Avionics technician to avionics inspector
An avionics technician already meets 45% of what the avionics inspector role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.7/ 100
1 How much of what an avionics inspector 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 avionics inspector role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An avionics inspector role treats 11 of its required skills as things an avionics technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- aircraft flight control systems
- common aviation safety regulations
- conduct performance tests
- electrical engineering
- electricity
- electronics
What stands in the way is 11 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An avionics inspector 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 aircraft flight control systems services
- already held test electronic units constructing
- already held calibrate electronic instruments working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held common aviation safety regulations business, administration and law
- already held conduct performance tests constructing
- already held use testing equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 14 carried skills, including the 11 the avionics inspector role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 9 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 inspect quality of products required
- still to learn interpret electrical diagrams required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- optional, not held inspect aircraft for airworthiness optional
- optional, not held lead inspections optional
- still to learn aircraft mechanics required
- still to learn electromechanics required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn write inspection reports required
- still to learn manage health and safety standards required
- optional, not held act as contact person during equipment incident optional
- optional, not held issue licences optional
- still to learn quality assurance procedures required
- still to learn operate electronic measuring instruments required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an avionics inspector role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 operate electronic measuring instruments practise this
- 02 aircraft mechanics study this
- 03 create solutions to problems 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 14 skills that carry over
- already held aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held conduct performance tests skill
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held test electronic units skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
- already held calibrate electronic instruments skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held liaise with engineers skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
- optional, not held prepare audit activities optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held act as contact person during equipment incident optional
- optional, not held inspect aircraft for airworthiness optional
- optional, not held issue licences optional
- optional, not held lead inspections optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held prepare audit activities optional
- optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
21 held skills the avionics inspector 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 assemble electrical components skill
- 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 electronics principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health skill
- not needed by the target role install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of work progress 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 operate soldering 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
- not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill
4 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 aircraft mechanics required
- still to learn electromechanics required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn quality assurance procedures required
Common questions about this move
Can an avionics technician become an avionics inspector?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An avionics technician already covers 45% of what an avionics inspector is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 11 of which the avionics inspector role treats as required.
What skills does an avionics technician need to become an avionics inspector?
11 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is operate electronic measuring instruments.
How hard is the move from avionics technician to avionics inspector?
Its learning distance is 56.7 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.