Aviation Maintenance Technology

Alternative Job Titles for Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

• Aircraft Maintenance Technician (Aircraft Maintenance Tech)
• Aircraft Mechanic
• Aircraft Restorer
• Aircraft Technician
• Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A and P Mechanic)
• Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT)
• Aviation Mechanic
• Helicopter Mechanic

Job Tasks and Activities for Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

• Accompany aircraft on flights to make in-flight adjustments and corrections.
• Align equipment or machinery.
• Apply protective coverings to objects or surfaces near work areas.
• Assemble and install electrical, plumbing, mechanical, hydraulic, and structural components and accessories, using hand or power tools.
• Assemble electrical components, subsystems, or systems.
• Check for corrosion, distortion, and invisible cracks in the fuselage, wings, and tail, using x-ray and magnetic inspection equipment.
• Clean engines, sediment bulk and screens, and carburetors, adjusting carburetor float levels.
• Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order.
• Clean, refuel, and change oil in line service aircraft.
• Clean, strip, prime, and sand structural surfaces and materials to prepare them for bonding.
• Communicate with coworkers to coordinate installations or repairs.
• Communicate with other workers to coordinate fitting and alignment of heavy parts, or to facilitate processing of repair parts.
• Conduct routine and special inspections as required by regulations.
• Cure bonded structures, using portable or stationary curing equipment.
• Cut materials according to specifications or needs.
• Determine operational criteria or specifications.
• Determine repair limits for engine hot section parts.
• Disassemble engines and inspect parts, such as turbine blades or cylinders, for corrosion, wear, warping, cracks, and leaks, using precision measuring instruments, x-rays, and magnetic inspection equipment.
• Disassemble equipment to inspect for deficiencies.
• Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
• Examine and inspect aircraft components, including landing gear, hydraulic systems, and deicers to locate cracks, breaks, leaks, or other problems.
• 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.
• Fabricate defective sections or parts, using metal fabricating machines, saws, brakes, shears, and grinders.
• Fabricate parts or components.
• Inspect airframes for wear or other defects.
• Inspect completed work to certify that maintenance meets standards and that aircraft are ready for operation.
• Inspect completed work to ensure proper functioning.
• Inspect mechanical components of vehicles to identify problems.
• Inspect mechanical equipment to locate damage, defects, or wear.
• Inspect structural components of vehicles to identify problems.
• Install and align repaired or replacement parts for subsequent riveting or welding, using clamps and wrenches.
• Install electrical components, equipment, or systems.
• Install machine or equipment replacement parts.
• Install piping for installation or maintenance activities.
• Interpret blueprints, specifications, or diagrams to inform installation, development or operation activities.
• Inventory and requisition or order supplies, parts, materials, and equipment.
• Lay out work according to specifications.
• Listen to operating engines to detect and diagnose malfunctions, such as sticking or burned valves.
• Locate and mark dimensions and reference lines on defective or replacement parts, using templates, scribes, compasses, and steel rules.
• Lubricate equipment to allow proper functioning.
• Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
• Maintain repair logs, documenting all preventive and corrective aircraft maintenance.
• Maintain repair or maintenance records.
• 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 parts for wear, using precision instruments.
• Measure the tension of control cables.
• Modify aircraft structures, space vehicles, systems, or components, following drawings, schematics, charts, engineering orders, and technical publications.
• Move large objects using heavy equipment.
• Observe equipment in operation to detect potential problems.
• Obtain fuel and oil samples and check them for contamination.
• Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
• Operate heating or drying equipment.
• Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
• Paint surfaces or equipment.
• Prepare and paint aircraft surfaces.
• Read and interpret maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and other specifications to determine the feasibility and method of repairing or replacing malfunctioning or damaged components.
• Read and interpret pilots' descriptions of problems to diagnose causes.
• Read work orders or descriptions of problems to determine repairs or modifications needed.
• Reassemble engines following repair or inspection and reinstall engines in aircraft.
• Reassemble equipment after repair.
• Remove or cut out defective parts or drill holes to gain access to internal defects or damage, using drills and punches.
• Remove or install aircraft engines, using hoists or forklift trucks.
• Remove parts or components from equipment.
• Remove, inspect, repair, and install in-flight refueling stores and external fuel tanks.
• Repair worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.
• Replace or repair worn, defective, or damaged components, using hand tools, gauges, and testing equipment.
• Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.
• Service and maintain aircraft and related apparatus by performing activities such as flushing crankcases, cleaning screens, and or moving parts.
• Service vehicles to maintain functionality.
• Spread plastic film over areas to be repaired to prevent damage to surrounding areas.
• Test fluids to identify contamination or other problems.
• Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
• Test operation of engines and other systems, using test equipment, such as ignition analyzers, compression checkers, distributor timers, or ammeters.
• Trim and shape replacement body sections to specified sizes and fits and secure sections in place, using adhesives, hand tools, and power tools.
• Troubleshoot equipment or systems operation problems.

