Attending school to study aviation maintenance at one of the over 100 schools located in the United States will prepare you for an exciting career as an aircraft mechanic or avionics technician. A wide variety of schools and colleges are available to interested students, with programs ranging from two years to four years in length.

Working as an aviation maintenance technician means you will be responsible for the safety of crews on board the countless airplanes, jets and helicopters flown over the world every day. Your job will involve performing scheduled maintenance checks on individual aircrafts, troubleshooting problems, repairing problems and completing inspections required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In order to succeed as an aviation maintenance technician it is important to possess a strong mechanical aptitude and an ability to diagnose and solve complex mechanical problems with aircrafts. A person who is hardworking, motivated and agile (you may find yourself working atop an aircraft’s wing or fuselage) is a great candidate for a professional aviation maintenance technician. An interest in and an understanding of technology is also extremely important, as the field and the aircrafts themselves are constantly changing and updating based on new technological improvements.

Get the Training You Need and for Your Career to Take Off!
Many aviation maintenance schools are approved by the FAA and are equipped to provide students with the appropriate training in order to get their necessary FAA certification. The FAA requires at least 18 months of hands-on training to get certification, and many schools offer training programs that count for those hours. Explore the options for schools and find something that fits your budget and time qualifications.

Classes at aviation maintenance technician schools are similar but often offer slightly different and specialized classes. Some of the topics you can expect to study include aircraft maintenance engineering and management, aviation electronic systems, power plant and airframe technology and avionics management. Working aviation maintenance technicians may work on specific types of aircraft or even specific parts of an aircraft. They may also work on many different kinds of aircrafts including commercial airplanes, jets and helicopters. The normal process of career advancement in this field involves starting as an assistant and progressing to a line mechanic, followed by a lead mechanic or crew chief. Some technicians may also advance to become lead inspectors or inspectors for the FAA.

The typical work schedule for an aviation maintenance technician is 40 hours a week, 8 hours a day. About half of the employed aviation maintenance technicians are union members, and the benefits offered to employees tend to vary in this field based on the employer. Payment in this field varies based on the technician’s experience, geographic area and amount of licenses held, but is generally between $15 and $20 an hour.

The outlook for jobs as aviation maintenance technicians is very strong, as many current employees are expected to retire in the coming years. The greatest number of jobs is expected to be at smaller and commuter airlines, though larger airlines are expected to have some job opportunities as well. Attending an FAA-approved school can greatly enhance a prospective employee’s chance of getting hired in this field. So get to it: Find out mroe about aviation maintenance technician schools and get ready to fly high!