Air force pilot to commercial pilot
An air force pilot already meets 71% of what the commercial pilot role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.3/ 100
1 How much of what a commercial pilot is expected to do is already part of an air force pilot’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the commercial pilot role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A commercial pilot role treats 30 of its required skills as things an air force pilot already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air traffic control operations
- air transport law
- aircraft flight control systems
- analyse weather forecast
- apply signalling control procedures
- aviation meteorology
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 32 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A commercial pilot role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an air force pilot background worth leading with.
- already held execute flight plans communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create a flight plan management skills
- already held apply signalling control procedures working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements assisting and caring
- already held ensure ongoing compliance with regulations assisting and caring
- already held implement airside safety procedures assisting and caring
All 32 carried skills, including the 30 the commercial pilot role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply airport standards and regulations required
- still to learn follow airport safety procedures required
- still to learn follow ethical code of conduct in transport services required
- still to learn apply company policies required
- still to learn respond to changing navigation circumstances required
- still to learn work in an aviation team required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn balance transportation cargo required
- still to learn identify airport safety hazards required
- still to learn make independent operating decisions required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a commercial pilot role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 airport planning study this
- 02 apply airport standards and regulations practise this
- 03 balance transportation cargo practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 32 skills that carry over
- already held air traffic control operations knowledge
- already held air transport law knowledge
- already held aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- already held analyse weather forecast skill
- already held apply signalling control procedures skill
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held civil aviation regulations knowledge
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held comply with air traffic control operations skill
- already held ensure compliance with civil aviation regulations skill
- already held ensure ongoing compliance with regulations skill
- already held execute flight plans skill
- already held geographic areas knowledge
- already held have spatial awareness skill
- already held implement airside safety procedures skill
- already held operate cockpit control panels skill
- already held operate radar equipment skill
- already held operate radio equipment skill
- already held operate radio navigation instruments skill
- already held operate two-way radio systems skill
- already held perform flight manoeuvres skill
- already held perform risk analysis skill
- already held perform routine flight operations checks skill
- already held perform take off and landing skill
- already held read 3D displays skill
- already held read maps skill
- already held undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
- already held visual flight rules knowledge
- already held adapt to changing situations skill
- already held create a flight plan skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held listen actively optional
13 held skills the commercial pilot role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role air force operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply air force procedures skill
- not needed by the target role apply military aviation regulations skill
- not needed by the target role collect real-time geolocation information skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- not needed by the target role identify security threats skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role military aviation knowledge
- not needed by the target role military code knowledge
- not needed by the target role organise aircraft maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role patrol areas skill
- not needed by the target role perform search and rescue missions skill
- not needed by the target role surveillance radars knowledge
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
Common questions about this move
Can an air force pilot become a commercial pilot?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An air force pilot already covers 71% of what a commercial pilot is expected to do: 32 skills carry over, 30 of which the commercial pilot role treats as required.
What skills does an air force pilot need to become a commercial pilot?
12 required skills are missing, plus 1 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is airport planning.
How hard is the move from air force pilot to commercial pilot?
Its learning distance is 41.3 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.