Astronaut Career

*A job as an Astronaut falls under the broader career category of Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. The information on this page will generally apply to all careers in this category but may not specifically apply to this career title.

Job Description for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers : Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Requires Federal Air Transport certificate and rating for specific aircraft type used. Includes regional, national, and international airline pilots and flight instructors of airline pilots.


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Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineer Career

What skills are required for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers?

Importance Skills
Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

What knowledge is needed to be an Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineer?

Importance Knowledge
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

Work Styles

Importance Styles
Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.