Post job

Power plant technician vs aviation maintenance technician

The differences between power plant technicians 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 a power plant technician and an aviation maintenance technician. Additionally, an aviation maintenance technician has an average salary of $51,794, which is higher than the $46,681 average annual salary of a power plant technician.

The top three skills for a power plant technician include plant equipment, preventive maintenance and gearboxes. The most important skills for an aviation maintenance technician are electrical troubleshooting, FAA, and maintenance procedures.

Power plant technician vs aviation maintenance technician overview

Power Plant TechnicianAviation Maintenance Technician
Yearly salary$46,681$51,794
Hourly rate$22.44$24.90
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs36,418102,259
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Associate Degree, 37%
Average age4033
Years of experience44

What does a power plant technician do?

Power plant technicians, paid at an average of $790K per year, must have skills in concentration, dexterity, mechanics, and problem-solving. They will need a high school diploma or GED at the very least, though some employers do prefer a college or vocational school degree, as well as strong math and science backgrounds. Those who choose this career will be called on to controlling and monitoring -power plant equipment, like boilers, turbines, and generators.

What does an aviation maintenance technician do?

An Aviation Maintenance Technician carries out repairs and maintenance on all sorts of aircraft, like airplanes and helicopters. They ensure that aircraft are in perfect working condition.

Power plant technician vs aviation maintenance technician salary

Power plant technicians and aviation maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Power Plant TechnicianAviation Maintenance Technician
Average salary$46,681$51,794
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $71,000Between $35,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between power plant technician and aviation maintenance technician education

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

Power Plant TechnicianAviation Maintenance Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Associate Degree, 37%
Most common majorAviationAviation
Most common collegePurdue UniversityStanford University

Power plant technician vs aviation maintenance technician demographics

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

Power Plant TechnicianAviation Maintenance Technician
Average age4033
Gender ratioMale, 95.2% Female, 4.8%Male, 91.3% Female, 8.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.1% 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 power plant technician and aviation maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Power plant technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage the FOD prevention program to reduce costly repairs and increase the participation in FOD awareness and FOD walk downs.
  • Maintain and repair industrial machinery such as power transmission components, hydraulics, pneumatics, plumbing systems, and electro-mechanical components.
  • Perform unschedule aircraft line maintenance on 76 assign Cessna 402-C Utiliners.

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

Power plant technician vs aviation maintenance technician skills

Common power plant technician skills
  • Plant Equipment, 13%
  • Preventive Maintenance, 8%
  • Gearboxes, 7%
  • Electrical Equipment, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • Maintenance Procedures, 5%
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