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The differences between aircraft technicians and avionics 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 technician and an avionics technician. Additionally, an avionics technician has an average salary of $55,545, which is higher than the $50,212 average annual salary of an aircraft technician.
The top three skills for an aircraft technician include FAA, airframe and aircraft components. The most important skills for an avionics technician are FAA, hand tools, and electrical systems.
| Aircraft Technician | Avionics Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $50,212 | $55,545 |
| Hourly rate | $24.14 | $26.70 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 28,265 | 25,603 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 40 | 33 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An Aircraft Technician inspects, maintains, and addresses any issues that arise with an aircraft. Their primary duties include diagnosing electrical issues, replacing defective parts, and maintaining aircraft standards.
An avionics technician specializes in the installation, maintenance, and repair of aircraft tools and devices such as navigation, radar, radio, and other systems. They are primarily responsible for conducting regular testing and inspections for all devices, documenting every repair or change, replacing every defective or malfunctioning part, and assembling complex components. Furthermore, there are instances when technicians are required to weld and solder, even climb high places, during repairs.
Aircraft technicians and avionics technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Aircraft Technician | Avionics Technician | |
| Average salary | $50,212 | $55,545 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $69,000 | Between $40,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Everett, WA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Aviation Technology Group | Aerotek |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an aircraft technician and an avionics technician in terms of educational background:
| Aircraft Technician | Avionics Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Aviation | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | SUNY Farmingdale | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between aircraft technicians' and avionics technicians' demographics:
| Aircraft Technician | Avionics Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 33 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% | Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 23.4% Asian, 6.8% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 27.5% Asian, 5.4% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 14% |