Airline pilot who shared full breakdown of payslip explains how much more he'd make as captain

An American pilot has shared on YouTube exactly how much more he would make each month if he was a captain, despite there being very little difference in the two roles.

Commercial pilot training in the United States reportedly sees most students complete their Commercial Pilot License (CPL) within 12 to 18 months, whereas private pilots can finish their training even quicker. It's easy to see why it might be a dream job for many, especially with the travel opportunities you are afforded.

While we have seen a large increase in the number of planes crashing recently, which does highlight the dangers involved, the percentage of flights which do lead to crashes is far lower than you would get travelling in a car or on a bike for example.

Pilots, to put it simply, also just look really cool in their uniform and they seem to use that to their advantage, whether its a young Leonardo DiCaprio cashing fake cheques and evading Tom Hanks in Catch Me If You Can, or if it's just leaving a note to everyone you fancy telling them that 'I have seen the whole world and you are the most beautiful woman in it' as one Arizona University student found out recently.

Garrett Ray is another young lad who looks good in a pilot uniform and has amassed nearly 200,000 followers on YouTube, and well over 800,000 on Instagram. That's all thanks to his insightful information about the world of aviation and nothing to do with his looks I'm sure.

Garrett Ray (@‌flywithgarrett / YouTube)

In one of his more recent videos, the pilot has given viewers a full breakdown of his wages, and also let people know how much more he would make on his already pretty impressive payslip if he were to become a captain.

You might be wondering what the difference is between a pilot and a captain, and frankly, I had no idea either until I checked out one of Garrett's YouTube shorts. He explains that while the two roles are essentially the same as they both work together to fly the plane, it's the captain who has the final say on decisions, and also takes home the bigger pay check.

In his other video, he explains that he currently earns around $214 (£165) an hour, which adds up to over $17,109 (£13,217) a month if he works an average of 80 hours in that time period.

However, if he were to become a captain, which is unsurprisingly his plan, that would dramatically increase to around $339 (£262) an hour which leads to $27,116 (£20,948) per month.

Garrett also explains that he hasn't yet made the jump to captain as he has the option to fly premium flights, which see him earn 150 per cent of his normal wage, which takes him comfortably above the $300 per hour mark. While this isn't guaranteed, it sees him almost earn the wage of a captain, while maintaining the other perks of staying as a 737 first officer.

So kids, if you're struggling to decide on a career and want to just travel the world, then it seems like the pilot's life could be the one for you.