Co-pilot to commercial pilot
A co-pilot already meets 77% of what the commercial pilot role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
33/ 100
1 How much of what a commercial pilot 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 commercial pilot role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A commercial pilot role treats 33 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 weather forecast
- apply airport standards and regulations
What stands in the way is 9 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 34 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A commercial pilot 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 balance transportation cargo handling and moving
- already held create a flight plan management skills
- already held apply signalling control procedures working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held respond to changing navigation circumstances communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements assisting and caring
- already held ensure ongoing compliance with regulations assisting and caring
All 34 carried skills, including the 33 the commercial pilot role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 missing skills fall into 5 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 follow airport safety procedures required
- still to learn follow ethical code of conduct in transport services required
- still to learn apply company policies required
- still to learn work in an aviation team required
- still to learn execute flight plans required
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- still to learn identify airport safety hazards required
- still to learn perform risk analysis required
- still to learn make independent operating decisions required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a commercial pilot role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 follow airport safety procedures practise this
- 02 follow ethical code of conduct in transport services practise this
- 03 pre-flight procedures for IFR flights 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 34 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 weather forecast skill
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held apply signalling control procedures skill
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held balance transportation cargo skill
- already held civil aviation regulations knowledge
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held comply with air traffic control operations skill
- already held ensure compliance with civil aviation regulations skill
- already held ensure ongoing compliance with regulations skill
- already held geographic areas knowledge
- already held have spatial awareness skill
- already held implement airside safety procedures skill
- already held operate cockpit control panels skill
- already held operate radar equipment skill
- already held operate radio equipment skill
- already held operate radio navigation instruments skill
- already held operate two-way radio systems skill
- already held perform flight manoeuvres skill
- already held perform routine flight operations checks skill
- already held perform take off and landing skill
- already held read 3D displays skill
- already held read maps skill
- already held respond to changing navigation circumstances skill
- already held undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
- already held visual flight rules knowledge
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held create a flight plan skill
2 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
18 held skills the commercial 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 transportation management concepts 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 communicate with customers 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 public safety and security 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 geostationary satellites knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle stressful situations in the work place 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 prepare transportation routes skill
- not needed by the target role run preventive simulations skill
- not needed by the target role tolerate stress skill
- not needed by the target role undertake procedures to meet requirements for flying aircraft heavier than 5,700 kg skill
1 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 pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
Common questions about this move
Can a co-pilot become a commercial pilot?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A co-pilot already covers 77% of what a commercial pilot is expected to do: 34 skills carry over, 33 of which the commercial pilot role treats as required.
What skills does a co-pilot need to become a commercial pilot?
9 required skills are missing, plus 2 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is follow airport safety procedures.
How hard is the move from co-pilot to commercial pilot?
Its learning distance is 33 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.