Aircraft maintenance engineer to aircraft engine tester
An aircraft maintenance engineer already meets 54% of what the aircraft engine tester role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
48.4/ 100
1 How much of what an aircraft engine tester is expected to do is already part of an aircraft maintenance engineer’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 engine tester role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aircraft engine tester role treats 12 of its required skills as things an aircraft maintenance engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- aircraft mechanics
- diagnose defective engines
- electromechanics
- engine components
- engineering processes
- evaluate engine performance
What stands in the way is 7 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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aircraft engine tester role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an aircraft maintenance engineer background worth leading with.
- already held inspect aircraft for airworthiness information skills
- already held diagnose defective engines information skills
- already held evaluate engine performance information skills
- already held aircraft mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held disassemble engines working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held engine components engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 15 carried skills, including the 12 the aircraft engine tester role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 8 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 execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- still to learn record test data required
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held lead inspections optional
- still to learn conduct performance tests required
- still to learn perform test run required
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aircraft engine tester role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 common aviation safety regulations study this
- 02 operation of different engines study this
- 03 conduct performance tests practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held aircraft mechanics knowledge
- already held diagnose defective engines skill
- already held electromechanics knowledge
- already held engine components knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held evaluate engine performance skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held operate precision measuring equipment skill
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held use technical documentation skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
- already held disassemble engines skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held inspect aircraft for airworthiness skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held position engine on test stand optional
- optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
- optional, not held re-assemble engines optional
- optional, not held operate lifting equipment optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held position engine on test stand optional
- optional, not held re-assemble engines optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held lead inspections optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
- optional, not held operate lifting equipment optional
- optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
- optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
23 held skills the aircraft engine tester role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role airport planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role assemble electrical components skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical wiring plans knowledge
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with airport security measures skill
- not needed by the target role follow manufacturer guidelines in use of airport equipment skill
- not needed by the target role install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage airport development resources skill
- not needed by the target role manage airport workshops skill
- not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate soldering equipment skill
- not needed by the target role repair engines skill
- not needed by the target role technical drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role test electronic units skill
- not needed by the target role use computerised maintenance management systems skill
- not needed by the target role use power tools skill
- not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill
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 common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
Other moves recorded from aircraft maintenance engineer
Common questions about this move
Can an aircraft maintenance engineer become an aircraft engine tester?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An aircraft maintenance engineer already covers 54% of what an aircraft engine tester is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 12 of which the aircraft engine tester role treats as required.
What skills does an aircraft maintenance engineer need to become an aircraft engine tester?
7 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is common aviation safety regulations.
How hard is the move from aircraft maintenance engineer to aircraft engine tester?
Its learning distance is 48.4 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.