Aircraft Maintenance Technician (Structures)
What the work is
Inspects, dismantles and reassembles aircraft, including space vehicle structures, and repairs and replaces components of aircraft and/or space vehicle frames. Works with both metal and carbon fibre composite materials.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Inspects, dismantles, modifies and reassembles aircraft and/or space vehicle structures to identify damage, defects or wear, and ensures structures are functioning within safety regulations and standards
- Repairs or replaces damaged or worn components of aircraft and/or space vehicle structures
- Works with both metal and carbon fibre composite materials to repair or replace aircraft and/or space vehicle structures
- Performs and documents regular maintenance and servicing of aircraft and/or space vehicle structures
- May manufacture aircraft and/or space vehicle structural components
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional regional airline hangar, where aircraft come in for scheduled checks and overnight fixes. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- An aircraft you signed off takes off on time and carries a full load of passengers
- You track down a stubborn fault that two shifts had given up on
- A quiet night shift where everything is in its place and the paperwork is clean
Hard days
- A part is on back order, an aircraft is on the ground and the airline wants it back
- A night shift in a cold hangar with a defect that does not make sense
- Being asked to sign off something you are not yet certain about
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 332133, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.