Takeover Tracker
34%medium risk
Commercial Pilots
vs

28 shared · 60 different

core competencies

24%low risk
Crane and Tower Operators

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricCommercial PilotsCrane and Tower Operators
Risk Score34.2%23.8%
Risk TierMedium RiskLow Risk
Risk Percentile63th16th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)10 / 155 / 12
Median Salary$122,670$66,370
Employment52K42K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Transportation
Customer and Personal Service
Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
Operation and Control
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
Problem Sensitivity
Inductive Reasoning
Getting Information
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Deductive Reasoning
Information OrderingAI-Vulnerable

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Commercial Pilots

32%

total discount

Crane and Tower Operators

26%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Commercial Pilots

10 of 15 at risk
89%Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
87%File instrument flight plans with air traffic control so that flights can be coordinated with other air traffic.
87%Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.
85%Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
77%Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.

Crane and Tower Operators

5 of 12 at risk
88%Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
88%Weigh bundles, using floor scales, and record weights for company records.
86%Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.
84%Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements and remove and batch packaging tickets.
57%Load or unload bundles from trucks or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.

Wage Comparison

Crane and Tower Operators earns -$56,300(-46%) vs Commercial Pilots
Commercial PilotsCrane and Tower Operators
10th
$59,330$41,670
25th
$81,660$50,970
Median
$122,670$66,370
75th
$175,050$81,630
90th
$239,200$102,400

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Commercial Pilots2028–2035
Crane and Tower Operators2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Crane and Tower Operators has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Commercial Pilots.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Commercial Pilots

$80,729

from $122,670

Crane and Tower Operators

$50,567

from $66,370

After adjusting for AI risk, Commercial Pilots offers $30,162 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Commercial

0

Unique to Crane

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Social Intelligence
Decision Complexity
Creativity
Regulatory Barriers
Commercial PilotsCrane and Tower Operators
Find transitions from Commercial PilotsFind transitions from Crane and Tower Operators