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What is a maintenance controller and how to become one
The maintenance controller does one of the most important jobs in the aviation industry. They make sure that all aircraft are safe to fly according to FAA regulations before they take off. Many pilots and passengers are very grateful for their diligent maintenance controllers.
The maintenance controller gives their seal of approval to the aircraft before it takes flight. This means that they conduct inspections, log repairs, and communicate with pilots and dispatch crew about the status of an aircraft. If repairs are needed, the maintenance controller orders any necessary parts and supervises the repair crew in addition to getting their hands dirty and helping with repairs themselves.
It's probably apparent that maintenance controllers need to know a lot about airplanes to do their jobs. They usually don't have a traditional bachelor's degree but get a technical school certificate in aeronautical engineering. A maintenance controller also needs several years of experience as a mechanic on an airfield before working their way up to this role.
Avg. Salary $72,133
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 5%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%
Asian 2.12%
Black or African American 8.35%
Hispanic or Latino 15.93%
Unknown 4.51%
White 67.85%
Genderfemale 10.93%
male 89.07%
Age - 50American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 50Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Maintenance controller career paths
Key steps to become a maintenance controller
Explore maintenance controller education requirements
Start to develop specific maintenance controller skills
Skills Percentages Maintenance Control 13.25% FAA 11.64% General Maintenance 7.30% Unscheduled Maintenance 6.50% Maintenance Planning 6.20% Complete relevant maintenance controller training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New maintenance controllers 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 a maintenance controller based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real maintenance controller resumes.Research maintenance controller duties and responsibilities
- Achieve superior safety, logistics reliability, and quality assurance record.
- Coordinate and manage required logistics support, and direct, document, and monitor aircraft cannibalization.
- Manage and coordinate extensive activities in support of intercontinental ballistic missile launch facility readiness and space flight operations.
- Ensure warehouse are in compliance with OSHA state and federal laws.
Prepare your maintenance controller resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your maintenance controller resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a maintenance controller resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable maintenance controller resume templates
Build a professional maintenance controller resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your maintenance controller resume.
Apply for maintenance controller jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a maintenance controller 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
How did you land your first maintenance controller job
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Average maintenance controller salary
The average maintenance controller salary in the United States is $72,133 per year or $35 per hour. Maintenance controller salaries range between $48,000 and $106,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do maintenance controllers rate their job?
Maintenance controller reviews
working as a maintenance controller of 5th gen fighter jets is exciting, there is a lot of digging for information and answers with this line of work and it can keep you mentally engaged.
There can be a lot of pressure to get information in a quick time frame, and it has to be very accurate.
Recovery and troubleshooting aircraft during AOG situation
Unimportant report should not be shared and working with people that look like smart but actually very silly
Fast Pace, solving problems working with outside groups.
Engineering not understanding processes
Updated January 8, 2025
