Airfield Operations Specialists
Ensure the safe takeoff and landing of commercial and military aircraft. Duties include coordination between air-traffic control and maintenance personnel, dispatching, using airfield landing and navigational aids, implementing airfield safety procedures, monitoring and maintaining flight records, and applying knowledge of weather information.
- O*NET-SOC code
53-2022.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$56,850
Employment, U.S.15,190
Median hourly wage$27.33
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35,870 | $42,000 | $56,850 | $77,340 | $102,120 |
By state (35)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $78,590 | ||
| Alaska | 160 | $71,510 | 5.10 |
| Arizona | 160 | $77,570 | 0.52 |
| California | 1,660 | $62,600 | 0.93 |
| Colorado | 70 | $77,500 | 0.25 |
| Florida | 2,320 | $57,650 | 2.39 |
| Georgia | 340 | $66,790 | 0.71 |
| Idaho | 40 | $62,510 | 0.47 |
| Indiana | 350 | $37,730 | 1.12 |
| Iowa | 40 | $48,870 | 0.25 |
| Kentucky | 290 | $123,290 | 1.50 |
| Massachusetts | 380 | $56,020 | 1.06 |
| Michigan | 440 | $61,780 | 1.03 |
| Mississippi | $44,290 | ||
| Missouri | 310 | $40,360 | 1.08 |
| Montana | 90 | $33,990 | 1.84 |
| Nevada | 150 | $61,350 | 0.98 |
| New Jersey | $42,480 | ||
| New Mexico | 50 | $69,090 | 0.55 |
| New York | 2,190 | $42,000 | 2.32 |
| North Carolina | 610 | $45,820 | 1.27 |
| North Dakota | 80 | $37,550 | 2.01 |
| Ohio | 360 | $57,140 | 0.67 |
| Oklahoma | 80 | $49,200 | 0.49 |
| Oregon | 50 | $75,130 | 0.26 |
| Pennsylvania | 340 | $55,660 | 0.57 |
| South Carolina | 90 | $33,590 | 0.40 |
| South Dakota | 190 | $37,860 | 4.36 |
| Tennessee | 190 | $40,180 | 0.59 |
| Texas | 1,310 | $60,910 | 0.95 |
| Utah | 290 | $59,780 | 1.73 |
| Virginia | 280 | $72,250 | 0.70 |
| Washington | 150 | $84,050 | 0.42 |
| West Virginia | 60 | $28,670 | 0.86 |
| Wisconsin | 100 | $39,400 | 0.34 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists | 3 | 0.963 |
| 2 | Transportation Inspectors | 4 | 0.959 |
| 3 | Traffic Technicians | 3 | 0.957 |
| 4 | Retail Loss Prevention Specialists | 1-2 | 0.953 |
| 5 | Security Managers | 4 | 0.951 |
| 6 | Government Property Inspectors and Investigators | 3 | 0.949 |
| 7 | Agricultural Inspectors | 1-2 | 0.949 |
| 8 | First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants | 3 | 0.947 |
| 9 | Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 1-2 | 0.947 |
| 10 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 1-2 | 0.946 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Airfield Operations Specialists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government Property Inspectors and Investigators | Quality Control Analysis | 0.87 | 0.949 |
| Agricultural Inspectors | Quality Control Analysis | 1.50 | 0.949 |
| Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | Mathematics | 0.76 | 0.947 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators | Time Management | 0.88 | 0.937 |
| Postmasters and Mail Superintendents | Time Management | 0.88 | 0.935 |
| Administrative Services Managers | Time Management | 1.00 | 0.930 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | Social Perceptiveness | 1.12 | 0.928 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Airfield Operations Specialists, excluding software Airfield Operations Specialists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Work scheduling software | 4 of 20 | 7.4x |
| Warehouse management system WMS | 3 of 20 | 7.7x |
| Google Workspace software | 3 of 20 | 5.3x |
| IBM Lotus Notes | 3 of 20 | 4.9x |
| Inventory management systems | 3 of 20 | 4.8x |
| McAfee | 3 of 20 | 4.0x |
| Inventory tracking software | 3 of 20 | 3.1x |
| Bentley MicroStation | 3 of 20 | 2.9x |
| Graphics software | 3 of 20 | 2.7x |
| Corel WordPerfect Office Suite | 3 of 20 | 2.2x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.75 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.38 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.12 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Public Safety and Security | 4.45 | 4.56 |
| Transportation | 4.25 | 4.40 |
| English Language | 4.18 | 3.82 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.03 | 4.38 |
| Education and Training | 3.74 | 4.74 |
| Telecommunications | 3.65 | 2.97 |
| Administration and Management | 3.59 | 3.83 |
| Law and Government | 3.37 | 2.99 |
| Administrative | 3.36 | 3.92 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.29 | 3.67 |
| Mathematics | 3.08 | 2.70 |
| Communications and Media | 3.07 | 3.20 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.94 | 3.02 |
| Geography | 2.64 | 2.81 |
| Mechanical | 2.61 | 2.83 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.44 | 2.38 |
| Production and Processing | 2.34 | 2.00 |
| Building and Construction | 2.24 | 1.91 |
| Psychology | 2.20 | 1.80 |
| Biology | 2.18 | 1.95 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.17 | 1.42 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.16 | 1.28 |
| Chemistry | 2.11 | 1.63 |
| Physics | 2.06 | 1.67 |
| Design | 1.97 | 2.03 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.78 | 1.21 |
| Foreign Language | 1.75 | 0.99 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.68 | 1.04 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.41 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.39 | 0.66 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.26 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.02 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.01 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.12 | 4.25 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.75 | 3.50 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.75 | 3.00 |
| Far Vision | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Near Vision | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Written Expression | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Selective Attention | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Auditory Attention | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Time Sharing | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Visualization | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Originality | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Control Precision | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Depth Perception | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Response Orientation | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.38 | 1.75 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Memorization | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Number Facility | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Night Vision | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Reaction Time | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Peripheral Vision | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Sound Localization | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Static Strength | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Rate Control | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Stamina | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Adobe Photoshop hot
- Extensible markup language XML hot
- Intuit QuickBooks hot
- Linux hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft SharePoint hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Oracle Database hot
- SAP software hot
- Aircraft noise monitoring system software
- Apache HTTP Server
- Decision Support Technologies Propworks
- FileMaker Pro
- Ground transportation management system
- Internet Protocol Television Systems
- Operations scheduling software
- Parking access revenue control system
- TRMI Airport AVI
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 1,530 | 5.57 | $58,630 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 220 | 2.69 | $63,100 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 2,090 | 2.26 | $42,000 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 250 | 1.88 | $46,060 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 250 | 1.84 | $48,980 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 190 | 1.80 | $40,520 |
| Cleveland, OH | 170 | 1.67 | $57,790 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 250 | 1.35 | $69,560 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 140 | 1.34 | $76,100 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 170 | 1.29 | $41,070 |