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Aircraft maintenance supervisor vs aviation maintenance technician

The differences between aircraft maintenance supervisors and aviation maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an aircraft maintenance supervisor and an aviation maintenance technician. Additionally, an aircraft maintenance supervisor has an average salary of $77,005, which is higher than the $51,794 average annual salary of an aviation maintenance technician.

The top three skills for an aircraft maintenance supervisor include maintenance tasks, OSHA and airframe. The most important skills for an aviation maintenance technician are electrical troubleshooting, FAA, and maintenance procedures.

Aircraft maintenance supervisor vs aviation maintenance technician overview

Aircraft Maintenance SupervisorAviation Maintenance Technician
Yearly salary$77,005$51,794
Hourly rate$37.02$24.90
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs62,560102,259
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Associate Degree, 37%
Average age4933
Years of experience44

What does an aircraft maintenance supervisor do?

An aircraft maintenance supervisor heads a team of mechanics and technicians that maintains aircraft. They ensure that all protocols mandated by aviation regulations and policies are followed. They are responsible for ensuring that maintenance personnel work efficiently, adhere to safety guidelines, and maintain all assigned aircraft. An aircraft maintenance supervisor must have experience in aviation as well as having good communication skills and organizational skills.

What does an aviation maintenance technician do?

An Aviation Maintenance Technician carries out repairs and maintenance on all sorts of aircraft, like airplanes and helicopters. They ensure that aircraft are in perfect working condition.

Aircraft maintenance supervisor vs aviation maintenance technician salary

Aircraft maintenance supervisors and aviation maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Aircraft Maintenance SupervisorAviation Maintenance Technician
Average salary$77,005$51,794
Salary rangeBetween $60,000 And $97,000Between $35,000 And $75,000
Highest paying CityVictorville, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyAirborne Maintenance & Engineering Services-
Best paying industryProfessional-

Differences between aircraft maintenance supervisor and aviation maintenance technician education

There are a few differences between an aircraft maintenance supervisor and an aviation maintenance technician in terms of educational background:

Aircraft Maintenance SupervisorAviation Maintenance Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Associate Degree, 37%
Most common majorAviationAviation
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Aircraft maintenance supervisor vs aviation maintenance technician demographics

Here are the differences between aircraft maintenance supervisors' and aviation maintenance technicians' demographics:

Aircraft Maintenance SupervisorAviation Maintenance Technician
Average age4933
Gender ratioMale, 94.7% Female, 5.3%Male, 91.3% Female, 8.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 2.1% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 29.3% Asian, 4.9% White, 50.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage4%14%

Differences between aircraft maintenance supervisor and aviation maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Aircraft maintenance supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate and manage required logistics support, and direct, document, and monitor aircraft cannibalization.
  • Perform data entries and maintain aircraft and engine component logbooks IAW FAA regulations and USAF technical orders and instructions.
  • Perform routine maintenance and inspections on HVAC systems.
  • Operate and maintain ground handling equipment used for moving and hoisting aircrafts.
  • Perform airfield crash and rescue firefighting tasks involving rotary and fix wing aircraft.
  • Interpret schematics and diagrams, technical publications, and fault isolation trees to perform maintenance, troubleshoot and repair malfunctioning systems.
  • Show more

Aviation maintenance technician example responsibilities.

  • Use technical specifications, sketches, manuals, drawings, engineering notices, and FAA forms and publications to accomplish work.
  • Perform scheduled and unschedule maintenance using RF electronic equipment and specialize test equipment.
  • Experience with oxygen/acetylene, Mapp gas brazing.
  • Certify in all power tools, lifts and scaffolding.
  • Utilize PLC and DCS systems to troubleshoot and improve boiler controls.
  • Load daily encryption codes for all cryptographic communication and GPS equipment.
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Aircraft maintenance supervisor vs aviation maintenance technician skills

Common aircraft maintenance supervisor skills
  • Maintenance Tasks, 8%
  • OSHA, 7%
  • Airframe, 6%
  • Hazardous Materials, 6%
  • Maintenance Functions, 5%
  • Landing Gear, 5%
Common aviation maintenance technician skills
  • Electrical Troubleshooting, 18%
  • FAA, 13%
  • Maintenance Procedures, 10%
  • Airframe, 10%
  • Aircraft Maintenance, 8%
  • Maintenance Manuals, 7%

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