Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

People in this career often have these skills:

• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• Response Orientation - The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Spatial Orientation - The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

• Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
• Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
• Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
• Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
• Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
• Peripheral Vision - The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
• Night Vision - The ability to see under low light conditions.
• Glare Sensitivity - The ability to see objects in the presence of glare or bright lighting.
• Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Pilot aircraft.
• Communicate with others to coordinate vehicle movement.
• Monitor equipment gauges or displays to ensure proper operation.
• Report vehicle or equipment malfunctions.
• Notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards.
• Respond to transportation emergencies.

• Monitor work environment to ensure safety or adherence to specifications.
• Monitor engine operation or functioning.
• Inspect aircraft or aircraft components.
• Arrange maintenance activities.
• Maintain locomotives or other rail equipment in good working condition.
• Test performance of aircraft equipment.
• Choose optimal transportation routes or speeds.
• Coordinate flight control or management activities.
• Meet with coworkers to communicate work orders or plans.
• Resolve issues affecting transportation operations.
• Record operational details of travel.
• Train transportation or material moving personnel.
• Plan flight operations.
• Load shipments, belongings, or materials.
• Direct material handling or moving activities.
• Evaluate performance of applicants, trainees, or employees.
• Provide transportation information to passengers or customers.

• Environmental Compliance Inspectors

• Geodetic Surveyors

• Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

• Forensic Science Technicians

• Customs and Border Protection Officers

• Commercial Pilots

• Airfield Operations Specialists

• Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

• Transportation Inspectors