Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

commercial pilottohelicopter pilot

A commercial pilot already meets 76% of what the helicopter pilot role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From commercial pilot
76%
Overlap1
To helicopter pilot
32 Skills carried over
9 Required, not held
34.6 Difficulty2
Career overlap Very strong match

76%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

34.6/ 100

1 Share of the helicopter pilot role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the commercial pilot profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A helicopter pilot role treats 31 of its required skills as things a commercial pilot already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • air traffic control operations
  • air transport law
  • aircraft flight control systems
  • airport planning
  • analyse weather forecast
  • apply signalling control procedures

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 32 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A helicopter 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.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • 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
  • already held implement airside safety procedures assisting and caring

All 32 carried skills, including the 31 the helicopter pilot role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 12 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 information skills 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held inspect aircraft required
  • required, not held interpret visual literacy required
  • optional, not held carry out navigational calculations optional
02 assisting and caring 2 required
  • required, not held ensure aircraft compliance with regulation required
  • required, not held comply with checklists required
03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 required
  • required, not held address aircraft mechanical issues required
  • required, not held undertake procedures to meet helicopter flight requirements required
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held follow verbal instructions required
  • optional, not held act reliably optional
05 management skills 1 required
  • required, not held handle stressful situations in the work place required
06 services 1 required
  • required, not held freight transport methods required

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a helicopter pilot role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 32 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • 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 signalling control procedures skill
  • already held aviation meteorology knowledge
  • 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 risk analysis 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 create a flight plan skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 working with computers 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held have computer literacy optional
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held carry out navigational calculations optional
  • optional, not held act reliably optional
  • optional, not held have computer literacy optional
13 held skills the helicopter pilot role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
  • not needed by the target role apply airport standards and regulations skill
  • not needed by the target role apply company policies skill
  • not needed by the target role balance transportation cargo 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 pre-flight procedures for IFR flights knowledge
  • not needed by the target role work in an aviation team skill
  • not needed by the target role write work-related reports 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.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • required, not held freight transport methods required
Index
Note

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.