Money · 1 of 5
What helicopter pilots make
Typical
$108,000
Low-time pilot
$50,000
Offshore or heavy lift
$220,000
Job Bank's national median is $52 an hour, about $108,000 a year full time. Read that carefully: the page carries the pay of the whole air pilot group, which includes airline pilots. New helicopter pilots usually sit near the bottom of the range, and a first season is often part flying, part ground work.