Aircraft engine specialist to aircraft maintenance technician
An aircraft engine specialist already meets 72% of what the aircraft maintenance technician role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
35.4/ 100
1 How much of what an aircraft maintenance technician is expected to do is already part of an aircraft engine specialist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the aircraft maintenance technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aircraft maintenance technician role treats 21 of its required skills as things an aircraft engine specialist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- aircraft mechanics
- airport safety regulations
- apply technical communication skills
- assemble electrical components
- common aviation safety regulations
- electrical engineering
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aircraft maintenance technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an aircraft engine specialist background worth leading with.
- already held follow manufacturer guidelines in use of airport equipment assisting and caring
- already held use computerised maintenance management systems working with computers
- already held ensure compliance with airport security measures assisting and caring
- already held airport safety regulations services
- already held electrical systems used in transportation engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held assemble electrical components handling and moving
All 26 carried skills, including the 21 the aircraft maintenance technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn disassemble engines required
- still to learn install electrical and electronic equipment required
- still to learn repair engines required
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- still to learn operate soldering equipment required
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- still to learn evaluate engine performance required
- optional, not held inspect aircraft for airworthiness optional
- still to learn use power tools required
- optional, not held aircraft flight control systems optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aircraft maintenance technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 disassemble engines practise this
- 02 evaluate engine performance practise this
- 03 mechanical engineering study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 26 skills that carry over
- already held aircraft mechanics knowledge
- already held airport safety regulations knowledge
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held assemble electrical components skill
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held electrical wiring plans knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held electromechanics knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held engine components knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with airport security measures skill
- already held follow manufacturer guidelines in use of airport equipment skill
- already held manage health and safety standards skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical documentation skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- already held operate precision measuring equipment skill
- already held test electronic units skill
- already held use computerised maintenance management systems skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held aircraft flight control systems optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held inspect aircraft for airworthiness optional
6 held skills the aircraft maintenance technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role consult with industry professionals skill
- not needed by the target role diagnose defective engines skill
- not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
- not needed by the target role inspect aircraft manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role quality assurance procedures knowledge
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- optional, not held aircraft flight control systems optional
Common questions about this move
Can an aircraft engine specialist become an aircraft maintenance technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An aircraft engine specialist already covers 72% of what an aircraft maintenance technician is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 21 of which the aircraft maintenance technician role treats as required.
What skills does an aircraft engine specialist need to become an aircraft maintenance technician?
8 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is disassemble engines.
How hard is the move from aircraft engine specialist to aircraft maintenance technician?
Its learning distance is 35.4 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.