Post job

Aviation mechanic vs aviation maintenance technician

The differences between aviation mechanics and aviation maintenance 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 aviation mechanic and an aviation maintenance technician. Additionally, an aviation mechanic has an average salary of $54,534, which is higher than the $51,794 average annual salary of an aviation maintenance technician.

The top three skills for an aviation mechanic include safety procedures, hand tools and airframe. The most important skills for an aviation maintenance technician are electrical troubleshooting, FAA, and maintenance procedures.

Aviation mechanic vs aviation maintenance technician overview

Aviation MechanicAviation Maintenance Technician
Yearly salary$54,534$51,794
Hourly rate$26.22$24.90
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs35,647102,259
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%Associate Degree, 37%
Average age4033
Years of experience44

Aviation mechanic vs aviation maintenance technician salary

Aviation mechanics and aviation maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Aviation MechanicAviation Maintenance Technician
Average salary$54,534$51,794
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $85,000Between $35,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between aviation mechanic and aviation maintenance technician education

There are a few differences between an aviation mechanic and an aviation maintenance technician in terms of educational background:

Aviation MechanicAviation Maintenance Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%Associate Degree, 37%
Most common majorAviationAviation
Most common collegeSUNY FarmingdaleStanford University

Aviation mechanic vs aviation maintenance technician demographics

Here are the differences between aviation mechanics' and aviation maintenance technicians' demographics:

Aviation MechanicAviation Maintenance Technician
Average age4033
Gender ratioMale, 90.7% Female, 9.3%Male, 91.3% Female, 8.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 29.3% Asian, 4.9% White, 50.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage2%14%

Differences between aviation mechanic and aviation maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Aviation mechanic example responsibilities.

  • Perform installation, analysis, repair and troubleshooting of integrate avionics systems and aircraft electrical / mechanical systems.
  • Provide support functions for assign internal and external QA audits and reviews.
  • Repair aircraft wings, horizontal/vertical stabilizers, and aircraft panels.
  • Remove and replace ailerons, stabilizers, aileron servos and stabilizer servos.
  • Perform organizational maintenance on anti-submarine/Utility helicopters.

Aviation maintenance technician example responsibilities.

  • Use technical specifications, sketches, manuals, drawings, engineering notices, and FAA forms and publications to accomplish work.
  • Perform scheduled and unschedule maintenance using RF electronic equipment and specialize test equipment.
  • Experience with oxygen/acetylene, Mapp gas brazing.
  • Certify in all power tools, lifts and scaffolding.
  • Utilize PLC and DCS systems to troubleshoot and improve boiler controls.
  • Load daily encryption codes for all cryptographic communication and GPS equipment.
  • Show more

Aviation mechanic vs aviation maintenance technician skills

Common aviation mechanic skills
  • Safety Procedures, 9%
  • Hand Tools, 8%
  • Airframe, 7%
  • FAA, 7%
  • Routine Maintenance, 4%
  • Landing Gear, 4%
Common aviation maintenance technician skills
  • Electrical Troubleshooting, 18%
  • FAA, 13%
  • Maintenance Procedures, 10%
  • Airframe, 10%
  • Aircraft Maintenance, 8%
  • Maintenance Manuals, 7%

Browse installation, maintenance and repair jobs