Also called: Flight Data Analyst, FOQA Analyst
Analyzes data from thousands of flights to find risky patterns before they cause accidents.
A flight data analyst reviews recorded data for unstable approaches or hard landings, builds dashboards, and works with pilots' unions to share lessons without blame.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in data science, aviation, or engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Data Science, Aviation, Aerospace Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 8% over 10 years). BLS 2025-35 projection band for SOC 15-2051: Much faster than average (7% or higher).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI now scans flight data for risky patterns automatically; fewer analysts, with expert review left.
Classes: AP Statistics, Computer science, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-2051.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.