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 representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • 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 list "faa," "cfr," and "atp" as skills on their resumes. We go into more details on the most important first officer responsibilities here:

  • The most important skills for a first officer to have in this position are empathy. In this excerpt that we gathered from a first officer resume, you'll understand why: "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a wide variety of people in their jurisdiction and have a willingness to help the public." According to resumes we found, empathy can be used by a first officer in order to "acquired a thorough understanding of complex aircraft systems. "
  • Another trait important for fulfilling first officer duties is good judgment. According to a first officer resume, "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve a wide array of problems quickly." Here's an example of how first officers are able to utilize good judgment: "study and retain product knowledge on all merchandise including denim, sunglasses, watches, and hardgoods. "
  • Leadership skills is also an important skill for first officers to have. This example of how first officers use this skill comes from a first officer resume, "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for assistance in emergency situations." Read this excerpt from a resume to understand how vital it is to their everyday roles and responsibilities, "selected to travel to risk stores to improve leadership capabilities, customer service practices, and loss prevention strategies. "
  • A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "physical strength" is important to completing first officer responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way first officers use this skill: "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend offenders." 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. "
  • As part of the first officer description, you might find that one of the skills that might be helpful to the job is "communication skills." A first officer resume included this snippet: "police and detectives must be able to speak with people when gathering facts about a crime and to express details about a given incident in writing." This skill could be useful in this scenario: "preformed duties such as flying, preflight inspections, atc clearances weight and balance calculations, and passenger communications. "
  • See the full list of first officer skills.

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    What Patrolmans Do

    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.

    We looked at the average first officer annual salary and compared it with the average of a patrolman. Generally speaking, patrolmen receive $43,590 lower pay than first officers per year.

    There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, a 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 how truly different these two careers really are.

    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.

    What Are The Duties Of a 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.

    The next role we're going to look at is the law enforcement specialist profession. Typically, this position earns a lower pay. In fact, they earn a $6,943 lower salary than first officers per year.

    In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, first officer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "faa," "cfr," "atp," and "pic." Meanwhile, a law enforcement specialist might be skilled 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.

    When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, 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.

    How a Ranger Compares

    The third profession we take a look at is ranger. On an average scale, these workers bring in lower salaries than first officers. In fact, they make a $50,393 lower salary per year.

    Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from first officer resumes include skills like "faa," "atp," "pic," and "pilot-in-command," whereas a ranger might be skilled 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. Whereas first officers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry with the average being $79,216.

    Rangers typically study at similar levels compared with 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.

    Description Of a State Trooper

    The fourth career we look at typically earns lower pay than first officers. On average, state troopers earn a difference of $42,698 lower per year.

    Each job requires different skills like "faa," "cfr," "atp," and "pic," which might show up on a first officer resume. Whereas state trooper might include skills like "patrol," "public safety," "law enforcement agencies," and "criminal law."

    State troopers earn a higher salary in the finance industry with an average of $44,467. Whereas, first officers earn the highest salary in the technology industry.

    In general, state troopers reach similar levels of education when compared to first officers resumes. State troopers are 1.9% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    What a First Officer Does FAQs

    First Officer Vs. Captain

    A first officer is the right-hand man or woman of the captain and their main role is to assist with flying the aircraft, looking after its systems, and talking with air traffic control, while the captain is responsible for overseeing all of the operations of the crew, loading of the aircraft, and operation of the aircraft.

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