Profession flight operations officer

Flight operations officers compile flight information to expedite movement of aircraft between and through airports. They compile aircraft dispatch data such as scheduled arrival and departure times at checkpoints and scheduled stops, amount of fuel needed for flight, and maximum allowable gross take-off and landing weight.

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Personality Type

• Enterprising / Conventional

Knowledge

• Air transport law

  Know air transport laws and regulations. Due to the nature of aviation, knowledge of air transport laws partially overlaps with knowledge of international law.

• Air traffic control operations

  Understand the tasks performed by air traffic controllers, including Interaction and effective communication between aircraft and air traffic controllers; execution of follow-up activities, and ensuring smooth operations during flights.

Skills

• Ensure flights run to schedule

  Monitor the departure and arrival times of aircraft; ensure that flights run on time.

• Organise aircraft maintenance

  Organise arrangements for aircraft maintenance and repair activities; communicate with engineering centres.

• Manage budgets

  Plan, monitor and report on the budget.

• Manage allocation of flight resources

  Ensure that each flight operates with a suitable aircraft and team of crew members.

• Work in shifts

  Work in rotating shifts, where the goal is to keep a service or production line running around the clock and each day of the week.

• Identify airport safety hazards

  Spot threats related to security at the airport and apply procedures to counteract them in a quick, safe, and efficient way.

• Communicate analytical insights

  Obtain analytical insights and share them with relevant teams, in order to enable them to optimise supply chain (SC) operations and planning.

• Coordinate flight schedules

  Manage and review flight schedules and aircraft operations before and after departure.

• Manage aircraft support systems

  Data capture, process and control to manage aircraft support systems.

• Make time-critical decisions

  Pursue optimal time-critical decision making within the organisation.

• Manage aviation planning

  Develop and execute contingency plans; evaluate changes in aviation planning.

• Ensure compliance with civil aviation regulations

  Ensure best practice standards are adopted and all regulatory requirements met

• Deal with air traffic issues

  Deal with issues affecting the airline e.g. air traffic control problems and adverse weather conditions. This may involve rearranging flight slots when delays occur.

• Implement airside safety procedures

  Apply a series of airfield safety rules and procedures to ensure a safe working environment for airport crew.

• Communicate verbal instructions

  Communicate transparent instructions. Ensure that messages are understood and followed correctly.

• Exert a goal-oriented leadership role towards colleagues

  Embrace a leadership role in the organisation and with colleagues as to provide coaching and direction to subordinates aiming at the achievement of specific objectives.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB