Direct Answer
Part 135 management pay is a range, not a number. As public-market references in 2026: a Director of Operations averages roughly $107,680 (ZipRecruiter, “Director Flight Operations,” Apr 2026), a Chief Pilot roughly $163,193 (ZipRecruiter, Jun 2026), and an Aviation Director of Maintenance roughly $74,997 by ZipRecruiter’s cut (Apr 2026) — though Glassdoor’s cut of the same title is closer to $134,000.
Those are broad U.S. market averages. At large business-aviation flight departments running heavy and ultra-long-range jets, Chief Pilot and Director of Aviation compensation runs far higher — into the $300,000s and beyond on the largest aircraft types per 2026 industry pilot-salary surveys. The number is driven by aircraft type, fleet size, the certificate level the operation requires, and region, not by the job title alone.
All three are required management positions under 14 CFR §119.69(a) (single-pilot operators are exempt), and each has its own qualification standard in §119.71. The Part 135 sections are §119.69 and §119.71 — not §119.65, which is the Part 121 management section.
If you landed here from a search like “chief pilot salary” or “director of operations salary range,” here is the framing that matters: these three titles describe the three required management roles on a Part 135 certificate, and the FAA defines who is qualified to hold each one. Pay tracks the operation — a single-piston charter and a fractional jet program are not the same job. This guide gives you dated, public ranges, the drivers behind them, and the §119.69/§119.71 qualification standard each role must clear. For the precise certificate-and-experience bar, our required management personnel qualifications guide is the reference this article points back to.
The 2026 Salary Ranges (Public-Market References)
The figures below are pulled from public job-market data and are date-stamped. They are broad U.S. averages and percentile bands, not targets, and they reflect a wide mix of operators under each title. We cite the source and date for each so you can verify and update them.
Director of Operations
§119.71(a)/(b)Avg
~$107,680
25th–75th
$75,500 – $135,500
90th
~$162,000
Source: ZipRecruiter, "Director Flight Operations," U.S., Apr 2026 (25th–75th percentile; 90th ~$162K)
Chief Pilot
§119.71(c)/(d)Avg
~$163,193
25th–75th
$122,000 – $207,000
90th
~$228,000
Source: ZipRecruiter, "Chief Pilot," U.S., Jun 2026 (25th–75th percentile; 90th ~$228K)
Director of Maintenance
§119.71(e)Avg
~$74,997
25th–75th
$52,500 – $87,500
90th
~$126,500
Why the sources disagree — and why that is normal
Aggregators classify job titles differently and pull from different posting pools. For Aviation Director of Maintenance, ZipRecruiter’s April 2026 average is near $74,997 while Glassdoor’s 2026 cut of the same title is around $134,208 (range roughly $103,011–$177,280) and PayScale reports near $98,000. None is “wrong” — they are measuring different slices. Treat any single number with suspicion and the band as the real signal.
The business-aviation top end is much higher
The ranges above are general U.S. market data across all operator sizes. Dedicated business-aviation compensation surveys show a far higher top end for flight-department roles. The 2026 bizjetjobs pilot salary survey, for instance, reports an overall average around $202,499 across surveyed positions with a roughly +4.2% year-over-year increase, and Chief Pilot / Director of Aviation ranges well into the $300,000s and $400,000s on large-cabin and ultra-long-range aircraft. The lesson is the same: the aircraft and the operation drive the number, not the title.
Whatever you pay them, can you prove they’re qualified?
Salary is the hiring question. The compliance question is whether the people in your three §119.69 management seats are documented as qualified and accepted. FileFlo classifies and indexes the certificate, the §119.71 qualifying-experience evidence, and the FAA appointment/OpSpecs acceptance for each role — and tracks expirations and vacancies so the package is complete before an inspector asks. Starter at $89/mo, Professional at $299/mo. 5-day free trial, no credit card required.
What Actually Moves Part 135 Management Pay
The same title can pay double or triple depending on a handful of factors. If you are reading a salary range and wondering where a specific job lands inside it, these are the levers — and several of them tie directly to the FAA qualification standard the role has to meet.
Aircraft type and size
The single biggest driver. A piston or turboprop on-demand operation and a heavy-jet or ultra-long-range flight department are different worlds. Business-aviation surveys show top-end Chief Pilot and Director of Aviation pay scaling sharply with the largest aircraft categories.
Certificate level the operation requires
Under §119.71, an operation requiring an ATP needs an ATP-certificated DO and Chief Pilot; an operation requiring only a commercial certificate sets a lower certificate floor. A higher-certificate operation tends to command higher management pay because the qualification bar — and the operational complexity — is higher.
Fleet size and operational scope
A one-aircraft operator and a multi-aircraft, multi-base operation place very different demands on a DO, Chief Pilot, or DOM. More aircraft, more crews, and a wider area of operations generally move pay up — and are exactly the factors §119.69(b) weighs when the FAA considers a different management structure.
