Avionics technician to aircraft maintenance technician
An avionics technician already meets 46% of what the aircraft maintenance technician role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.5/ 100
1 How much of what an aircraft maintenance technician is expected to do is already part of an avionics technician’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 13 of its required skills as things an avionics technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assemble electrical components
- common aviation safety regulations
- electrical engineering
- electrical wiring plans
- electricity
- electronics
What stands in the way is 16 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 18 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 avionics technician background worth leading with.
- already held electrical systems used in transportation engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held assemble electrical components handling and moving
- already held aircraft flight control systems services
- already held test electronic units constructing
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held common aviation safety regulations business, administration and law
All 18 carried skills, including the 13 the aircraft maintenance technician 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 mechanical engineering required
- still to learn aircraft mechanics required
- still to learn electromechanics required
- still to learn engine components required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- still to learn ensure compliance with airport security measures required
- still to learn follow manufacturer guidelines in use of airport equipment required
- still to learn manage health and safety standards required
- still to learn evaluate engine performance required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- optional, not held inspect aircraft for airworthiness optional
- still to learn disassemble engines required
- still to learn repair engines required
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- still to learn apply technical communication skills required
- still to learn use power tools required
2 further areas in the appendix
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 airport safety regulations study this
- 02 disassemble engines practise this
- 03 ensure compliance with airport security measures 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 18 skills that carry over
- 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 electronics knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- already held operate soldering equipment skill
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- already held conduct performance tests skill
- already held electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- already held test electronic units skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn airport safety regulations required
- optional, not held use computerised maintenance management systems optional
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held use computerised maintenance management systems optional
- optional, not held inspect aircraft for airworthiness optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
17 held skills the aircraft maintenance technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role CADD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role apply soldering techniques skill
- not needed by the target role calibrate electronic instruments skill
- not needed by the target role electronics principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role solder electronics skill
- not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
- not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
- not needed by the target role use CADD software skill
7 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 airport safety regulations required
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn aircraft mechanics required
- still to learn electromechanics required
- still to learn engine components required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn technical drawings required
Common questions about this move
Can an avionics technician become an aircraft maintenance technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An avionics technician already covers 46% of what an aircraft maintenance technician is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 13 of which the aircraft maintenance technician role treats as required.
What skills does an avionics technician need to become an aircraft maintenance technician?
16 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is airport safety regulations.
How hard is the move from avionics technician to aircraft maintenance technician?
Its learning distance is 59.5 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.