Airspace manager to air traffic controller
An airspace manager already meets 40% of what the air traffic controller role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
67/ 100
1 How much of what an air traffic controller is expected to do is already part of an airspace manager’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 traffic controller role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An air traffic controller role treats 13 of its required skills as things an airspace manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air traffic control operations
- air transport law
- aircraft flight control systems
- aviation meteorology
- carry out navigational calculations
- celestial navigation
What stands in the way is 19 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 air traffic controller role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an airspace manager background worth leading with.
- already held celestial navigation natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- 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 have spatial awareness information skills
All 14 carried skills, including the 13 the air traffic controller role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 9 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 ensure public safety and security required
- still to learn use of air traffic services document required
- still to learn comply with checklists required
- still to learn assist during take off and landing required
- still to learn apply technical communication skills required
- still to learn execute working instructions required
- still to learn stay alert required
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn electronics required
- still to learn analyse work-related written reports required
- still to learn monitor aviation meteorology required
- still to learn read 3D displays required
- still to learn assist in the conducting of flight checks required
- still to learn operate airport control tower required
- still to learn handle stressful situations in the work place required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an air traffic controller role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist during take off and landing practise this
- 02 assist in the conducting of flight checks practise this
- 03 airport planning 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 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 aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held carry out navigational calculations skill
- already held celestial navigation knowledge
- already held electronic communication knowledge
- already held give instructions to staff 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 use meteorological information skill
- already held act reliably skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
7 held skills the air traffic controller role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role air traffic management knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply the concept of Flexible Use of Airspace skill
- not needed by the target role follow airport safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role manage aspects of airspace management skill
- not needed by the target role monitor airspace planning skill
- not needed by the target role use geographic information systems skill
- not needed by the target role work in an aviation team skill
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 airport planning required
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- still to learn electronics required
Common questions about this move
Can an airspace manager become an air traffic controller?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An airspace manager already covers 40% of what an air traffic controller is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 13 of which the air traffic controller role treats as required.
What skills does an airspace manager need to become an air traffic controller?
19 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is assist during take off and landing.
How hard is the move from airspace manager to air traffic controller?
Its learning distance is 67 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.