Career profile for Airfield Operations Specialist

What does an Airfield Operations Specialist do?

Airfield Operations Specialists ensure the safe takeoff and landing of commercial and military aircraft.

In addition, Airfield Operations Specialists 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.

What kind of tasks does an Airfield Operations Specialist perform regularly?

Airfield Operations Specialists are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

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.
Relay departure, arrival, delay, aircraft and airfield status, and other pertinent information to upline controlling agencies.
Provide aircrews with information and services needed for airfield management and flight planning.

The above responsibilities are specific to Airfield Operations Specialists. More generally, Airfield Operations Specialists are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials		Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment		Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards		Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events		Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment

Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

What is an Airfield Operations Specialist salary?

The median salary for an Airfield Operations Specialist is $51,330, and the average salary is $58,360. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Airfield Operations Specialist salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Airfield Operations Specialists earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Airfield Operations Specialists earn less than $28,660 per year, 25% earn less than $35,530, 75% earn less than $74,430, and 90% earn less than $98,770.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Airfield Operations Specialists is expected to change by 12.5%, and there should be roughly 1,200 open positions for Airfield Operations Specialists every year.

Median annual salary: $51,330
Typical salary range: $28,660 - $98,770
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 12.5%

What personality traits are common among Airfield Operations Specialists?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as an Airfield Operations Specialist are usually higher in their Enterprising and Conventional interests.

Airfield Operations Specialists typically have strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Also, Airfield Operations Specialists typically have strong Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as an Airfield Operations Specialist tend to value Support, Independence, and Working Conditions.

Most importantly, Airfield Operations Specialists very strongly value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Second, Airfield Operations Specialists moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Lastly, Airfield Operations Specialists moderately value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Airfield Operations Specialists must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, attention to detail, and integrity.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Airfield Operations Specialists, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Stress Tolerance		Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Cooperation		Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Stress Tolerance

Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.

Cooperation

Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

What education and training do Airfield Operations Specialists need?

Airfield Operations Specialists often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Airfield Operations Specialists usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Airfield Operations Specialists

0.3% did not complete high school or secondary school
12.6% completed high school or secondary school
31.1% completed some college coursework
14.1% earned a Associate's degree
34.7% earned a Bachelor's degree
6.6% earned a Master's degree
0.6% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Airfield Operations Specialists

Airfield Operations Specialists may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as public safety and security, transportation, or customer and personal service knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Airfield Operations Specialists might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
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.
Transportation		Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Education and Training		Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Telecommunications		Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

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.

Transportation

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Telecommunications

Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

Important Abilities needed by Airfield Operations Specialists

Airfield Operations Specialists must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Airfield Operations Specialists need abilities such as problem sensitivity, deductive reasoning, and oral comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Airfield Operations Specialists, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
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 that there is a problem.
Deductive Reasoning		The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension		The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

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 that there is a problem.

Deductive Reasoning

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Critical Skills needed by Airfield Operations Specialists

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Airfield Operations Specialists frequently use skills like active listening, monitoring, and reading comprehension to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Airfield Operations Specialists, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
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.
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.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

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.

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.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Airfield Operations Specialist

Airfield Operations Specialist

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