Aircraft painter vs aircraft painter apprentice

The differences between aircraft painters and aircraft painter apprentices 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 painter and an aircraft painter apprentice. Additionally, an aircraft painter apprentice has an average salary of $46,993, which is higher than the $40,227 average annual salary of an aircraft painter.

The top three skills for an aircraft painter include ladders, coats and stencils. The most important skills for an aircraft painter apprentice are support equipment, aircraft maintenance, and technical data.

Aircraft painter vs aircraft painter apprentice overview

	Aircraft Painter	Aircraft Painter Apprentice
Yearly salary	$40,227	$46,993
Hourly rate	$19.34	$22.59
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	6,791	12,497
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	Associate Degree, 36%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Aircraft painter vs aircraft painter apprentice salary

Aircraft painters and aircraft painter apprentices have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Aircraft Painter	Aircraft Painter Apprentice
Average salary	$40,227	$46,993
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $54,000	Between $30,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between aircraft painter and aircraft painter apprentice education

There are a few differences between an aircraft painter and an aircraft painter apprentice in terms of educational background:

	Aircraft Painter	Aircraft Painter Apprentice
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	Associate Degree, 36%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Aircraft painter vs aircraft painter apprentice demographics

Here are the differences between aircraft painters' and aircraft painter apprentices' demographics:

	Aircraft Painter	Aircraft Painter Apprentice
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%	Male, 84.5% Female, 15.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 2.9% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between aircraft painter and aircraft painter apprentice duties and responsibilities

Aircraft painter example responsibilities.

Paint and/or refinish repair areas on vehicle to achieve a better than factory finish.
Apply primer and topcoat by using HVLP pressurize pot and cup guns to aircraft surface, wheel wells and intakes.
Paint using PPG water borne paint.
Apply coats of paint with gravity fed spray gun and oxygen suit with mask.
Adjust controls or infrare ovens, heat lamps, portable ventilators on aircraft between coats.
Mask and paint aircraft parts according to prints using calibrators and measuring paint mills using DIA gauges.

Aircraft painter apprentice example responsibilities.

Perform schedule and unschedule maintenance on communication, radar, instrument, electrical/power distribution, and integrate weapons delivery systems.
Perform schedule and unschedule maintenance on communication, radar, instrument, electrical/power distribution, and integrate weapons delivery systems.

Aircraft painter vs aircraft painter apprentice skills

Common aircraft painter skills

Ladders, 9%
Coats, 8%
Stencils, 7%
Touch UPS, 7%
Hand Tools, 5%
Mix Paints, 5%

Common aircraft painter apprentice skills

Support Equipment, 12%
Aircraft Maintenance, 9%
Technical Data, 9%
Troubleshoot, 7%
Maintenance Manuals, 7%
Landing Gear, 5%

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Aircraft Painter
Aircraft Painter vs Aircraft Painter Apprentice

Updated January 8, 2025

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