Flight test mechanic vs flight test engineer

The differences between flight test mechanics and flight test engineers 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 test mechanic and a flight test engineer. Additionally, a flight test engineer has an average salary of $90,538, which is higher than the $59,974 average annual salary of a flight test mechanic.

The top three skills for a flight test mechanic include electrical systems, ground support equipment and aircraft structures. The most important skills for a flight test engineer are control room, data analysis, and test procedures.

Flight test mechanic vs flight test engineer overview

	Flight Test Mechanic	Flight Test Engineer
Yearly salary	$59,974	$90,538
Hourly rate	$28.83	$43.53
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	52,936	26,384
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	4	4

Flight test mechanic vs flight test engineer salary

Flight test mechanics and flight test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Flight Test Mechanic	Flight Test Engineer
Average salary	$59,974	$90,538
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $80,000	Between $66,000 And $123,000
Highest paying City	-	Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	-	Illinois
Best paying company	-	Amazon
Best paying industry	-	Transportation

Differences between flight test mechanic and flight test engineer education

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

	Flight Test Mechanic	Flight Test Engineer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Aviation	Aerospace Engineering
Most common college	Purdue University	Georgia Institute of Technology

Flight test mechanic vs flight test engineer demographics

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

	Flight Test Mechanic	Flight Test Engineer
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%	Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 5.8% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 10.9% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	2%	8%

Differences between flight test mechanic and flight test engineer duties and responsibilities

Flight test mechanic example responsibilities.

Work with FAA personnel inspecting aircraft upon arrival to airfield.
Inspect complete work to certify that maintenance meets FAA standards and that aircraft are ready for operation.
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.

Flight test engineer example responsibilities.

Track and manage team budget, schedule, risks, change information, BOMs, labor and materials costs.
Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
Create complex flight test plans to meet DoD and FAA requirements.
Test facility engineer (TFE) responsible for design and development of test rigs, test stands, and fixtures.
Maintain a DOD secret security clearance.
Support both STC approval and design qualification.

Flight test mechanic vs flight test engineer skills

Common flight test mechanic skills

Electrical Systems, 18%
Ground Support Equipment, 17%
Aircraft Structures, 7%
Hydraulic Systems, 5%
Aircraft Systems, 4%
Flight Control, 3%

Common flight test engineer skills

Control Room, 7%
Data Analysis, 6%
Test Procedures, 6%
Avionics, 6%
DOD, 5%
Test Execution, 4%

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Flight Test Mechanic
Flight Test Mechanic vs Flight Test Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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