Flight chief vs senior mechanic

The differences between flight chiefs and senior mechanics can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a flight chief and a senior mechanic. Additionally, a flight chief has an average salary of $73,910, which is higher than the $51,569 average annual salary of a senior mechanic.

The top three skills for a flight chief include safety program, emergency situations and logistics. The most important skills for a senior mechanic are hand tools, preventive maintenance, and HVAC.

Flight chief vs senior mechanic overview

	Flight Chief	Senior Mechanic
Yearly salary	$73,910	$51,569
Hourly rate	$35.53	$24.79
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	14,227	85,706
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 54%	Associate Degree, 31%
Average age	44	49
Years of experience	4	4

Flight chief vs senior mechanic salary

Flight chiefs and senior mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Flight Chief	Senior Mechanic
Average salary	$73,910	$51,569
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $109,000	Between $37,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Roseville, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Orange County Sanitation District
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between flight chief and senior mechanic education

There are a few differences between a flight chief and a senior mechanic in terms of educational background:

	Flight Chief	Senior Mechanic
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 54%	Associate Degree, 31%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Automotive Technology
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Flight chief vs senior mechanic demographics

Here are the differences between flight chiefs' and senior mechanics' demographics:

	Flight Chief	Senior Mechanic
Average age	44	49
Gender ratio	Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4%	Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 81.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 2.1% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	4%

Differences between flight chief and senior mechanic duties and responsibilities

Flight chief example responsibilities.

Manage, lead and oversee all areas of evaluations / assessments for over 200 USAF aviators.
Manage the command and control of GPS satellite operations.
Lead initial training for over 600 staff annually through 736 syllabus hours and oversee evaluation of competency.
Provide leadership and knowledge of federal shipping and logistics regulations by managing adherence to all policies and procedures from higher headquarters.
Promote to in-flight supervisor position to train and supervise any given number in flight attendants.
Ensure compliance with DOD and USAF personnel management policies, directives, and procedures regarding military personnel issues and current programs.

Senior mechanic example responsibilities.

Create and manage preventive and predictive routes using Maximo CMMS database.
Perform technical inspections on vehicle armor, corrective maintenance, and services (PMCS )
Test coolant conditions, inspects wires and repair if damage, replace wire harness, troubleshoot faulty electrical components.
Support GMP manufacturing and team with QA.
Replace electrical switches, lights and outlets.
Use table top grinders and tools for assembly.

Flight chief vs senior mechanic skills

Common flight chief skills

Safety Program, 15%
Emergency Situations, 9%
Logistics, 6%
Training Programs, 6%
Combat, 5%
DOD, 4%

Common senior mechanic skills

Hand Tools, 10%
Preventive Maintenance, 7%
HVAC, 6%
Plumbing, 5%
Diesel Engines, 5%
Shop Safety, 4%

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Flight Chief
Flight Chief vs Senior Mechanic

Updated January 8, 2025

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