Region and labor market
Geography matters. Public aggregators publish state- and metro-level cuts that vary widely from the national average. A tight pilot- and mechanic-labor market — a recurring theme in 2024–2026 industry workforce reporting — also pushes compensation up across all three roles.
Consolidated vs. dedicated roles
At small operators, the FAA may accept one person holding more than one required role under §119.69(b). That person must independently meet each role’s §119.71 standard — and the combined responsibility is often reflected in pay. It is an accepted structure, not a budget shortcut.
Experience and recency
The §119.71 paths require recent, documented operational-control, pilot-in-command, or maintenance experience. Candidates who clearly exceed the 3-year minimums, or who hold prior DO experience (recognized in the rule), tend to command the top of a range. Documented experience is leverage.
Notice how many of these levers are also qualification levers. The certificate level, the experience depth, and whether one person carries multiple roles are all defined by §119.69 and §119.71 — which is why the compensation conversation and the compliance conversation are never fully separate. If you are mapping a career path into one of these seats, see how to become a Part 135 Director of Operations and how to become a Part 135 Chief Pilot.
What Each Role Owns — and the FAA Standard Behind It
Pay reflects responsibility, and responsibility is defined by the role. Here is what each of the three required positions is accountable for, and the qualification standard it must meet under 14 CFR §119.71.
§119.71(a)/(b)Director of Operations
The management official responsible for the overall conduct and operational direction of the certificate holder’s flight operations — administering operational control, overseeing scheduling and flight-following, and keeping the operation within its Operations Specifications.
Qualification: the appropriate pilot certificate for the operation (ATP for operations requiring an ATP under §119.71(a); at least a commercial pilot certificate for operations requiring only a commercial certificate under §119.71(b)), plus either 3 years of supervisory or managerial experience within the last 6 years exercising operational control over Part 121 or Part 135 operations, or 3 years as pilot in command within the past 6 years of Part 121 or Part 135 aircraft.
§119.71(c)/(d)Chief Pilot
The management official responsible for crewmember standards and the way flights are flown — training, checking, standardization, and pilot supervision. Where the DO owns operational control, the Chief Pilot owns the flying standard.
Qualification: the appropriate pilot certificate with appropriate ratings and qualification as pilot in command (ATP with appropriate ratings for operations requiring an ATP under §119.71(c); at least a commercial pilot certificate, with an instrument rating if required, for operations requiring only a commercial certificate under §119.71(d)), plus 3 years of experience as pilot in command within the past 6 years of the relevant operation. We break this role down in our Part 135 Chief Pilot duties guide.
§119.71(e)Director of Maintenance
The management official responsible for the airworthiness of the fleet and the maintenance program — inspections, maintenance, and the records that prove aircraft are airworthy and approved for return to service.
Qualification: a mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings, plus either 3 years within the past 6 years maintaining aircraft as a certificated mechanic — including, at the time of appointment, experience maintaining the same category and class of aircraft the operator uses — or 3 years within the past 6 years repairing aircraft at a certificated airframe repair station, including 1 year approving aircraft for return to service. We cover this role in our Part 135 Director of Maintenance responsibilities guide.
Cite §119.69 / §119.71 for Part 135 — not §119.65
14 CFR §119.65 is the Part 121 management-personnel section. For an on-demand or commuter Part 135 operator, the required positions live in §119.69 and the qualifications live in §119.71. It is a common citation error — and an easy way for an inspector or attorney to discount the rest of a file.
For the line-by-line role comparison, see Director of Operations vs. Chief Pilot, and for the consolidated-structure case (which directly affects how many salaries an operator carries), see Part 135 management with one person in multiple roles. If you are hiring into one of these seats, our guide to hiring a Part 135 Director of Operations walks the qualification-and-acceptance side of the decision, and the first 100 days as a new DO or Chief Pilot covers what the role looks like once the offer is signed.
Where FileFlo Fits: The Records Behind Each Seat
This is where FileFlo fits — and where it does not. FileFlo does not publish salary data, run compensation surveys, hire, recruit, place, or qualify anyone, and it does not give legal, career, or HR advice. What it does is classify, index, and track the documents that establish each of the three required management people is qualified and accepted, so the package is complete and provable when an FAA principal inspector asks. Below are the record sets that sit under a Part 135 management appointment.
Pilot & Mechanic Certificates
14 CFR §119.71 · Parts 61 / 65What it proves
The certificate that gates each seat — the DO and Chief Pilot’s pilot certificate (ATP or commercial, per the operation), and the DOM’s mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings. The eligibility floor for each position.
How FileFlo tracks it
FileFlo classifies each certificate as a document class, captures certificate level and ratings, and keeps it tied to the individual’s management appointment record.
