Co-pilot to air traffic controller
A co-pilot already meets 52% of what the air traffic controller role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.5/ 100
1 How much of what an air traffic controller is expected to do is already part of a co-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 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 17 of its required skills as things a co-pilot already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air traffic control operations
- air transport law
- aircraft flight control systems
- airport planning
- analyse work-related written reports
- apply airport standards and regulations
What stands in the way is 15 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 18 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 a co-pilot 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 18 carried skills, including the 17 the air traffic controller role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 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 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 give instructions to staff required
- still to learn stay alert required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- still to learn electronics required
- still to learn use of air traffic services document required
- still to learn comply with checklists required
- still to learn assist in the conducting of flight checks required
- still to learn operate airport control tower required
- still to learn monitor aviation meteorology required
- still to learn celestial navigation required
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 celestial navigation 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 18 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 analyse work-related written reports skill
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held carry out navigational calculations skill
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held ensure public safety and security 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 tolerate stress skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
34 held skills the air traffic controller role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse weather forecast 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 communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role comply with air traffic control operations 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 ongoing compliance with regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure smooth on board operations skill
- not needed by the target role follow verbal instructions skill
- not needed by the target role geographic areas knowledge
- not needed by the target role geostationary satellites knowledge
- 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 operate cockpit control panels skill
- not needed by the target role operate radio equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate radio navigation instruments skill
- not needed by the target role operate two-way radio systems skill
- not needed by the target role perform flight manoeuvres skill
- not needed by the target role perform routine flight operations checks skill
- not needed by the target role perform take off and landing skill
- not needed by the target role prepare transportation routes skill
- not needed by the target role read maps skill
- not needed by the target role respond to changing navigation circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role run preventive simulations skill
- not needed by the target role undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements skill
- not needed by the target role undertake procedures to meet requirements for flying aircraft heavier than 5,700 kg skill
- not needed by the target role visual flight rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports 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 celestial navigation required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- still to learn electronics required
Common questions about this move
Can a co-pilot become an air traffic controller?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A co-pilot already covers 52% of what an air traffic controller is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 17 of which the air traffic controller role treats as required.
What skills does a co-pilot need to become an air traffic controller?
15 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assist during take off and landing.
How hard is the move from co-pilot to air traffic controller?
Its learning distance is 56.5 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.