Second officer to co-pilot
A second officer already meets 46% of what the co-pilot role asks for. The move turns on 23 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.5/ 100
1 How much of what a co-pilot 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 co-pilot role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A co-pilot role treats 20 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
- aviation meteorology
- common aviation safety regulations
- deal with challenging work conditions
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 24 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 second officer 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 20 the co-pilot role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 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 apply signalling control procedures required
- still to learn operate two-way radio systems required
- still to learn perform flight manoeuvres required
- still to learn perform take off and landing required
- still to learn undertake procedures to meet requirements for flying aircraft heavier than 5,700 kg required
- still to learn operate radar equipment required
- still to learn operate radio equipment required
- still to learn operate radio navigation instruments required
- still to learn comply with air traffic control operations required
- still to learn ensure compliance with civil aviation regulations required
- still to learn implement airside safety procedures required
- optional, not held be friendly to passengers optional
- still to learn analyse work-related written reports required
- still to learn have spatial awareness required
- still to learn read maps required
- optional, not held analyse weather forecast optional
- still to learn air traffic control operations required
- still to learn civil aviation regulations required
- still to learn visual flight rules required
- still to learn apply transportation management concepts required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held write work-related reports optional
- still to learn create a flight plan required
- still to learn prepare transportation routes required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
2 further areas 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 air traffic control operations study this
- 02 apply signalling control procedures practise this
- 03 apply transportation management concepts 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 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 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 carry out navigational calculations skill
- already held geostationary satellites knowledge
- already held respond to changing navigation circumstances skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn run preventive simulations required
- still to learn balance transportation cargo required
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held be friendly to passengers optional
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held analyse weather forecast optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held write work-related reports optional
12 held skills the co-pilot 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 comply with checklists skill
- not needed by the target role consider economic criteria in decision making skill
- not needed by the target role electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with airport security measures skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy 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 perform aircraft maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role undertake procedures to meet helicopter flight requirements skill
3 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 civil aviation regulations required
- still to learn visual flight rules required
Common questions about this move
Can a second officer become a co-pilot?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A second officer already covers 46% of what a co-pilot is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 20 of which the co-pilot role treats as required.
What skills does a second officer need to become a co-pilot?
23 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 8 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 second officer to co-pilot?
Its learning distance is 65.5 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.