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Airfield Operations Specialists in Washington

Want to work as an Airfield Operations Specialists in Washington? Below are the key facts. 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.

What do Airfield Operations Specialists Make in Washington?

For a airfield operations specialists working in Washington, wages run about $82,540 per year (or about $39.68/hour).Earnings range from $49,620 at the 10th percentile to $117,290 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$49,620	$23.86
25th percentile	$68,220	$32.80
Median (50th)	$82,540	$39.68
75th percentile	$103,790	$49.90
90th percentile	$117,290	$56.39

The job concentration index in Washington compared to the national average — is 0.43, suggesting fewer airfield operations specialists per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, airfield operations specialists earn a median of $54,884 per year ($26.39/hour), exceeding the Washington median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 1,118,207 airfield operations specialists in the U.S.. In Washington alone, around 160 people work in this role. That matches the typical state median of 160.

Top Washington Metros for Airfield Operations Specialists

The metro areas below employ the most airfield operations specialists in Washington.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	150	$82,360

Top States for Airfield Operations Specialists Employment

View the states that employ the most airfield operations specialists work.

State	Number Employed
Florida	3,670
Texas	1,550
New York	1,430
California	1,150
North Carolina	800
Puerto Rico	590
Pennsylvania	550
New Jersey	480
Georgia	470
Michigan	430
Tennessee	380
Indiana	370
Virginia	350
Utah	290
Ohio	240
Alaska	160
Washington	160
South Carolina	160
South Dakota	160
Arizona	150

Highest-Paying States for Airfield Operations Specialists

These states pay the most for airfield operations specialists.

State	Annual Median Salary
Washington	$82,540
Arizona	$80,260
Alabama	$78,270
Texas	$77,460
Oregon	$75,710
Oklahoma	$74,290
Colorado	$72,720
Alaska	$66,250
Maryland	$64,480
Florida	$62,600

Skills

Key airfield operations specialists skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for airfield operations specialists, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, airfield operations specialists typically:

• 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.

Work Activities

• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Getting Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Adobe Photoshop, Extensible markup language XML In-demand technologies: Microsoft Excel

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

• Air Transportation

Related Careers

Other careers like airfield operations specialists include:

• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
• First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
• First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers
• Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
• Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
• First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand

Also Known As

Airfield Operations Specialist, Airfield Services Officer, Airline Agent, Airline Dispatcher, Airport Agent, Airport Operations Agent, Airport Operations Coordinator, Airport Operations Crew Member, Airport Operations Officer, Airport Operations Specialist, Airport Ramp Agent, Airport Security Officer, Airport Services Supervisor, Airport Supervisor, Aviation Operations Specialist.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 53-2022.00