Interests for Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

• Realistic
  Designing, building, or repairing equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors.
• Conventional
  Following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting.
• Investigative
  Studying and researching scientific subjects and human behavior.

Skills for Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

In order of importance

• Repairing
  Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
  Importance: 81/100
• Equipment Maintenance
  Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
  Importance: 81/100
• Troubleshooting
  Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
  Importance: 78/100
• Operations Monitoring
  Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
  Importance: 78/100
• Complex Problem Solving
  Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
  Importance: 72/100
• Quality Control Analysis
  Testing how well a product or service works.
  Importance: 72/100
• Critical Thinking
  Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
  Importance: 72/100
• Reading Comprehension
  Reading work-related information.
  Importance: 69/100
• Speaking
  Talking to others.
  Importance: 60/100
• Operation and Control
  Using equipment or systems.
  Importance: 60/100
• Monitoring
  Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
  Importance: 60/100
• Active Listening
  Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
  Importance: 56/100
• Equipment Selection
  Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
  Importance: 56/100
• Judgment and Decision Making
  Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
  Importance: 56/100
• Systems Analysis
  Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
  Importance: 53/100
• Coordination
  Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
  Importance: 50/100
• Social Perceptiveness
  Understanding people's reactions.
  Importance: 50/100
• Time Management
  Managing your time and the time of other people.
  Importance: 50/100
• Systems Evaluation
  Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
  Importance: 50/100
• Service Orientation
  Looking for ways to help people.
  Importance: 50/100
• Instructing
  Teaching people how to do something.
  Importance: 50/100
• Active Learning
  Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
  Importance: 50/100
• Writing
  Writing things for co-workers or customers.
  Importance: 47/100
• Persuasion
  Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
  Importance: 47/100
• Management of Personnel Resources
  Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
  Importance: 41/100
• Learning Strategies
  Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
  Importance: 41/100
• Science
  Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
  Importance: 38/100
• Installation
  Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
  Importance: 35/100
• Negotiation
  Bringing people together to solve differences.
  Importance: 35/100
• Mathematics
  Using math to solve problems.
  Importance: 31/100
• Operations Analysis
  Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
  Importance: 28/100
• Management of Material Resources
  Managing equipment and materials.
  Importance: 28/100
• Technology Design
  Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
  Importance: 25/100
• Management of Financial Resources
  Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
  Importance: 13/100
• Programming
  Writing computer programs.
  Importance: 13/100

Knowledge for Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

In order of importance

• Mechanical
  Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  Importance: 93/100
• English Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  Importance: 68/100
• 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.
  Importance: 60/100
• 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.
  Importance: 57/100
• Mathematics
  Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  Importance: 55/100
• 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.
  Importance: 53/100
• Transportation
  Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
  Importance: 49/100
• 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.
  Importance: 48/100
• Design
  Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  Importance: 48/100
• 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.
  Importance: 48/100
• Chemistry
  Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
  Importance: 46/100
• Production and Processing
  Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  Importance: 45/100
• Computers and Electronics
  Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  Importance: 42/100
• 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.
  Importance: 40/100
• Administrative
  Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  Importance: 39/100
• Law and Government
  Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  Importance: 37/100
• Telecommunications
  Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
  Importance: 29/100
• 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.
  Importance: 29/100
• Building and Construction
  Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
  Importance: 24/100
• Personnel and Human Resources
  Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  Importance: 20/100
• Communications and Media
  Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  Importance: 20/100
• Sales and Marketing
  Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  Importance: 15/100
• Economics and Accounting
  Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  Importance: 14/100
• 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.
  Importance: 10/100
• Therapy and Counseling
  Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  Importance: 10/100
• Medicine and Dentistry
  Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  Importance: 9/100
• Sociology and Anthropology
  Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
  Importance: 8/100
• Foreign Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
  Importance: 7/100
• Biology
  Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  Importance: 5/100
• Philosophy and Theology
  Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
  Importance: 3/100
• History and Archeology
  Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
  Importance: 1/100
• Fine Arts
  Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
  Importance: 1/100
• Food Production
  Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
  Importance: 1/100

