A Look At The Salaries Of US Navy Pilots In 2026

At the inception of US Naval aviation, the Navy ironically had an aviator before it acquired its first aircraft. Lieutenant Theodore G. Ellyson received orders to begin training in 1910 at the Glenn Curtiss aviation camp in San Diego. One year later, in July 1911, the Navy received its first aircraft from the Curtiss Company. Curtiss offered free flight training to naval officers, provided they demonstrated the plane’s military potential. These officers would be operating out of a hay barn that doubled as a hangar, and the training was informal and remained so for the next two years.