Second officer to air traffic controller
A second officer already meets 46% of what the air traffic controller role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
61.6/ 100
1 How much of what an air traffic controller is expected to do is already part of a second officer’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 air traffic controller role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An air traffic controller role treats 15 of its required skills as things a second officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air transport law
- aircraft flight control systems
- airport planning
- apply airport standards and regulations
- aviation meteorology
- carry out navigational calculations
What stands in the way is 17 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An air traffic controller role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a second officer background worth leading with.
- already held read 3D displays information skills
- already held carry out navigational calculations information skills
- already held airport planning engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held interpret visual literacy information skills
- already held electrical systems used in transportation engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held comply with checklists assisting and caring
All 16 carried skills, including the 15 the air traffic controller role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 8 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 assist during take off and landing required
- still to learn apply technical communication skills required
- still to learn execute working instructions required
- still to learn give instructions to staff required
- still to learn stay alert required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- still to learn analyse work-related written reports required
- still to learn have spatial awareness required
- still to learn monitor aviation meteorology required
- still to learn assist in the conducting of flight checks required
- still to learn operate airport control tower required
- still to learn operate radar equipment required
- still to learn air traffic control operations required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- still to learn use of air traffic services document required
- still to learn electronic communication required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an air traffic controller role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist during take off and landing practise this
- 02 assist in the conducting of flight checks practise this
- 03 air traffic control operations 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 16 skills that carry over
- already held air transport law knowledge
- already held aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- already held airport planning knowledge
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held carry out navigational calculations skill
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held comply with checklists skill
- already held electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held ensure public safety and security skill
- already held handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- already held interpret visual literacy skill
- already held read 3D displays skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
- already held have computer literacy skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn celestial navigation required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
20 held skills the air traffic controller role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role address aircraft mechanical issues skill
- not needed by the target role airport safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role consider economic criteria in decision making 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 compliance with airport security measures skill
- not needed by the target role ensure ongoing compliance with regulations 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 geographic areas knowledge
- not needed by the target role geostationary satellites knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect aircraft skill
- not needed by the target role launching of satellites into orbit knowledge
- not needed by the target role make independent operating decisions skill
- not needed by the target role operate cockpit control panels skill
- not needed by the target role perform aircraft maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role perform routine flight operations checks skill
- not needed by the target role respond to changing navigation circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role undertake procedures to meet aircraft flight requirements skill
- not needed by the target role undertake procedures to meet helicopter flight requirements 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 air traffic control operations required
- still to learn celestial navigation required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- still to learn electronic communication required
Common questions about this move
Can a second officer become an air traffic controller?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A second officer already covers 46% of what an air traffic controller is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 15 of which the air traffic controller role treats as required.
What skills does a second officer need to become an air traffic controller?
17 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assist during take off and landing.
How hard is the move from second officer to air traffic controller?
Its learning distance is 61.6 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.