directly supports the position.

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Last reviewed May 10, 2026.