Co-pilot to second officer
A co-pilot already meets 72% of what the second officer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
36/ 100
1 How much of what a second officer 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 second officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A second officer role treats 21 of its required skills as things a co-pilot already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air transport law
- aircraft flight control systems
- airport planning
- aviation meteorology
- carry out navigational calculations
- common aviation safety regulations
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 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A second officer 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 ensure smooth on board operations management skills
- already held inspect aircraft information skills
- already held undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements assisting and caring
- already held respond to changing navigation circumstances communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held ensure ongoing compliance with regulations assisting and caring
- already held read 3D displays information skills
All 24 carried skills, including the 21 the second officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 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 address aircraft mechanical issues required
- still to learn perform aircraft maintenance required
- optional, not held undertake procedures to meet helicopter flight requirements optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with airport security measures required
- still to learn comply with checklists required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn electronics required
- still to learn airport safety regulations required
- optional, not held consider economic criteria in decision making optional
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions optional
- optional, not held launching of satellites into orbit optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a second officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 address aircraft mechanical issues practise this
- 02 airport safety regulations study this
- 03 electrical systems used in transportation 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 24 skills that carry over
- already held air transport law knowledge
- already held aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- already held airport planning knowledge
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held carry out navigational calculations skill
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held deal with challenging work conditions skill
- already held ensure aircraft compliance with regulation skill
- already held ensure ongoing compliance with regulations skill
- already held ensure public safety and security skill
- already held ensure smooth on board operations skill
- already held follow verbal instructions skill
- already held geographic areas knowledge
- already held handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- already held inspect aircraft skill
- already held interpret visual literacy skill
- already held operate cockpit control panels skill
- already held perform routine flight operations checks skill
- already held read 3D displays skill
- already held undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held geostationary satellites knowledge
- already held respond to changing navigation circumstances skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held undertake procedures to meet helicopter flight requirements optional
- optional, not held consider economic criteria in decision making optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held launching of satellites into orbit optional
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions optional
28 held skills the second officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role air traffic control operations 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 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 ensure compliance with civil aviation regulations skill
- not needed by the target role have spatial awareness skill
- not needed by the target role implement airside safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role operate radar equipment 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 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 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
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role visual flight rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
4 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 safety regulations required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn electronics required
- optional, not held launching of satellites into orbit optional
Common questions about this move
Can a co-pilot become a second officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A co-pilot already covers 72% of what a second officer is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 21 of which the second officer role treats as required.
What skills does a co-pilot need to become a second officer?
7 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is address aircraft mechanical issues.
How hard is the move from co-pilot to second officer?
Its learning distance is 36 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.