Career Explorer Installation and repair
Human edge, growing
Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul aircraft engines and assemblies, such as hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 98% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +5.4% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on physical dexterity and ethical judgement.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $79,870
- Job growth to 2035
- +5.4%
- Openings a year
- 11,400
- People doing it (2025)
- 140,000
- Usual route in
- College certificate
Where people already use AI for this work
- Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- Test performance of equipment or systems
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Inspect vehicles
- Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas
- Assemble equipment or components
What the work looks like
- Inspect completed work to certify that maintenance meets standards and that aircraft are ready for operation.
- Read and interpret maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and other specifications to determine the feasibility and method of repairing or replacing malfunctioning or damaged components.
- Maintain repair logs, documenting all preventive and corrective aircraft maintenance.
- Examine and inspect aircraft components, including landing gear, hydraulic systems, and deicers to locate cracks, breaks, leaks, or other problems.
- Conduct routine and special inspections as required by regulations.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as demand for air ambulance services grows, increasing the need to maintain and repair the aircraft fleet.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Wind turbine service techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +29.5%
- Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except enginesHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +6.7%
- Electrical power-line installers and repairersHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +10.3%
- Solar photovoltaic installersHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +36.5%
Also known as: Aircraft Maintenance Technician (Aircraft Maintenance Tech), Aircraft Mechanic, Aircraft Technician (Aircraft Tech), Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A and P Mechanic), Aircraft Maintainer, Aircraft Restorer, Aircraft Service Technician (Aircraft Service Tech), Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT).
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.