What is an Airfield Operations Specialist?
Career Description 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.
List of Airfield Operations Specialist Job Duties
- Maintain flight and events logs, air crew flying records, and flight operations records of incoming and outgoing flights.
- Use airfield landing and navigational aids and digital data terminal communications equipment to perform duties.
- Monitor the arrival, parking, refueling, loading, and departure of all aircraft.
- Implement airfield safety procedures to ensure a safe operating environment for personnel and aircraft operation.
- Train operations staff.
- Relay departure, arrival, delay, aircraft and airfield status, and other pertinent information to upline controlling agencies.
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Airfield Operations Specialist Required Skills
These are the skills Airfield Operations Specialists say are the most useful in their careers:
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.
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.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Airfield Manager
- Assistant Manager Airside Operations
- Airport Duty Manager
- Operations Agent
- Flight Operations Manager
What Kind of Airfield Operations Specialist Job Opportunities Are There?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 8,900 jobs in the United States for Airfield Operations Specialist. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 9% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 800 new jobs for Airfield Operations Specialist by 2026. There will be an estimated 900 positions for Airfield Operations Specialist per year.

The states with the most job growth for Airfield Operations Specialist are Nevada, Utah, and Iowa. Watch out if you plan on working in Nebraska, Minnesota, or Kentucky. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of an Airfield Operations Specialist
The typical yearly salary for Airfield Operations Specialists is somewhere between $27,760 and $91,730.

Airfield Operations Specialists who work in Arizona, Nevada, or New Jersey, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Airfield Operations Specialists in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $56,490 |
Alaska | $71,290 |
Arizona | $75,610 |
California | $58,300 |
Colorado | $60,190 |
Connecticut | $58,870 |
Florida | $53,920 |
Georgia | $56,620 |
Hawaii | $50,490 |
Indiana | $46,880 |
Iowa | $50,570 |
Kansas | $45,630 |
Kentucky | $52,480 |
Louisiana | $54,460 |
Massachusetts | $53,970 |
Michigan | $53,660 |
Minnesota | $57,040 |
Missouri | $39,120 |
Montana | $44,530 |
Nebraska | $49,150 |
Nevada | $80,320 |
New Jersey | $68,270 |
New Mexico | $56,350 |
New York | $58,630 |
North Carolina | $37,070 |
Ohio | $41,360 |
Oklahoma | $45,750 |
Oregon | $50,400 |
Pennsylvania | $69,280 |
South Carolina | $42,260 |
Tennessee | $39,790 |
Texas | $62,920 |
Utah | $48,910 |
Washington | $66,660 |
Wisconsin | $38,320 |
What Tools & Technology do Airfield Operations Specialists Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Airfield Operations Specialists may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- Word processing software
- SAP
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Linux
- FileMaker Pro
- Extensible markup language XML
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Oracle software
- Microsoft operating system
- Apache Webserver
Becoming an Airfield Operations Specialist
Are there Airfield Operations Specialists education requirements?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Airfield Operations Specialists Sector

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Related Careers
Career changers with experience as an Airfield Operations Specialist sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol via U.S. Air Force photo
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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