Aircraft pilot to airspace manager
An aircraft pilot already meets 61% of what the airspace manager role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
43/ 100
1 How much of what an airspace manager 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 airspace manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An airspace manager role treats 9 of its required skills as things an aircraft pilot already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air traffic control operations
- air transport law
- aircraft flight control systems
- carry out navigational calculations
- have spatial awareness
- interpret visual literacy
What stands in the way is 7 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An airspace manager 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 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 interpret visual literacy information skills
- already held follow airport safety procedures assisting and caring
- already held have spatial awareness information skills
All 14 carried skills, including the 9 the airspace manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 7 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 air traffic management required
- still to learn apply the concept of Flexible Use of Airspace required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- still to learn monitor airspace planning required
- still to learn manage aspects of airspace management required
- still to learn celestial navigation required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an airspace manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply the concept of Flexible Use of Airspace practise this
- 02 manage aspects of airspace management practise this
- 03 monitor airspace planning 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 14 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 carry out navigational calculations skill
- already held have spatial awareness skill
- already held interpret visual literacy skill
- already held operate radar equipment skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held work in an aviation team skill
- already held act reliably skill
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held follow airport safety procedures skill
- already held give instructions to staff skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn use geographic information systems required
0 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
74 held skills the airspace manager role does not ask for
- 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 force operations 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 air force procedures 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 military aviation regulations 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 civil aviation regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate in air traffic services skill
- 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 create a flight plan 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 compliance with civil aviation regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- not needed by the target role ensure ongoing compliance with regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role ensure smooth on board operations skill
- not needed by the target role execute flight plans 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 identify airport safety hazards skill
- not needed by the target role identify security threats skill
- not needed by the target role implement airside safety procedures skill
34 further entries not listed here
3 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 air traffic management required
- still to learn celestial navigation required
- still to learn electronic communication required
Common questions about this move
Can an aircraft pilot become an airspace manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An aircraft pilot already covers 61% of what an airspace manager is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 9 of which the airspace manager role treats as required.
What skills does an aircraft pilot need to become an airspace manager?
7 required skills are missing, plus 0 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is apply the concept of Flexible Use of Airspace.
How hard is the move from aircraft pilot to airspace manager?
Its learning distance is 43 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.