Section chief vs flight chief

The differences between section chiefs and flight chiefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a section chief and a flight chief. Additionally, a section chief has an average salary of $78,816, which is higher than the $73,910 average annual salary of a flight chief.

The top three skills for a section chief include safety procedures, training programs and professional development. The most important skills for a flight chief are safety program, emergency situations, and logistics.

Section chief vs flight chief overview

	Section Chief	Flight Chief
Yearly salary	$78,816	$73,910
Hourly rate	$37.89	$35.53
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	13,655	14,227
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Associate Degree, 54%
Average age	49	44
Years of experience	4	4

Section chief vs flight chief salary

Section chiefs and flight chiefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Section Chief	Flight Chief
Average salary	$78,816	$73,910
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $163,000	Between $50,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Learjet	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between section chief and flight chief education

There are a few differences between a section chief and a flight chief in terms of educational background:

	Section Chief	Flight Chief
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Associate Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Section chief vs flight chief demographics

Here are the differences between section chiefs' and flight chiefs' demographics:

	Section Chief	Flight Chief
Average age	49	44
Gender ratio	Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6%	Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 2.1% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 81.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	4%	9%

Differences between section chief and flight chief duties and responsibilities

Section chief example responsibilities.

Manage sortie production on 17 USAF E-8C aircraft worth $6.2 billion.
Manage HAZMAT accumulation storage points and documentation.
Manage training time effectively ensuring employees have every opportunity to learn necessary skills to succeed in a combat environment.
Assist in planning, implementing and administering educational training that enhance performance in combat operations for soldiers to accomplish every mission.
Provide leadership and knowledge of federal shipping and logistics regulations by managing adherence to all policies and procedures from higher headquarters.
Complete HAZMAT transport course and establish on-site certifying capability.

Flight chief example responsibilities.

Manage, lead and oversee all areas of evaluations / assessments for over 200 USAF aviators.
Manage the command and control of GPS satellite operations.
Lead initial training for over 600 staff annually through 736 syllabus hours and oversee evaluation of competency.
Provide leadership and knowledge of federal shipping and logistics regulations by managing adherence to all policies and procedures from higher headquarters.
Promote to in-flight supervisor position to train and supervise any given number in flight attendants.
Ensure compliance with DOD and USAF personnel management policies, directives, and procedures regarding military personnel issues and current programs.

Section chief vs flight chief skills

Common section chief skills

Safety Procedures, 22%
Training Programs, 9%
Professional Development, 7%
Logistical Support, 6%
Combat, 6%
Corrective Action, 5%

Common flight chief skills

Safety Program, 15%
Emergency Situations, 9%
Logistics, 6%
Training Programs, 6%
Combat, 5%
DOD, 4%

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Section Chief
Section Chief vs Flight Chief

Updated January 8, 2025

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