Aviation Inspectors

Overview

Aviation Inspectors has a national median salary of $92,100 per year, with +2.2% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Inspect aircraft, maintenance procedures, air navigational aids, air traffic controls, and communications equipment to ensure conformance with Federal safety regulations.

Work Values

• Support
• Independence
• Achievement

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Inspect work of aircraft mechanics performing maintenance, modification, or repair and overhaul of aircraft and aircraft mechanical systems to ensure adherence to standards and procedures.
• Investigate air accidents and complaints to determine causes.
• Examine maintenance records and flight logs to determine if service and maintenance checks and overhauls were performed at prescribed intervals.
• Inspect new, repaired, or modified aircraft to identify damage or defects and to assess airworthiness and conformance to standards, using checklists, hand tools, and test instruments.
• Approve or deny issuance of certificates of airworthiness.

Work Activities

• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Working with Computers
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Getting Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

Detailed Work Activities

• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a bachelor's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Bachelor's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Aviation Inspectors:

Video Resources