Physical Abilities for Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

In order of importance

• Written Comprehension
  Reading and understanding what is written.
  Importance: 75/100
• Information Ordering
  Ordering or arranging things.
  Importance: 75/100
• Finger Dexterity
  Putting together small parts with your fingers.
  Importance: 75/100
• Control Precision
  Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
  Importance: 75/100
• Problem Sensitivity
  Noticing when problems happen.
  Importance: 75/100
• Near Vision
  Seeing details up close.
  Importance: 72/100
• Manual Dexterity
  Holding or moving items with your hands.
  Importance: 72/100
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  Keeping your arm or hand steady.
  Importance: 72/100
• Deductive Reasoning
  Using rules to solve problems.
  Importance: 66/100
• Multilimb Coordination
  Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
  Importance: 66/100
• Inductive Reasoning
  Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
  Importance: 66/100
• Oral Expression
  Communicating by speaking.
  Importance: 63/100
• Flexibility of Closure
  Seeing hidden patterns.
  Importance: 60/100
• Oral Comprehension
  Listening and understanding what people say.
  Importance: 60/100
• Written Expression
  Communicating by writing.
  Importance: 60/100
• Visual Color Discrimination
  Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
  Importance: 56/100
• Perceptual Speed
  Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
  Importance: 53/100
• Speech Recognition
  Recognizing spoken words.
  Importance: 53/100
• Visualization
  Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
  Importance: 53/100
• Hearing Sensitivity
  Telling the difference between sounds.
  Importance: 53/100
• Extent Flexibility
  Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  Importance: 50/100
• Category Flexibility
  Grouping things in different ways.
  Importance: 50/100
• Selective Attention
  Paying attention to something without being distracted.
  Importance: 50/100
• Auditory Attention
  Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
  Importance: 50/100
• Reaction Time
  Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
  Importance: 50/100
• Speech Clarity
  Speaking clearly.
  Importance: 50/100
• Originality
  Creating new and original ideas.
  Importance: 47/100
• Trunk Strength
  Using your lower back and stomach.
  Importance: 47/100
• Speed of Closure
  Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
  Importance: 47/100
• Depth Perception
  Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
  Importance: 47/100
• Time Sharing
  Doing two or more things at the same time.
  Importance: 47/100
• Static Strength
  Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
  Importance: 47/100
• Far Vision
  Seeing details that are far away.
  Importance: 47/100
• Fluency of Ideas
  Coming up with lots of ideas.
  Importance: 47/100
• Rate Control
  Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
  Importance: 47/100
• Response Orientation
  Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
  Importance: 41/100
• Memorization
  Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
  Importance: 41/100
• Mathematical Reasoning
  Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
  Importance: 38/100
• Stamina
  Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
  Importance: 31/100
• Number Facility
  Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
  Importance: 31/100
• Spatial Orientation
  Knowing where things are around you.
  Importance: 28/100
• Gross Body Coordination
  Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
  Importance: 28/100
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  Keeping your balance or staying upright.
  Importance: 28/100
• Dynamic Strength
  Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
  Importance: 28/100
• Peripheral Vision
  Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
  Importance: 25/100
• Speed of Limb Movement
  Quickly moving your arms and legs.
  Importance: 25/100
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
  Importance: 25/100
• Night Vision
  Seeing at night or under low light.
  Importance: 25/100
• Sound Localization
  Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
  Importance: 25/100
• Glare Sensitivity
  Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
  Importance: 25/100
• Dynamic Flexibility
  Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  Importance: 10/100
• Explosive Strength
  Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
  Importance: 6/100

