How To Become An Aviation Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is an aviation manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Brian Strzempkowski

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an aviation manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.78 an hour? That's $51,538 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 9,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an aviation manager?

Brian Strzempkowski

Assistant Director, Center for Aviation Studies, Website

Continue to read and learn about the aviation industry to help understand how current events impact all stakeholders. Understanding how the various segments of the industry interact with each other will highlight future opportunities in your career. The aviation industry is constantly evolving, and you have to keep up with it.

ScoreAviation ManagerUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,538

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 6.29%

Black or African American 11.93%

Hispanic or Latino 17.25%

Unknown 4.33%

White 59.77%

Gender

female 16.67%

male 83.33%

Age - 45

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 - 45

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.3

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an aviation manager

Explore aviation manager education requirements

Most common aviation manager degrees

Bachelor's

59.8 %

Associate

19.6 %

Master's

9.8 %

Start to develop specific aviation manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Aviation Operations	23.39%
Direct Reports	22.23%
Unscheduled Maintenance	16.31%
Federal Aviation Administration	12.75%
Logistics	8.09%

Complete relevant aviation manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New aviation managers 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 aviation manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real aviation manager resumes.

Research aviation manager duties and responsibilities

Lead the development of the OSHA approve ergonomic workbench now used in the logistics area.
Maintain a safe work environment; enforcing all OSHA rules and regulations.
Administer department development, scheduling, training and program logistics.
Supervise and coordinate crew loading ammunition to determine mode of delivery, performance needs analysis and provide performance improvement recommendations.

Apply for aviation manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an aviation manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams