Air traffic controller to helicopter pilot
An air traffic controller already meets 36% of what the helicopter pilot role asks for. The move turns on 26 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.2/ 100
1 How much of what a helicopter pilot is expected to do is already part of an air traffic controller’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 helicopter pilot role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A helicopter pilot role treats 14 of its required skills as things an air traffic controller already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air traffic control operations
- air transport law
- aircraft flight control systems
- airport planning
- aviation meteorology
- common aviation safety regulations
What stands in the way is 26 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 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A helicopter pilot role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an air traffic controller background worth leading with.
- already held read 3D displays information skills
- already held carry out navigational calculations information skills
- already held operate radar equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held air traffic control operations services
- already held airport planning engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held interpret visual literacy information skills
All 17 carried skills, including the 14 the helicopter pilot role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 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 address aircraft mechanical issues required
- still to learn apply signalling control procedures required
- still to learn operate two-way radio systems required
- still to learn perform flight manoeuvres required
- still to learn perform take off and landing required
- still to learn undertake procedures to meet helicopter flight requirements required
- still to learn operate cockpit control panels required
- still to learn operate radio equipment required
- still to learn operate radio navigation instruments required
- still to learn comply with air traffic control operations required
- still to learn ensure aircraft compliance with regulation required
- still to learn ensure compliance with civil aviation regulations required
- still to learn implement airside safety procedures required
- still to learn ensure ongoing compliance with regulations required
- still to learn undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements required
- still to learn inspect aircraft required
- still to learn perform routine flight operations checks required
- still to learn analyse weather forecast required
- still to learn perform risk analysis required
- still to learn read maps required
- still to learn civil aviation regulations required
- still to learn freight transport methods required
- still to learn visual flight rules required
- still to learn respond to changing navigation circumstances required
- still to learn follow verbal instructions required
- still to learn geographic areas required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a helicopter pilot role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 address aircraft mechanical issues practise this
- 02 apply signalling control procedures practise this
- 03 civil aviation regulations study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 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 airport planning knowledge
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held comply with checklists skill
- already held handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- already held have spatial awareness skill
- already held interpret visual literacy skill
- already held operate radar equipment skill
- already held read 3D displays skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
- already held act reliably skill
- already held carry out navigational calculations skill
- already held have computer literacy skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held create a flight plan optional
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create a flight plan optional
19 held skills the helicopter pilot role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse work-related written reports skill
- not needed by the target role apply airport standards and regulations skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role assist during take off and landing skill
- not needed by the target role assist in the conducting of flight checks skill
- not needed by the target role celestial navigation knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role execute working instructions skill
- not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
- not needed by the target role monitor aviation meteorology skill
- not needed by the target role operate airport control tower skill
- not needed by the target role perform multiple tasks at the same time skill
- not needed by the target role pre-flight procedures for IFR flights knowledge
- not needed by the target role stay alert skill
- not needed by the target role tolerate stress skill
- not needed by the target role use of air traffic services document skill
4 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 civil aviation regulations required
- still to learn freight transport methods required
- still to learn geographic areas required
- still to learn visual flight rules required
Common questions about this move
Can an air traffic controller become a helicopter pilot?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An air traffic controller already covers 36% of what a helicopter pilot is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 14 of which the helicopter pilot role treats as required.
What skills does an air traffic controller need to become a helicopter pilot?
26 required skills are missing, plus 1 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is address aircraft mechanical issues.
How hard is the move from air traffic controller to helicopter pilot?
Its learning distance is 72.2 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.