How to Become an Airplane Mechanic

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What is an Airplane Mechanic? 🛩️

An airplane mechanic is someone who is certified to check for damages and perform maintenance on aircrafts✈️ or spacecrafts🚀. They make sure that aircrafts and spacecrafts are safe for passengers and pilots to travel in.

There are 3️⃣ specialties that an airplane mechanic can pursue: airframe, powerplant, and avionics. To read 📰 more about the specialties of airplane mechanics, check out this article!

What Are the Duties of an Airplane Mechanic?

Airplane mechanics often repair 🛠️ various parts of aircrafts and spacecrafts, including:

• Engines 🚒
• Wings 🦋
• Electrical Systems 🔌
• Brakes 🛑
• Air Conditioning 🌬️
• Landing Gear 🪂

They are required to do maintenance on both the external and internal aspects of an aircraft or spacecraft. This includes tasks like:

• Repairing broken parts
• Troubleshooting
• Using power and hand tools like cranes 🏗️
• Using tests to find malfunctions
• Perform inspections 📋

What Are the Requirements to Become an Airplane Mechanic?

In order to become an airplane mechanic in the US, a few requirements need to be met:

• You must be at least 18 years old
• You must be fluent in English (reading, writing, and speaking)
• You must have attended an AMT school (approved by the FAA) or have 30 months of training with maintenance (external and engine)
• You must have passed a written ✍️, oral 💬, and practical 👐 exam administered by the FAA

NOTE: A college degree is not ❌ required for this position!

Which Colleges Are Good to Attend for Airplane Mechanics?

There are many colleges 🎓 that offer great airplane mechanics programs! Some of the best known schools are listed below:

• Vaughn College
• LeTourneau University
• Everglades University
• Hallmark University
• South Dakota State University
• Lewis University
• Southern Illinois University
• Utah State University
• Kansas State University (Polytechnic Campus)
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

To read more about the programs offered at these schools in 2021, check out this link! 🤩

Helpful High School Courses to Take

If you are interested in Airplane Mechanics, you can take some high school classes 📚 to give you a feel for what it is like to be in the field! Some electives you can take or propose are:

• Computer Applications
• Blueprint Reading
• Mechanics
• Electronics

If these courses aren’t offered at your school, you could try taking them for transfer credit at a community college. If that isn’t an option, check out online 🖥️ courses!

Online Courses

There are a variety of online courses (paid 🤑 and free 🆓) that you can start to take as a high schooler. They are fully virtual! Check out websites like Udemy, Coursera, and EDX for thousands of classes that you might be interested in.

Here is a list of some courses that cover Airplane Mechanics!

• Flight Mechanics - The Basis (Coursera)

• NOTE: This course is free!

• Neuronal Dynamics (EDX)

• NOTE: This course is free!

• Introduction to Aeronautical Engineering (EDX)

• NOTE: This course is free!

• Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Fundamentals and Advanced (Udemy)

• NOTE: There is a cost attached to this course! 💰

• Engineering Mechanics: Statics (Udemy)

• NOTE: There is a cost attached to this course! 💰

• Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Systems and Avionics (Udemy)

• NOTE: There is a cost attached to this course! 💰

• Fundamentals of Airplane Engineering (Udemy)

• NOTE: There is a cost attached to this course! 💰

Work Conditions

Airplane mechanics often work in hangars, which are enclosed 🔐 spaces which hold airplanes/spacecrafts. They can also work in airfields and repair stations. These areas can be really loud🔊, as the main focus of work is done on engines.

Job Outlook

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 11% increase📈 in employment💼 for airplane mechanics between the years 2020 and 2030.

Top Companies to Work For 👔

There are some amazing 😍 companies who are hiring new airplane mechanics! Check out some of the companies listed below and see if you’d be interested in working for them one day!

Companies 🏢

• Sierra Nevada Corporation
• American Airlines
• Zenetex LLC
• US Department of Homeland Security
• US Department of the Navy
• Delta
• Panasonic Avionics Corporation
• StandardAero

Preferred Locations 🗺️

For a comprehensive list of where (in the United States) to look for an airplane mechanic job, check out this link!

Salary 💸

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020, the yearly salary for airplane mechanics was $66,680.

❗REMEMBER: Salary depends on the position, qualifications, experience, and education that an individual has received!❗

Want More Options? 🤔

Are you interested in the field of airplane mechanics but want more options? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! 😊

Below is a list of some jobs which deal with similar aspects of airplane mechanics:

• Airplane Pilot
• Industrial Electronics Repairer
• Electrician
• Heavy Equipment Mechanic
• Automobile Mechanic
• Engineering Technician
• Transportation Inspector
• Airplane Assembler
• Elevator Installer and Repairer

Closing Remarks

After reading about the life of an airplane mechanic, are you intrigued? Is this the field that you want to go into?🤷 If so, dive right in! We wish you good luck 🍀 with all of your future endeavors!

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