Commercial pilot to co-pilot
A commercial pilot already meets 68% of what the co-pilot role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
45.1/ 100
1 How much of what a co-pilot is expected to do is already part of a commercial 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 co-pilot role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A co-pilot role treats 30 of its required skills as things a commercial 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
- apply signalling control procedures
- aviation meteorology
What stands in the way is 13 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 co-pilot role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a commercial 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 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
All 34 carried skills, including the 30 the co-pilot role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 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 ensure aircraft compliance with regulation required
- still to learn ensure public safety and security required
- still to learn deal with challenging work conditions required
- optional, not held be friendly to passengers optional
- still to learn inspect aircraft required
- still to learn analyse work-related written reports required
- still to learn interpret visual literacy required
- optional, not held carry out navigational calculations optional
- still to learn ensure smooth on board operations required
- still to learn handle stressful situations in the work place required
- still to learn prepare transportation routes required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- still to learn apply transportation management concepts required
- still to learn follow verbal instructions required
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- still to learn run preventive simulations required
- still to learn undertake procedures to meet requirements for flying aircraft heavier than 5,700 kg required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a co-pilot role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply transportation management concepts practise this
- 02 ensure aircraft compliance with regulation practise this
- 03 ensure public safety and security 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 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 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 create a flight plan 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 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 analyse weather forecast skill
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held respond to changing navigation circumstances skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held be friendly to passengers optional
- optional, not held carry out navigational calculations optional
- optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
11 held skills the co-pilot role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role apply company policies skill
- not needed by the target role execute flight plans skill
- not needed by the target role follow airport safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role follow ethical code of conduct in transport services skill
- not needed by the target role identify airport safety hazards skill
- not needed by the target role listen actively skill
- not needed by the target role make independent operating decisions skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role pre-flight procedures for IFR flights knowledge
- not needed by the target role work in an aviation team 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.
- optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
Common questions about this move
Can a commercial pilot become a co-pilot?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A commercial pilot already covers 68% of what a co-pilot is expected to do: 34 skills carry over, 30 of which the co-pilot role treats as required.
What skills does a commercial pilot need to become a co-pilot?
13 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is apply transportation management concepts.
How hard is the move from commercial pilot to co-pilot?
Its learning distance is 45.1 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.