Aircraft / A & P Mechanic
Quick Facts
Median Salary$76,573
Most Common EducationHigh school or GED
Projected 10-Year Growth+16.42%
Assessment MatchTake the Assessment
What They Do
An Aircraft or A & P Mechanic maintains and repairs different types of aircraft such as planes, jets or helicopters. Provides scheduled maintenance and inspections. May specialize in working on the frame, engine, electrical systems or other parts of an aircraft, or specialize in certain types of aircraft.
Core Tasks:
- 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.
What to expect as an Aircraft / A & P Mechanic
1Earn a High school or GED Diploma
53% of people achieve this level of education.
2Gain skills and experience
See Aircraft / A & P Mechanic related courses on Tallo
3Land a job
3105 openings for Aircraft / A & P Mechanics
Career Progression
in United States (Nation)
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