Flight technician vs test equipment mechanic

The differences between flight technicians and test equipment mechanics can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a flight technician and a test equipment mechanic. Additionally, a test equipment mechanic has an average salary of $55,260, which is higher than the $42,931 average annual salary of a flight technician.

The top three skills for a flight technician include troubleshoot, FAA and preventive maintenance. The most important skills for a test equipment mechanic are hand tools, electrical systems, and circuit boards.

Flight technician vs test equipment mechanic overview

	Flight Technician	Test Equipment Mechanic
Yearly salary	$42,931	$55,260
Hourly rate	$20.64	$26.57
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	27,302	65,055
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Associate Degree, 41%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

Flight technician vs test equipment mechanic salary

Flight technicians and test equipment mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Flight Technician	Test Equipment Mechanic
Average salary	$42,931	$55,260
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $58,000	Between $37,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between flight technician and test equipment mechanic education

There are a few differences between a flight technician and a test equipment mechanic in terms of educational background:

	Flight Technician	Test Equipment Mechanic
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Associate Degree, 41%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Purdue University	Purdue University

Flight technician vs test equipment mechanic demographics

Here are the differences between flight technicians' and test equipment mechanics' demographics:

	Flight Technician	Test Equipment Mechanic
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9%	Male, 88.0% Female, 12.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between flight technician and test equipment mechanic duties and responsibilities

Flight technician example responsibilities.

Recognize for enhancing EDP operations to boost productivity and meet schedules.
Resolve discrepancies report by training crews, the FAA, and support staff.
Perform require tasks to inspect, install, troubleshoot, maintain, repair, modify, and operate training devices.
Read schematics to troubleshoot and repair digital and analog electronics.
Perform in-flight avionics/communication systems operation.
Print and cut stripcharts on plotters.

Test equipment mechanic example responsibilities.

Programme and used LabVIEW to automate testing and perform data recording.
Commission modules design in Sweden on EPLAN.
Develop the necessary skills need to troubleshoot mechanical and electrical problems while leading diverse maintenance and combat teams.
Operate and maintain forklifts, generators MRAP, numerous military vehicles and tractor-trailer combinations.

Flight technician vs test equipment mechanic skills

Common flight technician skills

Troubleshoot, 15%
FAA, 11%
Preventive Maintenance, 7%
In-Flight, 7%
Aircraft Systems, 6%
Aircraft Maintenance, 5%

Common test equipment mechanic skills

Hand Tools, 37%
Electrical Systems, 34%
Circuit Boards, 9%
Mechanical Systems, 7%
Test Fixtures, 4%
Test Results, 3%

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Flight Technician vs Test Equipment Mechanic

Updated January 8, 2025

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