Chief controller vs air traffic controller

The differences between chief controllers and air traffic controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chief controller has an average salary of $108,403, which is higher than the $49,141 average annual salary of an air traffic controller.

The top three skills for a chief controller include logistics, combat and direct supervision. The most important skills for an air traffic controller are federal aviation administration, air traffic control, and NAS.

Chief controller vs air traffic controller overview

	Chief Controller	Air Traffic Controller
Yearly salary	$108,403	$49,141
Hourly rate	$52.12	$23.63
Growth rate	17%	1%
Number of jobs	26,832	17,944
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	38
Years of experience	8	-

Chief controller vs air traffic controller salary

Chief controllers and air traffic controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Controller	Air Traffic Controller
Average salary	$108,403	$49,141
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $176,000	Between $26,000 And $90,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	SAIC
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between chief controller and air traffic controller education

There are a few differences between a chief controller and an air traffic controller in terms of educational background:

	Chief Controller	Air Traffic Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Aviation
Most common college	Stanford University	SUNY Farmingdale

Chief controller vs air traffic controller demographics

Here are the differences between chief controllers' and air traffic controllers' demographics:

	Chief Controller	Air Traffic Controller
Average age	46	38
Gender ratio	Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5%	Male, 78.1% Female, 21.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 8.1% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 5.3% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between chief controller and air traffic controller duties and responsibilities

Chief controller example responsibilities.

Manage monitoring of HVAC equipments and report if there are troubles and seek remediation.
Achieve a QC error rate of less than one percent maximizing squadron readiness and operational flexibility.
Manage regulatory and financial reporting functions, taxation, foreign exchange, treasury, and company administrative matters.
Maintain quality control and ISO systems standards.
Facilitate logistics, manpower, supplies and schedules for long term isolate deployments.
Plan, develop, implement and test critical data processing display requirements for the DoD.

Air traffic controller example responsibilities.

Lead recruitment and training for first ever associate operational combat flying organization.
Assign as SME for the Milstar AFCPT maintenance course.
Represent the hospital by attending the monthly APIC meetings.
Comply with all AWP policies, procedures and safety requirements.
Have certification in traffic control, CPR, and OSHA.
Assist in the creation of several (NOTAMS) notice to airmen.

Chief controller vs air traffic controller skills

Common chief controller skills

Logistics, 11%
Combat, 9%
Direct Supervision, 6%
Support Equipment, 5%
Control Systems, 5%
Federal Aviation Administration, 4%

Common air traffic controller skills

Federal Aviation Administration, 21%
Air Traffic Control, 20%
NAS, 18%
Maximize Safety, 3%
CTO, 3%
Emergency Situations, 3%

Chief Controller vs. similar jobs

Chief Controller related careers

Chief Controller related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Chief Controller
Chief Controller vs Air Traffic Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs