An Aircraft Maintenance Technician maintains aircraft from superjumbos to jet fighters and helicopters, making sure they're safe to fly
Aircraft come in many shapes and forms – from small aeroplanes to airliners, jet fighters to helicopters – and it’s fascinating to understand what enables them to fly.
Each aircraft, whether it’s used for international travel, rescue, cargo or by the military, needs to be thoroughly checked and maintained to make sure it’s fit to fly. You could be the technician that examines every element of aircraft – the mechanics and the electricals – to get people and goods to their destinations safely.
With aircraft engineering skills you could work for a major airline maintaining passenger planes, or for a more specialised business that offers transportation by helicopter.
Once you’ve gained experience, you could become a senior aircraft maintenance engineer, responsible for leading a team, or progress into regulation, helping to continuously improve the standards of aircraft.
There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.
But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:
Options available after GCSEs:
More options available after that:
Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.
As well as working on aircraft in the hangar, you could be flown out to international destinations to complete your maintenance work. You’ll have a lot of responsibility, confirming all necessary checks have taken place in line with aircraft regulations, and making sure all faults and issues are highlighted and addressed.
This role can also be known by some other job titles including:
Air Engineer
Aircraft Certifying Engineer
Aircraft Maintenance Engineer
Licenced Aircraft Engineer
Licenced Avionics Engineer
