Skip to content
Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Aviation Inspectors

Part of Government & Public Administration, in the Governance pathway.

Job zone 3: medium preparationO*NET 53-6051.01

What the work is

Inspect aircraft, maintenance procedures, air navigational aids, air traffic controls, and communications equipment to ensure conformance with Federal safety regulations.

On a typical day

  • 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.
  • Start aircraft and observe gauges, meters, and other instruments to detect evidence of malfunctions.
  • Examine aircraft access plates and doors for security.
  • Examine landing gear, tires, and exteriors of fuselage, wings, and engines for evidence of damage or corrosion and the need for repairs.
  • Prepare and maintain detailed repair, inspection, investigation, and certification records and reports.
  • 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.

What it pays

$89,230
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $40,030
Experienced workers reach $147,410
  1. $40k10th
  2. $62k25th
  3. $89kMedian
  4. $118k75th
  5. $147k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $40,030, 25th $61,620, Median $89,230, 75th $117,620, 90th $147,410

About 90 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

+15.3%

employment change in the Alamo region, 223 to 257 jobs · U.S. +2%

26

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 2,500

223

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 25,700

Typical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent · Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Critical Thinking4.0
  2. Speaking4.0
  3. Reading Comprehension3.4
  4. Active Listening3.4
  5. Operations Monitoring4.0
  6. Quality Control Analysis3.8
  7. Writing3.3
  8. Complex Problem Solving3.6

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. High school or less29%
  2. Certificate20%
  3. Some college14%
  4. Associate degree34%
  5. Bachelor's degree4%

Job zone 3, medium preparation: Training, an associate degree, or a few years of related experience.

Alamo programs that lead here

No Alamo program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.

Browse all programs

Does this fit you?

Six questions rank every career here by how closely its interest profile follows yours.

Check my interests
  1. $89kSan Antonio median
  2. $62kSan Antonio median
  3. $82kSan Antonio median
  4. Avionics Technicians

    Zone 3 Bright outlook

    $86kSan Antonio median
  5. $78kSan Antonio median
  6. $128kTexas median