Aircraft pilot to air force officer
An aircraft pilot already meets 53% of what the air force officer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
50.3/ 100
1 How much of what an air force officer is expected to do is already part of an aircraft 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 air force officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An air force officer role treats 10 of its required skills as things an aircraft pilot already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air force operations
- apply air force procedures
- apply military aviation regulations
- ensure compliance with types of weapons
- ensure public safety and security
- give instructions to staff
What stands in the way is 11 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 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An air force officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an aircraft pilot background worth leading with.
- already held air force operations services
- already held apply air force procedures assisting and caring
- already held apply military aviation regulations assisting and caring
- already held military aviation services
- already held communicate in air traffic services communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held execute flight plans communication, collaboration and creativity
All 22 carried skills, including the 10 the air force officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 6 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 military combat techniques required
- still to learn military drill required
- still to learn military weaponry required
- still to learn devise military tactics required
- still to learn lead military troops required
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- still to learn handle surveillance equipment required
- still to learn perform military operations required
- still to learn camouflage required
- still to learn surveillance methods required
- still to learn train air force crew required
- optional, not held coordinate humanitarian aid missions optional
- optional, not held give battle commands optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
- still to learn collect real-time geolocation information required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an air force officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 camouflage study this
- 02 collect real-time geolocation information practise this
- 03 devise military tactics 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 22 skills that carry over
- already held air force operations knowledge
- already held apply air force procedures skill
- already held apply military aviation regulations skill
- already held ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- already held ensure public safety and security skill
- already held give instructions to staff skill
- already held identify security threats skill
- already held military aviation knowledge
- already held supervise crew skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held communicate in air traffic services skill
- already held create a flight plan skill
- already held ensure compliance with civil aviation regulations skill
- already held execute flight plans skill
- already held military code knowledge
- already held operate cockpit control panels skill
- already held operate radio equipment skill
- already held perform flight manoeuvres skill
- already held undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements skill
- already held visual flight rules knowledge
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held coordinate humanitarian aid missions optional
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- optional, not held give battle commands optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
66 held skills the air force officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role act reliably skill
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role address aircraft mechanical issues skill
- not needed by the target role air traffic control operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role air transport law knowledge
- not needed by the target role airport planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse weather forecast skill
- 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 company policies skill
- not needed by the target role apply signalling control procedures skill
- not needed by the target role apply transportation management concepts skill
- not needed by the target role balance transportation cargo skill
- not needed by the target role be friendly to passengers skill
- not needed by the target role carry out navigational calculations skill
- not needed by the target role civil aviation regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role comply with air traffic control operations skill
- not needed by the target role comply with checklists skill
- not needed by the target role deal with challenging work conditions skill
- not needed by the target role ensure aircraft compliance with regulation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure ongoing compliance with regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure smooth on board operations skill
- not needed by the target role follow airport safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role follow ethical code of conduct in transport services skill
- not needed by the target role follow verbal instructions skill
- not needed by the target role freight transport methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role geographic areas knowledge
- not needed by the target role geostationary satellites knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
- not needed by the target role handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role have spatial awareness skill
- not needed by the target role identify airport safety hazards skill
- not needed by the target role implement airside safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role inspect aircraft skill
- not needed by the target role interpret visual literacy skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role listen actively skill
26 further entries not listed here
5 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 camouflage required
- still to learn military combat techniques required
- still to learn military drill required
- still to learn military weaponry required
- still to learn surveillance methods required
Common questions about this move
Can an aircraft pilot become an air force officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An aircraft pilot already covers 53% of what an air force officer is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 10 of which the air force officer role treats as required.
What skills does an aircraft pilot need to become an air force officer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by services. The single most important is camouflage.
How hard is the move from aircraft pilot to air force officer?
Its learning distance is 50.3 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.