Aviation means the art or act of flying, the word originated from the Latin word “avis,” which means a bird, but the Aviation Industry is not limited to the sky alone. It offers numerous career options to explore, pilots and flight attendants beings the most known ones.
Many more career opportunities lie in aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, air traffic control, customer care, and quality assurance.
All aviation industry jobs require at least a Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline. Still, education alone is not enough, as due to the technical nature of the aviation industry, many aviation jobs require high levels of proficiency.
For success and growth in the aviation industry, it is vital to have the appropriate professional skill sets. So if you are someone looking for a career in Aviation, here are five essential skills to obtain before starting your journey:
1. Communication:
Almost all the jobs in the industry depend heavily on the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently. The link of a mid-air flight with the control tower, in other words, is dependent on the listening and speaking skills of the pilots and the air traffic controllers.
Pilots must provide frequent updates on their position and synchronize with the air traffic controllers to ensure the flight does not interfere with the pathways of other flights. For this reason and many more, they need to have strong communication skills and knowledge of technical issues to manage conflicts and communicate tactfully.
If you want to know more about academic requirements, piloting schools offer courses designed to help with communication skills and teaching particulars about the Aviation Industry.
2. Decision Making:
If you have seen the movie “Sully: Miracle of the Hudson”, then you know how critical it is for pilots to be able to adapt to sudden changes, assess the situation, prioritize safety and make a decision to the best of their ability, all this in matters of seconds.
The slightest fraction of a second delay in making a decision can result in an upsetting broadcast. Fast and accurate decision-making is not only for the pilots; flight attendants, aviation managers, and airport crew all face circumstances that test their capabilities of active decision-making.
Therefore, before entering the Aviation Industry, you should consider sharpening and training your mind to be more adaptive and decisive. Once you’re in the air, it is a matter of life or death, and a few seconds can make all the difference.
3. Time Management:
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the US alone bills around $22 billion annually because of delayed flights; you can imagine the cost worldwide. This goes to prove how essential time management is in roles in the Aviation Industry.
Flights are fined per passenger if the flight is late in arrival or departure. From pilots to boarding officers, each individual involved in commercial aviation needs to make the most resourceful use of their time to minimize the money paid in penalties.
Furthermore, time management is vital not only to save money but also to save lives. Any delay in the landing time of one flight can obstruct the arrival time of another; this can put the lives of all the passengers of respective flights in danger.
Time management is a critical element for success in Aviation Industry. One way to upturn your time management skills is by timing your everyday tasks and ensuring that you focus on them during a specific job.
4. Attention to Detail:
Every job in the Aviation Industry requires the utmost precision and demands full attention. There is no margin of error in this industry! A signal fault can disturb the schedule of an entire day and can incur thousands of dollars in fines.
All airplanes’ hardware and software must be impeccable to meet safety standards. The engineers and mechanics involved in aircraft manufacturing also have to ensure their work is faultless. This means if you want to enter this field, it will require you to be present-minded and observant, as this is essential.
The need for attention is also a critical skill for pilots and control tower officers. Their job requires them to read out crucial and sensitive coordinates because a misread of a signal digit can jeopardize the lives of all the people on board.
A way to increase your attention to detail is by reading books, which improves concentration. Moreover, reading aviation-related books will also help increase your knowledge about the subject.
5. Customer Service:
Customer service determines the customer’s relationship with the company; it is perhaps one of the most versatile skills anyone can possess. All service sector organizations require their employees to be exceptional in this skill.
Individuals in the Commercial Aviation Industry deal with hundreds of passengers daily. The employees must be knowledgeable to ensure the passengers are satisfied with the service. They should have high standards of customer management abilities.
Passengers are often subject to various factors, both within and outside their control, including travel-related stress, delays, and lost luggage.
Many of these pressures can be mitigated by using customer service skills to make the passenger experience as smooth as possible. Industry professionals must show empathy and diligence when dealing with passengers’ troubles.
Learn more: Why Should You Outsource Customer Service
Conclusion:
There are many essential skills required for an aviation career. Still, some roles are particularly high-stress, safety- and detail-oriented, which reflects the nature of many roles in this exciting and challenging industry.
Research the skills you will need to be successful in the jobs you are seeking if you are looking for a career in the aviation industry. Learning the necessary skills and building a resume that showcases your strength will get you going on your journey in aviation; best of luck!
Learn More:
List of Soft Skills Essential for Your Employees
How Education Helps in Career Goals
7 of The Highest Paid Trade Careers
