How To Become An Aircraft Inspector: What It Is and Career Path

What is an aircraft inspector and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Aircraft inspectors check airplanes for correct functioning. They examine the mechanics and the components of the aircraft and inspect the work carried out by technicians. They check equipment, meters, and gauges for faults or errors. When an accident happens, they are the ones who investigate the situation to find out what went wrong.

As an aircraft inspector, you will have to be an expert in aviation mechanics, safety principles, and aircraft maintenance. You will have to be up to date on federal laws and regulations and make sure everyone involved in maintaining and operating airplanes does their job correctly.

You will need a college education and expertise as a mechanic to take on this role. You will have to get certified as an inspector by completing a training program conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration.

ScoreAircraft InspectorUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $41,517

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.7

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 6.25%

Black or African American 13.34%

Hispanic or Latino 17.31%

Unknown 7.50%

White 54.92%

Gender

female 7.11%

male 92.89%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress Level

8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.7

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an aircraft inspector

Explore aircraft inspector education requirements

Most common aircraft inspector degrees

Associate

43.6 %

Bachelor's

25.5 %

High School Diploma

10.7 %

Start to develop specific aircraft inspector skills

Skills	Percentages
Airframe	11.99%
Technical Data	10.90%
Hand Tools	7.98%
Aircraft Systems	6.36%
Aircraft Maintenance	5.97%

Complete relevant aircraft inspector training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New aircraft inspectors 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 an aircraft inspector based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real aircraft inspector resumes.

Research aircraft inspector duties and responsibilities

Manage the FOD prevention program to reduce costly repairs and increase the participation in FOD awareness and FOD walk downs.
Remove, install, repair, maintain & troubleshot landing gear, engine, environmental, hydraulic and airframe systems.
Ensure proper technical training and OJT records are kept up to date.
Inspect, repair, troubleshoot, service calls, rebuild, install, of overhead cranes up to 400 tons.

Prepare your aircraft inspector resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your aircraft inspector 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 an aircraft inspector resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Aircraft Inspector Resume templates

Build a professional Aircraft Inspector 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 Aircraft Inspector resume.

Apply for aircraft inspector jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an aircraft inspector 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 do aircraft inspectors rate their job?

-/5

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Aircraft Inspector reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2021

Pros

Troubleshooting complex systems to repair faults.

Cons

The hours. Most of the maintenance occurs at night, since the majority of aircraft fly during the day and sit overnight at airports.