Inspect aircraft, maintenance procedures, air navigational aids, air traffic controls, and communications equipment to ensure conformance with Federal safety regulations.

  • Inspect work of aircraft mechanics performing maintenance, modification, or repair and overhaul of aircraft and aircraft mechanical systems to ensure adherence to standards and procedures.
  • Examine aircraft access plates and doors for security.
  • Examine landing gear, tires, and exteriors of fuselage, wings, and engines for evidence of damage or corrosion and the need for repairs.
  • Examine maintenance records and flight logs to determine if service and maintenance checks and overhauls were performed at prescribed intervals.
  • Inspect new, repaired, or modified aircraft to identify damage or defects and to assess airworthiness and conformance to standards, using checklists, hand tools, and test instruments.
  • Prepare and maintain detailed repair, inspection, investigation, and certification records and reports.
  • Approve or deny issuance of certificates of airworthiness.
  • Conduct flight test programs to test equipment, instruments, and systems under a variety of conditions, using both manual and automatic controls.
  • Investigate air accidents and complaints to determine causes.
  • Observe flight activities of pilots to assess flying skills and to ensure conformance to flight and safety regulations.
  • Start aircraft and observe gauges, meters, and other instruments to detect evidence of malfunctions.
  • Recommend replacement, repair, or modification of aircraft equipment.
  • Analyze training programs and conduct oral and written examinations to ensure the competency of persons operating, installing, and repairing aircraft equipment.
  • Recommend changes in rules, policies, standards, and regulations, based on knowledge of operating conditions, aircraft improvements, and other factors.
  • Schedule and coordinate in-flight testing programs with ground crews and air traffic control to ensure availability of ground tracking, equipment monitoring, and related services.
Work Context

Work Context information for this career will be available soon.

Work Activities
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  • Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
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Detailed Work Activities
  • Inspect aircraft or aircraft components.
  • Monitor equipment gauges or displays to ensure proper operation.
  • Inspect aircraft or aircraft components.
  • Pilot aircraft.
  • Inspect aircraft or aircraft components.
  • Inspect aircraft or aircraft components.
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Knowledge

Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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Skills

Critical Thinking
  • Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Quality Control Analysis
  • Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Speaking
  • Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Operation Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
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Abilities

Problem Sensitivity
  • The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension
  • The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Inductive Reasoning
  • The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Deductive Reasoning
  • The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
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Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Leadership
  • Cooperation
  • Concern for Others
  • Social Orientation
  • Self Control
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Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Desktop publishing software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign Hot Technology
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • SAP software Hot Technology
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software Hot Technology
Word processing software
  • Microsoft Word Hot Technology
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