Aviation Inspectors: Career Overview
Inspect aircraft, maintenance procedures, air navigational aids, air traffic controls, and communications equipment to ensure conformance with Federal safety regulations.
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What Do Aviation Inspectors Do?
Typical responsibilities of aviation inspectors cover:
- 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 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.
- Approve or deny issuance of certificates of airworthiness.
- Prepare and maintain detailed repair, inspection, investigation, and certification records and reports.
- Examine landing gear, tires, and exteriors of fuselage, wings, and engines for evidence of damage or corrosion and the need for repairs.
- Recommend replacement, repair, or modification of aircraft equipment.
- Start aircraft and observe gauges, meters, and other instruments to detect evidence of malfunctions.
Skills and Knowledge
Effective aviation inspectors combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Aviation Inspectors Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Aeronautical Inspector
- Aerospace Inspector
- Air Carrier Inspector
- Aircraft Inspector
- Aircraft Landing Gear Inspector
- Aircraft Maintenance Inspector
- Aircraft Quality Control Inspector (Aircraft QC Inspector)
- Aircraft Systems Inspector
Job Outlook
There are roughly 304,236 aviation inspectors working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +10.2% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Aviation Inspectors
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $54,780 |
| Hourly median | $26.34 |
| 10th percentile | $34,672 |
| 25th percentile | $44,726 |
| 75th percentile | $64,834 |
| 90th percentile | $74,889 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $138,030 |
| Idaho | $107,440 |
| Hawaii | $105,650 |
| Oklahoma | $104,490 |
| North Dakota | $104,330 |
| District of Columbia | $103,970 |
| Kansas | $103,810 |
| Wisconsin | $100,310 |
| Georgia | $98,150 |
| Nevada | $97,880 |
| Washington | $97,360 |
| Maryland | $95,420 |
| Iowa | $94,990 |
| Massachusetts | $92,870 |
| Colorado | $91,660 |
| New York | $91,150 |
| Florida | $86,770 |
| Oregon | $85,450 |
| Delaware | $85,310 |
| Texas | $84,180 |
| Arkansas | $83,560 |
| Nebraska | $82,720 |
| Kentucky | $82,460 |
| Michigan | $81,470 |
| Connecticut | $80,130 |
| Ohio | $79,860 |
| Louisiana | $79,280 |
| South Carolina | $79,040 |
| Indiana | $78,100 |
| South Dakota | $76,960 |
| Mississippi | $76,820 |
| California | $75,590 |
| North Carolina | $75,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,420 |
| Tennessee | $74,450 |
| Virginia | $73,070 |
| Alabama | $70,550 |
| New Mexico | $63,730 |
| Utah | $62,960 |
| Missouri | $62,950 |
| Illinois | $57,590 |
| Maine | $55,220 |
| New Jersey | $54,860 |
| West Virginia | $50,770 |
| Puerto Rico | $49,880 |
| Montana | $49,010 |
| Arizona | $45,950 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Earnings for aviation inspectors shift depending on where you work. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $86,433 | 13.8% | 1.02 |
| New England | $84,306 | 3.7% | 0.94 |
| Middle Atlantic | $84,005 | 24.3% | 2.13 |
| Southeast | $83,321 | 21.4% | 0.94 |
| Plains States | $82,798 | 4.3% | 0.91 |
| Southwest | $75,852 | 18.2% | 1.46 |
| Rocky Mountains | $75,797 | 4.4% | 1.44 |
| Great Lakes | $70,630 | 9.5% | 0.76 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City, OK | OK | $134,410 | 90 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | FL | $125,040 | 260 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | GA | $123,780 | 370 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | OH | $122,920 | 120 |
| Wichita, KS | KS | $120,640 | 50 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $119,640 | 240 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $118,790 | 290 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | MI | $117,830 | 150 |
Which Industries Hire Aviation Inspectors
Most aviation inspectors are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing | 7,520 | $79,860 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1,800 | $40,830 |
| Manufacturing | 1,410 | $81,920 |
| Wholesale Trade | 640 | $45,960 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 350 | $76,780 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 310 | $66,560 |
| Retail Trade | 190 | $41,200 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 70 | $84,460 |
Below are examples of industries where aviation inspectors work:
Software Aviation Inspectors Use
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: SAS (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for aviation inspectors tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Frequency of Decision Making
- Consequence of Error
Education and Training
Entry-level aviation inspectors positions require an associate’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Government Property Inspectors and Investigators (Supplemental)
- Aerospace Engineers (Supplemental)
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors (Primary-Long)
- Industrial Engineers (Supplemental)
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians (Primary-Short)
- Automotive Engineering Technicians (Supplemental)
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists (Supplemental)
- Construction and Building Inspectors (Primary-Short)
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 53-6051.01 (Transportation Inspectors).
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