Commercial Airline pilots should be armed in the cockpit

average starting salary for airline pilots ranged from about $13,000 a year at the smaller turboprop airlines to as high as $200,000 a year for some senior captains on the largest aircraft

Entry-level pilots, according to the association [Air Line Pilots Association], start at approximately $28,000 per year; and after ten years of experience, a pilot might see six figures. Federal law requires pilots to retire at age 60.

Wages, Hours, and Fringe Benefits
Earnings are determined by the union agreement (if any), pilot classification and seniority, type and size of the plane, kind of company, and hours and distance flown. The Future Aviation Professionals of America (FAPA) salary survey of 1993-94 shows that major airlines paid a beginning average salary of $2,413 monthly; the monthly average after five years is $3,293, and $5,340 after ten years. The maximum average annual paid by major airlines was $130,201. Global airline pilots earned a maximum annual average salary of $187,065.
Smaller airlines paid an average beginning salary of $1,757 monthly. After five years, pilots earned an average monthly salary of $3,293 which increased to $5,340 in ten years. The average maximum annual pay was $89,383 a year for pilots flying for smaller airlines.

Pilots working for the federal government currently start at the GS-9 level of $29,839 per year and can advance through the levels to GS-15, earning $74,243 or higher. Military pilots earn regular pay for their rank plus monthly incentive pay.

The average annual salary for beginning Agricultural Pilots is $35,000. Those with excellent experience who work year round make from $50,000 to $75,000. Some may make over $100,000.