What does a first officer do?
A First Officer is focused on operating the aircraft in a safe and economical manner. They also are responsible for maintaining a high personal standard of discipline.
First officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real first officer resumes:
- Execute and monitor strategic merchandising plans to achieve revenue objectives and reduce expenditures while ensuring payroll remains within budget.
- Experience with EFIS, FMS and RNAV.
- Base on the Embraer [] fleet
- Operate a Lear 35 and 60
- Contact drone companies in the UK for possible collaboration.
- Discover new construction trends in the UK via showrooms.
- Assist the PIC to conduct the safe operation of all flights.
- Experience in use of ACARS, FMS, glass cockpit instrumentation.
- Flight operational experience within U.S., Canada, Mexico, Caribbean airspace.
- Develop courses and train staff on SMS and various other safety topics.
- Assist the PIC in handling any emergency operation or condition of the aircraft.
- Experience in international flying operations to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
- Train associates on the POS terminal and their appoint assignments for the day.
- Participate in navigation sea details, including anchoring, piloting, celestial navigation, DR and GPS navigation.
- License in both single-engine and multi-engine airplanes.
First officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 32% of First Officers are proficient in FAA, CFR, and ATP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Empathy, Good judgment, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of First Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- FAA, 32%
Documented maintenance compliance issues and/or aircraft damage according to FAA and company regulations.
- CFR, 27%
Operated as a First Officer of the CL-65 under a 14 CFR Part 121 international and domestic air carrier.
- ATP, 24%
Abbreviated Pilot Experience ATP 2200hrs.
- PIC, 5%
Perform all duties of the SIC and PIC aboard a Citation 550 in 135 Charter operations.
- Pilot-In-Command, 4%
True served as pilot-in-command and second-in-command in the transport of passengers for other commercial purposes for a Part 121 air carrier.
- Flight Operations, 1%
Provided safe and efficient scheduled air carrier flight operations on high performance transport category aircraft.
Most first officers use their skills in "faa," "cfr," and "atp" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential first officer responsibilities here:
Empathy. The most essential soft skill for a first officer to carry out their responsibilities is empathy. This skill is important for the role because "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public." Additionally, a first officer resume shows how their duties depend on empathy: "acquired a thorough understanding of complex aircraft systems. "
Good judgment. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling first officer duties is good judgment. The role rewards competence in this skill because "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems." According to a first officer resume, here's how first officers can utilize good judgment in their job responsibilities: "study and retain product knowledge on all merchandise including denim, sunglasses, watches, and hardgoods. "
Leadership skills. This is an important skill for first officers to perform their duties. For an example of how first officer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a first officer: "selected to travel to risk stores to improve leadership capabilities, customer service practices, and loss prevention strategies. ".
Physical strength. A big part of what first officers do relies on "physical strength." You can see how essential it is to first officer responsibilities because "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical first officer tasks: "supervised the preparation and accountability of retail store physical inventory and for developing action plans to achieve expected results. "
Communication skills. A commonly-found skill in first officer job descriptions, "communication skills" is essential to what first officers do. First officer responsibilities rely on this skill because "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." You can also see how first officer duties rely on communication skills in this resume example: "preformed duties such as flying, preflight inspections, atc clearances weight and balance calculations, and passenger communications. "
The three companies that hire the most first officers are:
- Atlas Air231 first officers jobs
- Jet Aviation12 first officers jobs
- Wheels Up11 first officers jobs
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Compare different first officers
First officer vs. Patrolman
In the military, a law enforcement specialist is in charge of preventing and investigating crimes within the military bases. Although the extent of their responsibilities highly depends on their area of assignment, it usually includes patrolling different places, responding to distress and other emergencies, conducting interviews on witnesses and suspects, and monitoring security systems. There are also instances when they must keep guard of facilities and properties. Moreover, as a law enforcement specialist, it is essential to be proactive and alert in dealing with different situations due to the nature of the job.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, first officer responsibilities require skills like "faa," "cfr," "atp," and "pic." Meanwhile a typical patrolman has skills in areas such as "patrol," "law enforcement," "public safety," and "non-emergency calls." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Patrolmen tend to reach similar levels of education than first officers. In fact, patrolmen are 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.First officer vs. Law enforcement specialist
A ranger is responsible for protecting and conserving natural resources and environmental conditions. Rangers coordinate with environmental institutions and landowners to identify land conservation strategies to prevent destructible threats of wildfires and calamities. They also monitor the operations within the forests and parks, evaluating efficient development through scientific methodologies and research studies. A ranger creates reports of cost estimates for conservation efforts, authorizing various land operations upon inspection to mitigate the risks of pollution and other hazardous circumstances.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, first officer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "faa," "cfr," "atp," and "pic." Meanwhile, a law enforcement specialist has duties that require skills in areas such as "treasury," "physical security," "patrol," and "field training." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Law enforcement specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than first officers. In fact, they're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.First officer vs. Ranger
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from first officer resumes include skills like "faa," "atp," "pic," and "pilot-in-command," whereas a ranger is more likely to list skills in "patrol," "customer service," "reservations," and "law enforcement. "
Rangers make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $34,400. On the other hand, first officers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $79,216.Most rangers achieve a similar degree level compared to first officers. For example, they're 3.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.First officer vs. State trooper
Updated January 8, 2025
