Drone pilot to helicopter pilot
A drone pilot already meets 42% of what the helicopter pilot role asks for. The move turns on 23 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.3/ 100
1 How much of what a helicopter pilot is expected to do is already part of a drone 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 helicopter pilot role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A helicopter pilot role treats 17 of its required skills as things a drone pilot already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- address aircraft mechanical issues
- analyse weather forecast
- aviation meteorology
- civil aviation regulations
- comply with air traffic control operations
- comply with checklists
What stands in the way is 23 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. A helicopter pilot role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a drone pilot background worth leading with.
- already held address aircraft mechanical issues working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held respond to changing navigation circumstances communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held perform take off and landing working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held perform flight manoeuvres working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held carry out navigational calculations information skills
- already held civil aviation regulations services
All 18 carried skills, including the 17 the helicopter pilot role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 10 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 apply signalling control procedures required
- still to learn operate two-way radio systems required
- still to learn undertake procedures to meet helicopter flight requirements required
- still to learn operate cockpit control panels required
- still to learn operate radar equipment required
- still to learn operate radio equipment required
- still to learn inspect aircraft required
- still to learn interpret visual literacy required
- still to learn perform risk analysis required
- still to learn read 3D displays required
- still to learn air traffic control operations required
- still to learn aircraft flight control systems required
- still to learn freight transport methods required
- still to learn visual flight rules required
- still to learn implement airside safety procedures required
- still to learn ensure ongoing compliance with regulations required
- still to learn undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements required
- still to learn air transport law required
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn follow verbal instructions required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
4 further areas in the appendix
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.
- 01 air traffic control operations study this
- 02 air transport law study this
- 03 aircraft flight control systems 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 address aircraft mechanical issues skill
- already held analyse weather forecast skill
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held civil aviation regulations knowledge
- already held comply with air traffic control operations skill
- already held comply with checklists skill
- already held ensure aircraft compliance with regulation skill
- already held ensure compliance with civil aviation regulations skill
- already held have spatial awareness skill
- already held operate radio navigation instruments 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 maps skill
- already held respond to changing navigation circumstances skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
- already held carry out navigational calculations skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn handle stressful situations in the work place required
- optional, not held create a flight plan optional
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn geographic areas required
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create a flight plan optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
46 held skills the helicopter pilot role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role agronomical production principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role agronomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply precision farming skill
- not needed by the target role apply transportation management concepts skill
- not needed by the target role audio editing software knowledge
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role aviation standards and recommended practices knowledge
- not needed by the target role crop production principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role data protection knowledge
- not needed by the target role digital camera sensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role edit digital moving images skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role entrepreneurship knowledge
- not needed by the target role extinguish fires skill
- not needed by the target role guidance, navigation and control knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect offshore constructions skill
- not needed by the target role inspect pipelines skill
- not needed by the target role international waterways knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain robotic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain sensor equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage forest fires skill
- not needed by the target role offshore constructions and facilities knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate a camera skill
- not needed by the target role operate control systems skill
- not needed by the target role perform search and rescue missions skill
- not needed by the target role pneumatics knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare production prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role protect personal data and privacy skill
- not needed by the target role rail infrastructure knowledge
- not needed by the target role read assembly drawings skill
- not needed by the target role read engineering drawings skill
- not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role record test data skill
- not needed by the target role robotic components knowledge
- not needed by the target role roofing drones knowledge
- not needed by the target role statistical analysis system software knowledge
- not needed by the target role surveillance methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role survive at sea in the event of ship abandonment skill
- not needed by the target role test instrumentation equipment skill
6 further entries not listed here
8 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 air traffic control operations required
- still to learn air transport law required
- still to learn aircraft flight control systems required
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn freight transport methods required
- still to learn geographic areas required
- still to learn visual flight rules required
Common questions about this move
Can a drone pilot become a helicopter pilot?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A drone pilot already covers 42% of what a helicopter pilot is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 17 of which the helicopter pilot role treats as required.
What skills does a drone pilot need to become a helicopter pilot?
23 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is air traffic control operations.
How hard is the move from drone pilot to helicopter pilot?
Its learning distance is 67.3 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.