I was a Delta Airlines pilot – here’s how I wound up making $500,000 a year before retirement

A former Delta Airlines pilot has revealed how he earned $500,000 from his job before retiring.

Mark Stephens, 67, began working as a flight engineer for Delta in 1989 and flew five different aircraft during his three-decade career.

He admitted Business insider that he started with 'little money and had to use it all up [his] savings in the first year to make ends meet,” and he admitted that at the time, “some of [his] colleagues were on food stamps.”

Over the years, his salary became much more lucrative due to his increasing seniority.

“As I moved up to first officer, the pay got better,” Mark said.

“When I became a captain in 2000, I was paid a 30 percent hourly rate and started making over $100,000.”

As an added benefit, as he “gained seniority,” his life as a single parent became “easier” as he was allowed to spend more nights at home and be active in his children's activities.

'This was nice because I could combine a high salary with a good balance between work and private life. As a pilot you can have both,” Mark said.

He believes the best of both worlds is “especially true now with the wage increases in the sector.”

During his final year at Delta in 2021, he earned a salary of $500,000.

Besides the financial benefits, he loved the exploratory aspect of his work.

His schedule included “at least 24 hours in each place.”

Being an international captain, he had the pleasure of visiting locations such as Amsterdam, Sydney and Seoul.

“I loved embracing new cultures and seeing some sights before turning around and flying home,” he said.

'I had to get used to being alone often, but that's part of the job and there were ups and downs with every job.

'But overall, flying is who I am and I don't regret my career for a second. It really was a pleasant life.'

He believes his career path has also helped him grow emotionally and be “prepared.” [him] for emergencies during work.

Mark has faced life-threatening situations while flying, such as an engine failure 'at 1500 meters during takeoff'.

Passengers witnessed “fire coming from the engine” and “knew something was wrong.”

Despite the terrifying ordeal, Mark faced the obstacle with levelheadedness and offered a sense of refuge to his frightened passengers.

“I went on the intercom to explain what had happened and what the plan was to land safely, trying to keep everyone calm while simultaneously going through the emergency checklists and switching off the engine,” he said.

“As pilots, this is something my first officer and I trained for and we landed without any injuries or other issues.”

He said there were other times when he was able to proactively identify “potential failures before takeoff related to braking and hydraulics.”

Mark's detail-oriented attention helped prevent problems from “becoming bigger problems” [the plane] ascended.'

He believes that successfully dealing with these difficult obstacles are “good examples of what experience and training can do for you.”

During Mark's 30 years as a pilot 'the best moments of [his] career” included “interacting with passengers and having children sit in the cockpit.”

He found a passion for “moving people around the world” and “helping them get where they wanted to go.”

Mark credits his beginnings in the industry with helping him develop his career and perspective.

“I had to learn and adapt, and I valued my time as a first officer because it helped me transition from one world to another. Once I had enough experience, I rose to captain,” he said.

'That was another big adjustment. When you upgrade to captain you think you have all this experience, but you will still make mistakes, whether it's a wrong taxi instruction or a misunderstood radio call.

“I started to see that aviation always corrected my last mistake. It was something a friend told me when I first started at Delta and it's a mindset I've kept throughout my career.”