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11RX Career Guide

Air Force

11RX: Pilot

Career transition guide for Air Force Pilot (11RX)

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Civilian Career Pathways

Top civilian roles for 11RX veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Airline Pilot

$150K
High matchVery high demand

Skills to develop:

FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) CertificateType rating for specific commercial aircraft

Corporate Pilot

$130K
High matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) CertificateExperience with specific corporate aircraft types

Air Traffic Controller

$120K
Good matchStable demand

Skills to develop:

FAA Air Traffic Controller CertificationOn-the-job training at an FAA facility

Flight Instructor

$85K
Good matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

FAA Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) RatingSpecific aircraft type endorsements

Emergency Management Director

$80K
Moderate matchStable demand

Skills to develop:

Emergency management certifications (e.g., FEMA)Knowledge of disaster response protocolsProject Management skills

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 11RX training built — and where they transfer.

Situational Awareness

As an 11RX, you constantly maintain a high level of awareness of your aircraft's position, the environment, potential threats, and the status of your crew and mission objectives, often in dynamic and high-pressure situations.

This translates to an ability to quickly assess complex situations, anticipate potential problems, and make informed decisions based on a broad range of information, a skill highly valued in many civilian sectors.

Team Synchronization

Piloting specialized mission aircraft requires seamless coordination with your flight crew and other support personnel. You ensure everyone is working together effectively to achieve mission success.

This experience demonstrates your ability to lead and coordinate diverse teams, ensuring everyone is aligned and working towards a common goal. You excel at fostering collaboration and effective communication.

Rapid Prioritization

During missions, you face constantly evolving circumstances. You must rapidly assess new information, prioritize tasks, and make critical decisions under pressure to ensure mission success and safety.

Your capacity to quickly evaluate situations, discern the most important tasks, and act decisively translates to strong crisis management and problem-solving skills, highly desirable in fast-paced civilian environments.

After-Action Analysis

Following each mission, you participate in debriefs and analyze the outcomes, identifying areas for improvement and refining procedures to enhance future performance and efficiency.

Your dedication to continuous improvement and ability to learn from experience makes you adept at identifying inefficiencies, implementing corrective actions, and optimizing processes in any organization.

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Emergency Management Director

SOC 11-9161.00

You've been trained to manage high-pressure situations with lives and assets at stake. Your expertise in planning, coordinating, and responding to crises, along with your acute situational awareness, makes you an ideal candidate to lead emergency management efforts at the local, state, or federal level.

Logistics Manager

SOC 11-3071.00

You've honed your skills in resource optimization and mission planning. Your experience in coordinating complex operations, ensuring efficient use of resources, and maintaining operational readiness directly translates to success in managing supply chains and logistics for various industries.

Airfield Operations Specialist

SOC 53-2011.00

You possess an in-depth understanding of aviation operations, safety protocols, and regulatory compliance. Your experience piloting aircraft, managing crews, and navigating complex airspace makes you a valuable asset in managing and overseeing airfield operations at civilian airports.

Training & Education Equivalencies

Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), Various Air Force Bases

300 training hours52 weeksVaries depending on UPT base and follow-on training; up to 30 semester hours possible

Topics Covered

  • Aerodynamics and Aircraft Systems
  • Flight Planning and Navigation
  • Instrument Flight Procedures
  • Formation Flying
  • Low-Level Navigation
  • Emergency Procedures
  • Crew Resource Management
  • Mission-Specific Training (based on assigned aircraft)

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

Commercial Pilot License (CPL)70% covered

Differences in civilian regulations (FARs) vs. military regulations, specific civilian aircraft systems, and some flight maneuvers unique to civilian aviation.

Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)50% covered

Extensive knowledge of 14 CFR Part 121 regulations, meteorology, cross country flight planning. Requires 1500 hours of flight time.

Recommended Next Certifications

Certified Aviation Manager (CAM)Project Management Professional (PMP)Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM)

Technical Systems Translation

Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
AN/APS-137 Radar (RC-135)Maritime surveillance radar systems
Joint STARS (E-8C)Airborne ground surveillance systems
Senior Year Electro-optical Reconnaissance System (SYERS-2) (U-2)High-resolution aerial imaging systems
ARC-210 RadioCommercial aviation VHF/UHF communication radios
Link 16 DatalinkTactical data link / military-grade data communication networks
AN/AAQ-22 Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR)Commercial FLIR systems for search and rescue/surveillance
MC-12W Liberty ISR SystemPilatus PC-12 with integrated sensor package

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