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Pilots in Kentucky
9,578 active pilots lived in Kentucky at the end of 2025, making it the 29th largest pilot population in the country and 1.1% of the US total. Of those, 4,043 were student pilots and 1,554 held a flight instructor certificate.
Active pilots
9,578
#29 nationally
Students
4,043
42% of pilots here
Instructors
1,554
one per 2.6 students
By certificate
Where in Kentucky
Pilots by city of residence, from the August 2026 releasable file. That file omits airmen who decline address release, so treat these as relative weight between cities rather than counts — see methodology.
- Louisville904
- Lexington322
- Prospect148
- Bowling Green114
- Crestwood92
- Union85
- Richmond82
- Florence68
- Owensboro62
- Elizabethtown56
- Hebron56
- Shelbyville55
The people who keep them flying
Kentucky is home to 3,955 certificated mechanics — one for every 2.4 pilots in the state.
- Mechanic3,955
- Flight Attendant2,663
- Ground Instructor871
- Flight Engineer450
- Dispatcher432
- Repair men383