Tools and Technology used by Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

• Acoustic ear muffs or defenders
• Adjustable wrenches
• Air compressors
• Aircraft pushback or tow tractors
• Alignment jig
• Ammeters
• Ball peen hammer
• Bastard cut file
• Borescope inspection equipment
• Box end wrenches
• Cable splicing kits
• Calibrated resistance measuring equipment
• Calipers
• Circuit tester
• Cold chisels
• Combination wrenches
• Compasses
• Desktop computers
• Diagonal cut pliers
• Dial indicator or dial gauge
• Digital testers
• Drill bit set
• Drill press or radial drill
• End cut pliers
• Feeler gauges
• Flat nose pliers
• Forklifts
• Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
• Global positioning system GPS receiver
• Go or no go gauge
• Goggles
• Ground power units for aircraft
• Hacksaw
• Hammers
• Hand clamps
• Hand trucks or accessories
• Heat guns
• Hex keys
• Hoists
• Hold down clamps
• Inspection mirror
• Integrated maintenance information systems
• Jacks
• Ladders
• Laser printers
• Lifts
• Locking pliers
• Magnetic particle examination equipment
• Magnetic tools
• Mallets
• Manlift or personnel lift
• Manual press brake
• Metal cutters
• Micrometers
• Microprocessors
• Mill saw file
• Multimeters
• Needlenose pliers
• Nibblers
• Notebook computers
• Ohmmeters
• Open end wrenches
• Oscilloscopes
• Paint sprayers
• Personal computers
• Pneumatic drill
• Pneumatic impact wrenches
• Portable data input terminals
• Power drills
• Power grinders
• Power riveter
• Pressure indicators
• Pull spring balances
• Punches or nail sets or drifts
• Putty knives
• Pyrometers
• Ratchets
• Rectifiers
• Respirators
• Rivet tools
• Rulers
• Safety glasses
• Scaffolding
• Scales
• Screw extractors
• Screwdrivers
• Scribers
• Shears
• Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
• Slip or groove joint pliers
• Socket sets
• Sockets
• Soldering iron
• Specialty wrenches
• Speed sensors
• Squares
• Stripping tools
• Tablet computers
• Tape measures
• Target or reconnaissance drones
• Templates
• Tinners snips
• Torque wrenches
• Touch pads
• Tracer or duplicating or contouring lathe
• Ultrasonic examination equipment
• Utility knives
• Vibration testers
• Voltage or current meters
• Wearable computing devices
• Welder torch
• Wire cutters
• Wire lug crimping tool
• Wire twister
• X ray radiography examination equipment
• Accounting software
  • DatcoMedia EBis
• Analytical or scientific software
  • CaseBank SpotLight
  • Engine analysis software
• Compiler and decompiler software
  • Disassembler software
• Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
  • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
• Data base user interface and query software
  • Mxi Technologies Maintenix
  • Operational Data Store ODS software
  • Pentagon 2000SQL
• Document management software
  • Technical Data Management System TDMS
• Electronic mail software
  • Microsoft Outlook
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • SAP software
  • Tracware AeroTrac
• Facilities management software
  • Access Software AIRPAX
  • Maintenance information databases
  • Maintenance planning software
  • Maintenance record software
• Information retrieval or search software
  • Computerized aircraft log manager CALM
  • Technical manual database software
• Internet browser software
  • Web browser software
• Inventory management software
  • Supply system software
• Office suite software
  • Microsoft Office software
• Operating system software
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Operating system software
• Presentation software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
• Spreadsheet software
  • Microsoft Excel
• Word processing software
  • Microsoft Word

Employment Industries for Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

• Support activities for air transportation
  44,300 employed
• Scheduled air transportation
  27,100 employed
• Aerospace product and parts manufacturing
  24,700 employed
• Federal government, excluding postal service
  13,900 employed
• Nonscheduled air transportation
  7,000 employed
• Couriers and express delivery services
  6,700 employed
• Temporary help services
  2,900 employed