Qualifying Experience Records
14 CFR §119.71(a)–(e) experience pathsWhat it proves
The dated evidence behind the 3-year requirements — operational-control/management or pilot-in-command experience for the DO and Chief Pilot, and aircraft-maintenance or repair-station experience (including return-to-service authority) for the DOM.
How FileFlo tracks it
FileFlo indexes the supporting documents (prior-position letters, logbook summaries, employment and repair-station records) so the experience that satisfies §119.71 is organized and retrievable rather than reconstructed during inspector review.
Appointment / FAA Acceptance
14 CFR §119.69(c) · OpSpecsWhat it proves
The record that the FAA has accepted each individual into the required position, reflected in the certificate holder’s management structure and Operations Specifications.
How FileFlo tracks it
FileFlo stores the appointment and FAA-acceptance documentation with dates, tied to each person’s qualification package for a complete, audit-ready chain.
Operations Manual — Duties & Authority
14 CFR §119.69 · General Operations ManualWhat it proves
The record of each position’s duties, responsibilities, and authority that the operator must maintain, plus the current management-personnel list naming the DO, Chief Pilot, and DOM.
How FileFlo tracks it
FileFlo indexes the manual and its revisions so the operator can show each role’s documented authority and that the management-personnel list is current.
Vacancy / Change Notification Trail
14 CFR §119.69(e)What it proves
The §119.69(e) notification record when any required management position changes or becomes vacant — the 10-day notice to the responsible Flight Standards office and the documentation of the new appointee.
How FileFlo tracks it
FileFlo keeps the change-and-notification documentation dated and linked to the incoming person’s qualification package, so a management transition leaves a clean record.
Related guides: Management personnel qualifications (§119.71) · Notifying the FAA of a management vacancy · Part 135 pilot records · Records master index
FileFlo is the proof layer — not a salary, recruiting, or HR tool
FileFlo is a compliance document intelligence platform. It classifies, indexes, and tracks the records that document a Part 135 management appointment — certificate, qualifying-experience evidence, FAA acceptance, and the manual and notification trail — and surfaces gaps and expirations. It does not publish compensation data, hire, recruit, place, qualify, or certify anyone, it is not a dispatch or flight operations management system, and it does not provide legal, career, HR, or salary advice. The FAA and the certificate holder qualify and accept these people; FileFlo keeps the documentary proof audit-ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Part 135 Director of Operations make?
Compensation for a Part 135 Director of Operations varies widely with aircraft type, fleet size, region, and the scope of the operation, so the honest answer is a range, not a number. As a public-market reference, ZipRecruiter data for Director of Flight Operations roles in the United States (April 2026) shows most salaries between roughly $75,500 (25th percentile) and $135,500 (75th percentile), with an average near $107,680 per year and top-of-market listings around $162,000. At larger business-aviation flight departments running heavy jets, surveyed Director of Aviation compensation runs far higher. Treat these as broad, date-stamped market references — a DO at a small single-aircraft on-demand operator and one at a multi-aircraft jet operation are very different jobs. FileFlo does not provide salary, hiring, recruiting, or career advice; it tracks the qualification and appointment records the role depends on.
How much does a Part 135 Chief Pilot make?
Chief Pilot pay also spans a wide band by operation and aircraft. As a public-market reference, ZipRecruiter data for Chief Pilot roles in the United States (June 2026) shows an average near $163,193 per year, with most salaries between roughly $122,000 (25th percentile) and $207,000 (75th percentile) and top earners around $228,000. Corporate flight-department surveys show significantly higher numbers for Chief Pilots flying large-cabin and ultra-long-range jets — the 2026 bizjetjobs pilot salary survey, for example, reports Chief Pilot ranges well into the $300,000s and $400,000s on the largest aircraft types. Use these as dated, broad references rather than targets; the actual figure tracks the aircraft, the certificate level the operation requires, and the market. FileFlo is a compliance-records tool, not a salary or career service.
How much does a Director of Maintenance make in aviation?
Aviation Director of Maintenance compensation varies by source and by the size and complexity of the operation. ZipRecruiter data for Aviation Director of Maintenance roles in the United States (April 2026) shows an average near $74,997 per year, with most salaries between roughly $52,500 (25th percentile) and $87,500 (75th percentile) and top earners around $126,500. Other public sources report higher figures for the same title at larger operators — Glassdoor (2026) reports an average around $134,208 with a range roughly $103,011 to $177,280, and PayScale reports an average near $98,000. The spread reflects very different jobs under one title, from a small Part 135 maintenance shop to a multi-fleet flight department. These are dated, broad references, not targets.
Which Part 135 management role is paid the most — DO, Chief Pilot, or DOM?
