Pay and Salary for Aircraft Mechanics

The U.S.  Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has an informative section on pay and salaries for aircraft mechanics, current as of May, 2010. It is provided in the section

“Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2010
49-3011 Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians”

on the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes493011.htm

Basic salary information for aircraft mechanics is shown, as indicated below.  Bottom line, nationally total employment is around 117,000, with a mean annual wage of $53,000.  Entry level salaries are around $15 per hour, and then aircraft mechanic pay ascends to near 6-figure levels as one gains experience and seniority.

BLS Salary and Employment Data, May 2010

A further breakdown of employment statistics shows how employment and salaries vary, depending on which aviation industry segment one is employed. This is shown in the figure below. This data is current as of May, 2010.

Basic BLS Employment and Salary Information, May 2010

The BLS had three significant conclusions about the Aircraft Mechanic employment data. Their conclusions are:

• Most workers learn their jobs in 1 of about 170 schools certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
• Job opportunities should be favorable for persons who have completed an aircraft mechanic training program, but keen competition is likely for jobs at major airlines, which offer the best pay and benefits.
• Job opportunities are likely to continue to be best at small commuter and regional airlines, at FAA repair stations, and in general aviation.

With a profusion of new computer technologies, and a need to hire individuals who are competent in these areas, and also an aging of the current aircraft mechanic worker force, there is no direction but upwards for aircraft mechanic salaries in the near future.