Airfield Operations Specialists

What the job really is

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.

At a glance

• Sector: Transportation & Material Moving
• O*NET-SOC code: 53-2022
• O*NET job zone: 3 — medium preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Inspect airfield conditions to ensure compliance with federal regulatory requirements.
• Implement airfield safety procedures to ensure a safe operating environment for personnel and aircraft operation.
• Conduct inspections of the airport property and perimeter to maintain controlled access to airfields.
• Assist in responding to aircraft and medical emergencies.
• Initiate or conduct airport-wide coordination of snow removal on runways and taxiways.
• Manage wildlife on and around airport grounds.
• Coordinate communications between air traffic control and maintenance personnel.
• Perform and supervise airfield management activities, including mobile airfield management functions.
• Plan and coordinate airfield construction.
• Monitor the arrival, parking, refueling, loading, and departure of all aircraft.
• Train operations staff.
• Coordinate with agencies, such as air traffic control, civil engineers, or command posts, to ensure support of airfield management activities.

Tools and technology

Adobe Photoshop, Extensible markup language XML, Intuit QuickBooks, Linux, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Air Traffic Controllers
• Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
• First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants
• Commercial Pilots
• Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
• Aviation Inspectors
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
• Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 3 (medium preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Airfield Operations Specialists — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.