It depends entirely on the operation, so there is no universal ranking — but a few patterns show up in public job-market data. In the broad U.S. market references for June/April 2026, the Chief Pilot role tends to show the highest average (ZipRecruiter ~$163,000), with Director of Flight Operations lower (~$107,680) and Aviation Director of Maintenance lowest by the ZipRecruiter cut (~$74,997, though Glassdoor's cut of the same title is much higher). At larger business-aviation flight departments, the picture compresses and the Director of Aviation / DO and senior Chief Pilot can be the top-paid roles. Aircraft type, certificate level, and fleet size move these far more than the title alone. FileFlo does not benchmark pay or advise on compensation; it tracks the qualification records each of the three §119.69 positions depends on.
Do you need a degree to be a Part 135 Director of Operations?
The FAA qualification rule does not require a college degree. Under 14 CFR §119.71(a) and (b), the Director of Operations standard is a certificate-plus-experience bar: the appropriate pilot certificate for the operation (an airline transport pilot certificate for operations that require an ATP, or at least a commercial pilot certificate for operations that only require a commercial certificate) plus one of two experience paths — 3 years of supervisory or managerial experience within the last 6 years exercising operational control over Part 121 or Part 135 operations, or 3 years of pilot-in-command experience within the past 6 years in Part 121 or Part 135 aircraft. A degree may matter to a particular employer's hiring preference, but it is not part of the §119.71 regulatory standard. FileFlo does not give career or HR advice — it tracks the certificate and experience records that document the §119.71 qualification.
What experience and certificates qualify the three Part 135 management roles?
Each of the three required positions in 14 CFR §119.69(a) has its own qualification standard in §119.71. Director of Operations (§119.71(a)/(b)): the appropriate pilot certificate (ATP or at least commercial) plus 3 years of operational-control/management experience within the last 6 years, or 3 years as pilot in command within the past 6 years. Chief Pilot (§119.71(c)/(d)): the appropriate pilot certificate with appropriate ratings, qualified as pilot in command, plus 3 years as pilot in command within the past 6 years of the relevant operation. Director of Maintenance (§119.71(e)): a mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings, plus 3 years within the past 6 years maintaining the same category and class of aircraft the operator uses, or 3 years repairing aircraft at a certificated repair station including 1 year approving aircraft for return to service. Note the Part 135 sections are §119.69 and §119.71 — not §119.65, which is the Part 121 management section.
Can one person hold more than one Part 135 management role to save on salary?
Sometimes, but it is an FAA-accepted structure, not a self-declared cost-saving move. The default under 14 CFR §119.69(a) is three distinct required positions — Director of Operations, Chief Pilot, and Director of Maintenance. Combining titles depends on the operator demonstrating, and the FAA accepting under §119.69(b), that it can conduct operations with the highest degree of safety under fewer or different categories of management personnel given the kind of operation, the number and type of aircraft, and the area of operations. Even where the FAA accepts a consolidated structure, the individual must independently meet the qualification standard for each role held. Small operators do consolidate roles; the salary effect is a downstream consequence, but the requirement is regulatory, not budgetary. We cover this in our guide on one person holding multiple Part 135 roles.
Does FileFlo provide Part 135 management salary data or recruiting?
No. FileFlo is a compliance document intelligence platform — it classifies, indexes, and tracks the records that document a Part 135 management appointment, such as the pilot or mechanic certificate, the §119.71 qualifying-experience evidence, the FAA acceptance into the §119.69(a) position, and the §119.69(e) vacancy-notification trail. It does not provide salary benchmarks, run compensation surveys, hire, recruit, place, or qualify anyone, and it does not give legal, career, or HR advice. The salary ranges in this article are cited from public job-market sources with date stamps for context only. What FileFlo keeps audit-ready is the documentary proof that the people in those roles are qualified and accepted.
Keep your management-personnel records current and provable
Salary is the hiring decision; documented qualification is the compliance one. Whatever you pay your Director of Operations, Chief Pilot, and Director of Maintenance, FileFlo classifies and indexes the records that prove each is qualified and accepted — certificate, the §119.71 qualifying-experience evidence, FAA acceptance, and the §119.69(e) notification trail — with expiration and vacancy alerts and a one-click POI surveillance binder. AI document classification. 600+ document types. Starter at $89/mo, Professional at $299/mo. No credit card required for the 5-day free trial.
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Reviewed by Chad Griffith, Founder, FileFlo — compliance document intelligence. June 15, 2026. Regulatory citations verified against Cornell LII (14 CFR §119.69 and §119.71) as of publication date. Salary figures cite public job-market sources — ZipRecruiter (April / June 2026), Glassdoor (2026), and the 2026 bizjetjobs pilot salary survey — as dated, broad ranges for context only. This article is educational and is not legal, career, HR, or compensation advice.