Transportation53-6051.01Specialization

Aviation Inspectors

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

$87,290
Median Pay
2 to 4 years
Training
πŸ”΄
High Disruption Risk

This is a specialization of

Other Transportation Workers

Career Overview Video

AI Impact Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 1/6: high AI task exposure, limited human advantage creates significant risk from AI disruption (estimated from legacy data)

πŸ”΄High Disruption Risk

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
High+0

91% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Stable+1

0% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Weak+0

EPOCH score: 10/25

Total Score1/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09

Key Responsibilities

  • 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.
  • Examine aircraft access plates and doors for security.
  • Recommend changes in rules, policies, standards, and regulations, based on knowledge of operating conditions, aircraft improvements, and other factors.

Education & Training

Typical Entry Education

Associate's degree

Time to Job Ready

1-3 years

Based on Job Zone 3. For formal education duration only, see education_duration.

Technology Skills

Inspection documentation softwareMicrosoft OfficeDatabase systemsCompliance trackingAviation reference systems

Key Abilities

Problem SensitivityInductive ReasoningOral ComprehensionDeductive ReasoningNear VisionWritten ComprehensionOral ExpressionSpeech ClarityWritten ExpressionInformation Ordering

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Find jobs and training programs for aviation inspectors- Median salary: $87K/year

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Compensation Details

$39,790
10th Percentile
$87,290
Median
$129,020
90th Percentile

Based on 27,670 employed workers

Also Known As

Aeronautical InspectorAerospace InspectorAir Carrier InspectorAircraft InspectorAircraft Landing Gear InspectorAircraft Maintenance InspectorAircraft Quality Control Inspector (Aircraft QC Inspector)Aircraft Systems InspectorAirplane InspectorAirworthiness Inspector

Data from O*NET 30.1 and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics

O*NET Code: 53-6051.01