Job profile: Aircraft technician
Aircraft Technicians maintain the mechanics of aircrafts, from the smallest components to the whole airframe.
Job description - Aircraft Technician |
| The pilot is not the only person who keeps you safe during a flight. Aircraft technicians are responsible for the inspection, repair and servicing of the airframe and gas turbine engines on aircrafts.Technicians who work for the major airlines generally specialize in navigation, radio, radar systems, and other electronic and computer instruments and controls.Technicians who work for the military are also responsible for the fitting of aircraft armaments and pyrotechnics, and the maintenance of ground support equipment.Considerable attention to flight safety is involved and the technician carrying out maintenance must sign to indicate the aircraft is fit to fly. |
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| What are the routes in? |
| A GCSE grade C or better in Maths, Physics/Science and English Language. Or BTEC in Engineering (Electrical/Electronic). Or City & Guilds Level 1 or partial completion of Level 2 in appropriate modules.The RAFs technician training earns you a BTEC National Certificate and an Engineering Training Authority Level 3 award, with opportunities for further training to BTEC Higher National Certificate standard. Most large employers offer apprenticeship schemes, which provide on the job training to NVQ Level 3 and usually lasts 2-4 years. Minimum entry requirements are 4-5 GCSEs at A-C grades, including English, Mathematics and preferably a Science subject. Most applicants have to be 18 years old.Whatever level you join at, whether for the military or in a commercial body, you can be sure of getting valuable training in a specialist trade. |
| Promotional prospects with the Army are excellent for those wishing to pursue this route. There are also a wide variety of opportunities for RAF employees amongst other employers.Promotion within civil aviation is usually to supervisory or management positions. With appropriate qualifications, there may be opportunities to progress to work in aircraft design. There are also opportunities for engineers to work abroad.There is also a special route for CAA licence holders seeking registration at IncorporatedEngineer (IEng) and Engineering Technician (EngTech). |
| What is the work like? |
| Most aircraft maintenance engineers work in civil aviation and are employed by airline operators or independent specialist aircraft maintenance companies.They can also work in the Army Air Corps Regimental Workshop or REME Workshop, and can be based overseas as well as in the UK. Work and the hours put in are varied depending on the location and the nature of the work.A lot of the work they do is carried out on the airfield between flights, which is known as aircraft turnaround. However, the more specialised work is often carried out in workshops or hangers. |
