How To Become An Aircraft Refueler: What It Is and Career Path

What is an aircraft refueler and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Let's get the obvious out of the way -- Aircraft Refuelers refuel aircrafts. They are responsible for refueling equipment and filling out all documents relevant to their operation. They have to follow Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards, complying with safety protocol at all times. Should an emergency occur like a fuel spillage or fire, Aircraft Refuelers are among the first on the ground to implement the necessary response plans.

You don't have to hold a college diploma to become an Aircraft Refueler. However, degrees in Business, Aviation, and Automotive Technology give you an edge on the job market.

Aircraft Refuelers in the United States earn roughly $26,000 a year on average. That's more or less $13 an hour. However, if you're looking to cash a bigger paycheck as an Aircraft Refueler, you might want to check out jobs in New Jersey, Alaska, Massachusetts, North Dakota, and Vermont.

ScoreAircraft RefuelerUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $32,978

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 6.88%

Black or African American 9.65%

Hispanic or Latino 22.86%

Unknown 5.10%

White 54.89%

Gender

female 9.52%

male 90.48%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.2

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an aircraft refueler

Explore aircraft refueler education requirements

Most common aircraft refueler degrees

High School Diploma

44.4 %

Bachelor's

21.2 %

Associate

20.5 %

Start to develop specific aircraft refueler skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	53.31%
FBO	32.49%
Private Aircraft	4.83%
Fuel Trucks	3.70%
Aircraft Fuel	1.60%

Complete relevant aircraft refueler training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New aircraft refuelers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an aircraft refueler based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real aircraft refueler resumes.

Research aircraft refueler duties and responsibilities

Manage the organization of information of FAA correspondence and provide communication support to team members.
Maintain daily FAA and corporate require logs.
Perform schedule and unschedule maintenance on communication, radar, instrument, electrical/power distribution, and integrate weapons delivery systems.
Work directly with VIP, and their staff, VIP events.

Prepare your aircraft refueler resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your aircraft refueler resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an aircraft refueler resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable aircraft refueler resume templates

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