Air Crew Officers

Air Crew Officers

The most important character trait that every air crew officer must have is the ability to pay immaculate attention to detail to every aspect of their job. Since they are responsible for the safety of an aircraft, they must always be on top of their game.

There is little room for error on this job, and if one cannot work in a high stress environment, a career as an air crew officer may not be for them. Air crew officers need to be committed people who are able to work long hours in an aircraft.

They must also be willing to work odd hours in the night, during holidays and on weekends. This is not a typical 9 - 5 job. Air crew officers have a number of inflight duties that facilitate the completion of the mission their aircraft set out to do.

These duties may include, but are not limited to operating the radio and radar equipment on board an aircraft. Air crew officers may have to establish satellite links, breaking enemy communication options, fire weapons, or even operate a defense system depending on the nature of the aircraft.

An important part of an air crew officer’s job is to perform various duties out of flight. This includes inspecting the aircraft for its airworthiness before and after a particular flight, ensuring proper personnel and cargo drops and making sure all instruments are working before the plane takes off.

The duties of air crew officers can significantly depending on the type of aircraft they work in. For example, an aircrew officer on a commercial airliner normally has the added responsibility of ensuring the safe disembarkation of passengers. On the other hand, the military version of this career is quite different. They also perform in flight duties to ensure successful completion of a flight. The missions they engage in may be to transport military personnel.

The necessary qualifications to become an air crew officer depend on the kind of path you want to take. Military air crew officers receive training at the Air Force Training Academy. Commercial air crew officers also need training, but it depends on their job duties.

The salary prospects in this profession vary significantly depending on your level of qualifications, who you work for and the extent of your duties as an air crew officer.

An Air Crew Officer earns an average salary on a scale from approximately US$30,000 to US$44,000 on a yearly basis depending on seniority levels.

There are also many benefits such as annual bonus, company shares, retirement plans and medical benefits offered to these positions.

Remarks: The information and figures provided are intended as a guideline only. For those interested, please contact the respective airline headquarters (AirlinesHQ) for further information.