Aerospace technician vs test equipment mechanic

The differences between aerospace technicians and test equipment mechanics 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 technician and a test equipment mechanic. Additionally, a test equipment mechanic has an average salary of $55,260, which is higher than the $38,579 average annual salary of an aerospace technician.

The top three skills for an aerospace technician include safety procedures, calipers and hand tools. The most important skills for a test equipment mechanic are hand tools, electrical systems, and circuit boards.

Aerospace technician vs test equipment mechanic overview

	Aerospace Technician	Test Equipment Mechanic
Yearly salary	$38,579	$55,260
Hourly rate	$18.55	$26.57
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	25,348	65,055
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 41%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

Aerospace technician vs test equipment mechanic salary

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

	Aerospace Technician	Test Equipment Mechanic
Average salary	$38,579	$55,260
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $54,000	Between $37,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between aerospace technician and test equipment mechanic education

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

	Aerospace Technician	Test Equipment Mechanic
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 41%
Most common major	Aviation	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Purdue University	Purdue University

Aerospace technician vs test equipment mechanic demographics

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

	Aerospace Technician	Test Equipment Mechanic
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1%	Male, 88.0% Female, 12.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between aerospace technician and test equipment mechanic duties and responsibilities

Aerospace technician example responsibilities.

Lead troubleshooting team for radar system degradation, identify and replace system components to allow aircraft to perform assignment.
Use technical specifications, sketches, manuals, drawings, engineering notices, and FAA forms and publications to accomplish work.
Install DDC controls for HVAC systems and boilers
Repair and maintain aircraft navigation systems such as VOR-DME, TACAN, and GPS.
Update software and replace circuit cards with in the 128D GPS module.
Perform in-flight and grind maintenance instruction; training and qualify hundreds of personnel.

Test equipment mechanic example responsibilities.

Programme and used LabVIEW to automate testing and perform data recording.
Commission modules design in Sweden on EPLAN.
Develop the necessary skills need to troubleshoot mechanical and electrical problems while leading diverse maintenance and combat teams.
Operate and maintain forklifts, generators MRAP, numerous military vehicles and tractor-trailer combinations.

Aerospace technician vs test equipment mechanic skills

Common aerospace technician skills

Safety Procedures, 11%
Calipers, 10%
Hand Tools, 8%
Ladders, 7%
Ground Support Equipment, 4%
NASA, 4%

Common test equipment mechanic skills

Hand Tools, 37%
Electrical Systems, 34%
Circuit Boards, 9%
Mechanical Systems, 7%
Test Fixtures, 4%
Test Results, 3%

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Aerospace Technician vs Test Equipment Mechanic

Updated January 8, 2025

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