Aviation Inspectors
Inspect aircraft, maintenance procedures, air navigational aids, air traffic controls, and communications equipment to ensure conformance with Federal safety regulations.
Also called: Aircraft Inspector · Aircraft Quality Control Inspector (Aircraft QC Inspector) · Airworthiness Safety Inspector · Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) · Avionics Safety Inspector · Inspector
Median pay (national)
$85,750
$40,090–$137,120 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
23,320
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+1.7%
~2,500 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for aviation inspectors shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $137,120 versus $40,090 at the bottom 10% — 3.4x. The median of $85,750 leaves roughly 60% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +1.7% from 2024 to 2034 — slower than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 2,500 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 47 states with released data, Alaska pays the most for this role (median $138,030, +61% vs the national median), while Arizona sits lowest at $45,950 — a 200% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags IBM WebSphere MQ, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Active Learning
- Science
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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.
- Recommend replacement, repair, or modification of aircraft equipment.
- 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.
- Approve or deny issuance of certificates of airworthiness.
- Examine landing gear, tires, and exteriors of fuselage, wings, and engines for evidence of damage or corrosion and the need for repairs.
- Examine aircraft access plates and doors for security.
- Start aircraft and observe gauges, meters, and other instruments to detect evidence of malfunctions.
- Recommend changes in rules, policies, standards, and regulations, based on knowledge of operating conditions, aircraft improvements, and other factors.
Tools & technology
- IBM WebSphere MQ
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
- SAP software
- SAS
- Aircraft regulation databases
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Robotic workstation software
- Technical Data Management System TDMS
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- English Language
- Mechanical
- Public Safety and Security
- Customer and Personal Service
- Transportation
- Education and Training
- Production and Processing
- Engineering and Technology