Airline mechanic vs power plant technician

The differences between airline mechanics and power plant 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 airline mechanic and a power plant technician. Additionally, an airline mechanic has an average salary of $56,745, which is higher than the $46,681 average annual salary of a power plant technician.

The top three skills for an airline mechanic include FAA, and . The most important skills for a power plant technician are plant equipment, preventive maintenance, and gearboxes.

Airline mechanic vs power plant technician overview

	Airline Mechanic	Power Plant Technician
Yearly salary	$56,745	$46,681
Hourly rate	$27.28	$22.44
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	34,009	36,418
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 59%	Associate Degree, 38%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Airline mechanic vs power plant technician salary

Airline mechanics and power plant technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Airline Mechanic	Power Plant Technician
Average salary	$56,745	$46,681
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $79,000	Between $30,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between airline mechanic and power plant technician education

There are a few differences between an airline mechanic and a power plant technician in terms of educational background:

	Airline Mechanic	Power Plant Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 59%	Associate Degree, 38%
Most common major	Aviation	Aviation
Most common college	Purdue University	Purdue University

Airline mechanic vs power plant technician demographics

Here are the differences between airline mechanics' and power plant technicians' demographics:

	Airline Mechanic	Power Plant Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 95.2% Female, 4.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.0% Asian, 6.9% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between airline mechanic and power plant technician duties and responsibilities

Airline mechanic example responsibilities.

Inspect welds and other non-destructive test (NDT) methods.
Perform all hanger and line operation maintenance under the auspices of FAA rules and regulations.
Work in there fleet department repairing and diagnosis on all emergency apparatuses and ambulances and police vehicles also include maintenance schedules.
Receive and implement combat orders and direct deployment of personnel in offensive, defensive operations.

Power plant technician example responsibilities.

Manage the FOD prevention program to reduce costly repairs and increase the participation in FOD awareness and FOD walk downs.
Maintain and repair industrial machinery such as power transmission components, hydraulics, pneumatics, plumbing systems, and electro-mechanical components.
Perform unschedule aircraft line maintenance on 76 assign Cessna 402-C Utiliners.

Airline mechanic vs power plant technician skills

Common airline mechanic skills

FAA, 100%

Common power plant technician skills

Plant Equipment, 13%
Preventive Maintenance, 8%
Gearboxes, 7%
Electrical Equipment, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Maintenance Procedures, 5%

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Airline Mechanic vs Power Plant Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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