Your Career in Aviation Maintenance

Flying is perhaps one of mankind’s greatest achievements.  Keeping a plane in airworthy shape is a feat that may be just as great. With 18,000 structural parts and 50,000 components, a jet is a complex mechanical marvel. And when you learn to fix and maintain one, you’ll have a marvelous career. For every hour a jet flies, aviation mechanics spend five hours on maintenance work. You’ll be part of a team that, when it’s not doing routine maintenance, may be making emergency repairs or rebuilding an engine. While working for an airline is the obvious place for you as an aviation mechanic, freight companies, small airports and the military all hire aviation techs.

Career outlook

Some 140,000 certified airframe and powerplant mechanics work in the four major segments of U.S aviation: major airlines, regional airlines, corporate aviation, and general aviation.  In 2004, the Professional Aircraft Maintenance Association estimated that 3,500 additional mechanics were needed each year to replace growing numbers of retirees and to account for fleet growth. That estimate has been tempered by a severe recession that has battered the commercial airline industry’s downturn, but as the economy recovers PAMA expects long-term demand for aviation mechanics and technicians to rise.

Wages

Aircraft Mechanic (Jet), $45,506 - $61,259         

Aircraft Mechanic (Non-Jet), $40,567 - $52,304         

Aircraft Engine Mechanic, $33,193 - $39,170         

Airframe and Engine Mechanic, $35,671 - $47,077         

(These figures represent the “middle range” wages for these careers. About 25% of employees earn more.  Source: salary.com