What Do Aviation Inspectors Do?

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

Life as an Aviation Inspector: What Do They Do?

• 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.
• 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.
• Observe flight activities of pilots to assess flying skills and to ensure conformance to flight and safety regulations.
• Examine maintenance records and flight logs to determine if service and maintenance checks and overhauls were performed at prescribed intervals.
• Investigate air accidents and complaints to determine causes.

Things an Aviation Inspector Should Know How to Do

Aviation Inspectors state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Related Job Titles

• Safety Inspector
• Aircraft Inspector
• Jet Inspector
• Maintenance Inspector
• Airworthiness Safety Inspector

Job Opportunities for Aviation Inspectors

There were about 28,200 jobs for Transportation Inspectors in 2016 (in the United States).

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.9% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,700 new jobs for Aviation Inspectors by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 2,900 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Transportation Inspectors are Texas, New York, and California.

Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, Minnesota, or Wyoming. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for Aviation Inspectors

The typical yearly salary for Transportation Inspectors is somewhere between $28,870 and $123,980. An Aviation Inspector median salary is $73,780.

How much do Transportation Inspectors make in different U.S. states?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Alaska	$105,850
Maine	$101,310
District of Columbia	$100,630
North Dakota	$87,030
Wisconsin	$86,990
Kansas	$86,500
Nebraska	$86,130
Mississippi	$85,700
Florida	$85,340
Illinois	$84,420
Texas	$84,250
Minnesota	$83,180
Connecticut	$82,870
North Carolina	$79,680
Hawaii	$79,490
Michigan	$79,170
Indiana	$78,520
Tennessee	$78,120
Virginia	$77,920
Colorado	$77,660
Montana	$77,390
Iowa	$77,250
Oklahoma	$76,600
Oregon	$76,510
California	$76,290
New Jersey	$74,010
Idaho	$73,870
Washington	$73,480
Missouri	$73,160
New Hampshire	$72,500
South Carolina	$72,160
Kentucky	$71,930
Massachusetts	$71,840
Georgia	$70,850
Arkansas	$70,790
Wyoming	$70,470
Louisiana	$69,970
Pennsylvania	$65,710
Maryland	$65,710
Arizona	$61,380
Ohio	$58,740
New Mexico	$58,510
South Dakota	$57,780
Utah	$55,360
Rhode Island	$53,090

What Tools & Technology do Aviation Inspectors Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Aviation Inspectors:

• CAD/CAM software
• Microsoft Office
• Data entry software
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word

How do I Become an Aviation Inspector?

Learn what Aviation Inspector education requirements there are.

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Aviation Inspectors Work

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons