Aviation Inspectors
Inspect aircraft, maintenance procedures, air navigational aids, air traffic controls, and communications equipment to ensure conformance with Federal safety regulations.
$92,100 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 26%
- 0%
- 74%
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, 14%. Today's estimate: 17%.
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 . 13 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect work of aircraft mechanics performing maintenance, modification, or repair and overhaul of aircraft and aircraft mechanical systems to ensure adherence to standards and procedures.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 31% | 2.5 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect new, repaired, or modified aircraft to identify damage or defects and to assess airworthiness and conformance to standards, using checklists, hand tools, and test instruments.Done daily by most who do it. | 24% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Investigate air accidents and complaints to determine causes.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 8% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Examine maintenance records and flight logs to determine if service and maintenance checks and overhauls were performed at prescribed intervals.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Prepare and maintain detailed repair, inspection, investigation, and certification records and reports.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h38 min to 2.5 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Conduct flight test programs to test equipment, instruments, and systems under a variety of conditions, using both manual and automatic controls.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 4% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Recommend changes in rules, policies, standards, and regulations, based on knowledge of operating conditions, aircraft improvements, and other factors.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 3% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Examine landing gear, tires, and exteriors of fuselage, wings, and engines for evidence of damage or corrosion and the need for repairs.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Analyze training programs and conduct oral and written examinations to ensure the competency of persons operating, installing, and repairing aircraft equipment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 17%Half by Apr 2027 | |
| Recommend replacement, repair, or modification of aircraft equipment.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 2% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Approve or deny issuance of certificates of airworthiness.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Examine aircraft access plates and doors for security.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people |
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.
- Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation13% now, 28% by 2028
- Transportation Inspectors30% now, 30% by 2028
- Construction and Building Inspectors24% now, 48% by 2028
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians4% now, 17% by 2028
- Avionics Technicians6% now, 15% by 2028
- Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians7% now, 8% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.