Aerospace ground equipment mechanic vs flight technician

The differences between aerospace ground equipment mechanics and flight technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an aerospace ground equipment mechanic and a flight technician. Additionally, an aerospace ground equipment mechanic has an average salary of $53,136, which is higher than the $42,931 average annual salary of a flight technician.

The top three skills for an aerospace ground equipment mechanic include troubleshoot, air conditioners and diesel engines. The most important skills for a flight technician are troubleshoot, FAA, and preventive maintenance.

Aerospace ground equipment mechanic vs flight technician overview

	Aerospace Ground Equipment Mechanic	Flight Technician
Yearly salary	$53,136	$42,931
Hourly rate	$25.55	$20.64
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	48,093	27,302
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 39%	Associate Degree, 41%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

Aerospace ground equipment mechanic vs flight technician salary

Aerospace ground equipment mechanics and flight technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Aerospace Ground Equipment Mechanic	Flight Technician
Average salary	$53,136	$42,931
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $79,000	Between $31,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between aerospace ground equipment mechanic and flight technician education

There are a few differences between an aerospace ground equipment mechanic and a flight technician in terms of educational background:

	Aerospace Ground Equipment Mechanic	Flight Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 39%	Associate Degree, 41%
Most common major	Aerospace Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Purdue University	Purdue University

Aerospace ground equipment mechanic vs flight technician demographics

Here are the differences between aerospace ground equipment mechanics' and flight technicians' demographics:

	Aerospace Ground Equipment Mechanic	Flight Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%	Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between aerospace ground equipment mechanic and flight technician duties and responsibilities

Aerospace ground equipment mechanic example responsibilities.

Lead team of airmen on inspections of nuclear-certify bomb lifts.
Apply safety procedures and policies as outlined in USAF technical orders and using proper equipment.
Work diesel, turbine, hydraulic, hvac, electric generation systems.
Install, maintain, inspect, troubleshot, repair, and modify mechanical systems.
Used rivet tools including compression riveters, metal bucking bars, recoilless, rivet hammers.
Maintain generators, HVAC units, hydraulic lifts and other equipment used for grind support of aircraft.

Flight technician example responsibilities.

Recognize for enhancing EDP operations to boost productivity and meet schedules.
Resolve discrepancies report by training crews, the FAA, and support staff.
Perform require tasks to inspect, install, troubleshoot, maintain, repair, modify, and operate training devices.
Read schematics to troubleshoot and repair digital and analog electronics.
Perform in-flight avionics/communication systems operation.
Print and cut stripcharts on plotters.

Aerospace ground equipment mechanic vs flight technician skills

Common aerospace ground equipment mechanic skills

Troubleshoot, 10%
Air Conditioners, 8%
Diesel Engines, 7%
Hand Tools, 6%
Ground Support Equipment, 6%
Loaders, 6%

Common flight technician skills

Troubleshoot, 15%
FAA, 11%
Preventive Maintenance, 7%
In-Flight, 7%
Aircraft Systems, 6%
Aircraft Maintenance, 5%

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Aerospace Ground Equipment Mechanic vs Flight Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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