Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul aircraft engines and assemblies, such as hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
138,090 people do this job in the US. $79,870 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 8%
- 0%
- 92%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 6%. Today's estimate: 7%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 38 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct routine and special inspections as required by regulations.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain, repair, and rebuild aircraft structures, functional components, and parts, such as wings and fuselage, rigging, hydraulic units, oxygen systems, fuel systems, electrical systems, gaskets, or seals.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Replace or repair worn, defective, or damaged components, using hand tools, gauges, and testing equipment.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Modify aircraft structures, space vehicles, systems, or components, following drawings, schematics, charts, engineering orders, and technical publications.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 6% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Assemble and install electrical, plumbing, mechanical, hydraulic, and structural components and accessories, using hand or power tools.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Check for corrosion, distortion, and invisible cracks in the fuselage, wings, and tail, using x-ray and magnetic inspection equipment.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Fabricate defective sections or parts, using metal fabricating machines, saws, brakes, shears, and grinders.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 4% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.6 work days | Stays with people | |
| Inspect airframes for wear or other defects.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h38 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Examine and inspect aircraft components, including landing gear, hydraulic systems, and deicers to locate cracks, breaks, leaks, or other problems.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect completed work to certify that maintenance meets standards and that aircraft are ready for operation.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Trim and shape replacement body sections to specified sizes and fits and secure sections in place, using adhesives, hand tools, and power tools.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 3% | 5 h1.7 h to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Read and interpret maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and other specifications to determine the feasibility and method of repairing or replacing malfunctioning or damaged components.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | 95%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Avionics Technicians6% now, 15% by 2028
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers4% now, 4% by 2028
- Aircraft Service Attendants15% now, 15% by 2028
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians4% now, 17% by 2028
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers8% now, 9% by 2028
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians10% now, 25% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).