Explore by Career/Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul aircraft engines and assemblies, such as hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
- Median pay
- $78,680
- per year
- 10-year outlook
- +4%
- Stable
- Typical entry
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Key skills
- Equipment Maintenance
- Repairing
- Operations Monitoring
- Troubleshooting
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Quality Control Analysis
- Reading Comprehension
What they do
- 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 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.
- Modify aircraft structures, space vehicles, systems, or components, following drawings, schematics, charts, engineering orders, and technical publications.
- Inspect airframes for wear or other defects.
- Measure parts for wear, using precision instruments.
- Obtain fuel and oil samples and check them for contamination.
- 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.
Majors that lead here
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.