Flight director vs traffic operator

The differences between flight directors and traffic operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a flight director and a traffic operator. Additionally, a flight director has an average salary of $62,388, which is higher than the $36,610 average annual salary of a traffic operator.

The top three skills for a flight director include flight operations, in-flight and FAA. The most important skills for a traffic operator are patrol, traffic management, and CCTV.

Flight director vs traffic operator overview

	Flight Director	Traffic Operator
Yearly salary	$62,388	$36,610
Hourly rate	$29.99	$17.60
Growth rate	6%	3%
Number of jobs	6,012	31,592
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

Flight director vs traffic operator salary

Flight directors and traffic operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Flight Director	Traffic Operator
Average salary	$62,388	$36,610
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $117,000	Between $24,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Topeka, KS
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Trafigura
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between flight director and traffic operator education

There are a few differences between a flight director and a traffic operator in terms of educational background:

	Flight Director	Traffic Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Flight director vs traffic operator demographics

Here are the differences between flight directors' and traffic operators' demographics:

	Flight Director	Traffic Operator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 71.8% Female, 28.2%	Male, 60.2% Female, 39.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 6.2% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between flight director and traffic operator duties and responsibilities

Flight director example responsibilities.

Manage intermediate-level maintenance on fighter aircraft release and gun systems.
Assist in assigning monthly days off calendar for pilots which comply with FAA standard regulations for pilots.
Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of missile security operations, disaster control procedures and initiate emergency security actions to counter enemy acts.
Monitor emergency management program and coordinate with departmental personnel to ensure compliance in agreement with program requirements.

Traffic operator example responsibilities.

Manage busy company switchboard, operating PBX or private branch exchange systems to facilitate connections.
Dispatch safety service patrol along the interstate to assist with disable vehicles, accidents, or any lane closures.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Train and recruit transportation personnel ensuring compliance with numerous transportation and DoD regulations.

Flight director vs traffic operator skills

Common flight director skills

Flight Operations, 24%
In-Flight, 18%
FAA, 14%
Raid, 12%
Safety Inspections, 12%
NASA, 7%

Common traffic operator skills

Patrol, 15%
Traffic Management, 10%
CCTV, 7%
Incident Management, 6%
DOT, 6%
Traffic Control, 6%