NOC 72600: Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors
What air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors do
Air pilots fly fixed wing aircraft and helicopters to provide air transportation and other services such as crop spraying and aerial surveying. Flight engineers assist air pilots with monitoring, troubleshooting and maintenance of aircraft systems and with pre- and post-flight inspections. Flying instructors teach flying techniques and procedures to student and licensed pilots. Air pilots, flight engineers and flight instructors are employed by airline and air freight companies, flying schools and by other public and private sector aircraft operators.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Air pilots
- Conduct pre-flight inspection of aircraft and check passenger and cargo distribution to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met
- Coordinate flight activities with ground crews and air-traffic control, inform crew members of flight and test procedures and direct activities of aircraft crew during flights
- Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions and other information
- Conduct in-flight tests and monitor functioning of aircraft equipment and systems during flights, maintain communications with flight dispatchers and weather forecasters and respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions
- Prepare flight evaluation reports
- Train pilots to use new equipment, or prepare them for examinations to revalidate or upgrade existing licences
- May fly new or experimental planes to examine their flight performance and safety
- May participate in search and rescue operations, forest firefighting, aerial surveying, crop dusting and other services.
- Flight engineers
- Inspect aircraft prior to takeoff according to pre-flight checklist and verify passenger and cargo distribution to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met
- Assist air pilots in monitoring aircraft systems, equipment and functions during flight
- Make in-flight repairs, such as replacing fuses and adjusting instruments, and follow emergency procedures to compensate for equipment malfunction or failure
- Perform post-flight inspections, record equipment malfunctions and corrective actions taken during flight and report required repairs to ground maintenance personnel.
- Flying instructors
- Instruct student pilots in procedures and techniques of flying aircraft and in ground-school subjects such as navigation, radio procedures and flying regulations
- Train licensed pilots for additional certification.
Job titles under NOC 72600
56 job titles are classified here, including air pilot, captain - air transport, check pilot.
- aerial crop duster
- aerial crop dusting service contractor
- aerial sprayer
- aerial survey flight supervisor
- aerial survey pilot
- air navigator
- air patrol pilot
- air pilot
- air pilot and flight engineer supervisor
- air pilots and navigators supervisor
- airline pilot
- airline pilot instructor
- airline test pilot
- airplane pilot
- bush pilot
- business aircraft pilot
- captain - air transport
- charter pilot
- check pilot
- chief flying instructor
- chief pilot
- chief pilot - air transport
- commercial airline pilot
- commercial pilot
Employment requirements
- Pilots and flight engineers
- Completion of secondary school and graduation from a certified flying or aviation school are required.
- A university degree or college diploma may be required.
- A commercial pilot's licence (more than 200 hours of flight experience) or an air transport pilot's licence (more than 1500 hours of flight experience) is required.
- Additional licences or endorsements to fly different types of aircraft are required.
- Flight engineers require a flight engineer licence issued by Transport Canada.
- Structured training is provided by employers.
- Flight instructors
- Completion of secondary school and graduation from a certified flying or aviation school are required.
- A university degree or college diploma may be required.
- A commercial pilot's or an air transport pilot's licence is required.
- Transport Canada ratings and endorsements to provide instructions on different types of aircraft are required.
Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $24.04/hr | $52.00/hr | $106.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $28.85/hr | $63.00/hr | $126.92/hr |
Montréal QC | $28.79/hr | $52.81/hr | $85.73/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $30.93/hr | $57.19/hr | $88.53/hr |
Calgary AB | $30.31/hr | $56.83/hr | $86.95/hr |
Edmonton AB | $30.76/hr | $55.61/hr | $83.51/hr |
Ottawa ON | $28.85/hr | $63.00/hr | $126.92/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $24.95/hr | $47.70/hr | $80.23/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $27.81/hr | $50.56/hr | $86.72/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $29.70/hr | $63.46/hr | $144.23/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $37.90/hr | $68.60/hr | $103.25/hr |
London ON | $35.60/hr | $60.98/hr | $88.54/hr |
Halifax NS | $25.00/hr | $48.08/hr | $77.16/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $34.34/hr | $58.21/hr | $90.50/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $20.00/hr | $41.87/hr | $84.13/hr |
Nova Scotia | $24.00/hr | $44.00/hr | $77.16/hr |
New Brunswick | $27.00/hr | $55.29/hr | $85.10/hr |
Quebec | $27.81/hr | $50.56/hr | $86.72/hr |
Ontario | $28.85/hr | $63.00/hr | $126.92/hr |
Manitoba | $22.81/hr | $45.11/hr | $80.84/hr |
Saskatchewan | $24.23/hr | $50.00/hr | $79.07/hr |
Alberta | $28.05/hr | $54.11/hr | $89.95/hr |
British Columbia | $30.00/hr | $57.69/hr | $96.15/hr |
Using NOC 72600 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 56 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Air traffic controllers and related occupations (NOC 72601)
- Ground school instructor (NOC 41210)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors?
Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors are NOC 2021 unit group 72600. Example job titles in this group include air pilot, captain - air transport, check pilot, chief flying instructor.
What TEER is NOC 72600?
NOC 72600 is TEER 2 (College diploma or apprenticeship (2+ years)). Usually requires a 2–3 year college program or a 2–5 year apprenticeship, or the occupation carries supervisory or significant safety responsibilities. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $52.00/hr, about $101,000 a year full-time, with a range of $24.04/hr to $106.00/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.