Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

Transportation, Distribution and LogisticsO*NET 49-3011.00United States

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul aircraft engines and assemblies, such as hydraulic and pneumatic systems.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $79,397
Projected change: +5.9%
Typical education: Certificate
Employment: 221.42K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What aircraft mechanics and service technicians do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Inspect completed work to certify that maintenance meets standards and that aircraft are ready for operation.
Read and interpret maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and other specifications to determine the feasibility and method of repairing or replacing malfunctioning or damaged components.
Maintain repair logs, documenting all preventive and corrective aircraft maintenance.
Examine and inspect aircraft components, including landing gear, hydraulic systems, and deicers to locate cracks, breaks, leaks, or other problems.
Conduct routine and special inspections as required by regulations.
Inspect airframes for wear or other defects.
Replace or repair worn, defective, or damaged components, using hand tools, gauges, and testing equipment.
Measure parts for wear, using precision instruments.
Check for corrosion, distortion, and invisible cracks in the fuselage, wings, and tail, using x-ray and magnetic inspection equipment.
Remove or install aircraft engines, using hoists or forklift trucks.
Assemble and install electrical, plumbing, mechanical, hydraulic, and structural components and accessories, using hand or power tools.
Test operation of engines and other systems, using test equipment, such as ignition analyzers, compression checkers, distributor timers, or ammeters.
Service and maintain aircraft and related apparatus by performing activities such as flushing crankcases, cleaning screens, and or moving parts.
Reassemble engines following repair or inspection and reinstall engines in aircraft.
Maintain, repair, and rebuild aircraft structures, functional components, and parts, such as wings and fuselage, rigging, hydraulic units, oxygen systems, fuel systems, electrical systems, gaskets, or seals.
Measure the tension of control cables.
Read and interpret pilots' descriptions of problems to diagnose causes.
Obtain fuel and oil samples and check them for contamination.
Examine engines through specially designed openings while working from ladders or scaffolds, or use hoists or lifts to remove the entire engine from an aircraft.
Listen to operating engines to detect and diagnose malfunctions, such as sticking or burned valves.
Remove or cut out defective parts or drill holes to gain access to internal defects or damage, using drills and punches.
Inventory and requisition or order supplies, parts, materials, and equipment.
Communicate with other workers to coordinate fitting and alignment of heavy parts, or to facilitate processing of repair parts.
Clean, refuel, and change oil in line service aircraft.
Modify aircraft structures, space vehicles, systems, or components, following drawings, schematics, charts, engineering orders, and technical publications.
Clean engines, sediment bulk and screens, and carburetors, adjusting carburetor float levels.
Install and align repaired or replacement parts for subsequent riveting or welding, using clamps and wrenches.
Accompany aircraft on flights to make in-flight adjustments and corrections.
Locate and mark dimensions and reference lines on defective or replacement parts, using templates, scribes, compasses, and steel rules.
Spread plastic film over areas to be repaired to prevent damage to surrounding areas.
Fabricate defective sections or parts, using metal fabricating machines, saws, brakes, shears, and grinders.
Clean, strip, prime, and sand structural surfaces and materials to prepare them for bonding.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $48,188
25th percentile: $62,137
50th percentile: $79,397
75th percentile: $98,874
90th percentile: $129,331

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $79,397 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+5.9%average or slower

2025221,416 jobs

2035 projected234,407 jobs

12,991 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Certificate: 66.2%
Associate degree: 15.1%
High school diploma or less: 10%
Some college: 8.1%
Bachelor's degree: 0.6%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Aircraft Maintenance
Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Regulations
Avionics
Hand Tools
Lifting Ability
Mechanics
Sheet Metal
Hydraulics
Airworthiness
Test Equipment
Foreign Object Damage
Blueprinting
Technical Communication
Continuous Improvement Process
Oil and Gas
Composite Materials
Accounting
Aviation
Power Tool Operation

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
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.
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.
Equipment Selection: Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
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.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Aircraft Mechanics4,046 postings
02Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics2,557 postings
03Aircraft Maintenance Technicians1,811 postings
04Aircraft Technicians1,430 postings
05Aviation Maintenance Technicians715 postings
06Line Service Technicians702 postings
07GSE Technicians620 postings
08Helicopter Mechanics603 postings
09Aircraft Fuelers518 postings
10Aircraft Structures Mechanics476 postings
11Aircraft Avionics Technicians467 postings
12Airframe and Powerplant Technicians432 postings
13Aircraft Sheet Metal Mechanics405 postings
14Experience Specialists308 postings
15Ground Support Equipment Mechanics283 postings
16Aircraft Detailers265 postings
17Maintenance Controllers234 postings
18Aviation Mechanics217 postings
19Aviation Technicians215 postings
20Aircraft Engine Mechanics214 postings

Top employers

01Aerotek1,719 postings
02Amentum1,162 postings
03V2X Limited486 postings
04Northrop Grumman455 postings
05Atlantic Aviation390 postings
06Menzies Aviation388 postings
07Gal Aerostaff LTD.381 postings
08Hsgi339 postings
09Global Medical Response326 postings
10Billings Flying Service301 postings
11Primeflight Aviation Services301 postings
12Kay And Associates299 postings
13Boeing280 postings
14Draken International264 postings
15Signature Flight Support257 postings
16Gulfstream Aerospace255 postings
17STS Technical Services247 postings
18Unifi Aviation245 postings
19Swissport236 postings
20The Structures Company224 postings

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