Aviation Inspectors - 53-6051.01

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

Sample of reported job titles: Aircraft Inspector; Aircraft Quality Control Inspector; Airworthiness Safety Inspector; Aviation Safety Inspector; Aviation Safety Inspector, Manufacturing; Avionics Safety Inspector; Inspector; Quality Control Inspector; Quality Inspector; Technical Inspector

Tasks

• 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.
• 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.
• Examine maintenance records and flight logs to determine if service and maintenance checks and overhauls were performed at prescribed intervals.
• 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.
• Prepare and maintain detailed repair, inspection, investigation, and certification records and reports.
• Approve or deny issuance of certificates of airworthiness.
• Conduct flight test programs to test equipment, instruments, and systems under a variety of conditions, using both manual and automatic controls.
• Investigate air accidents and complaints to determine causes.
• Start aircraft and observe gauges, meters, and other instruments to detect evidence of malfunctions.
• Recommend replacement, repair, or modification of aircraft equipment.
• Analyze training programs and conduct oral and written examinations to ensure the competency of persons operating, installing, and repairing aircraft equipment.
• Recommend changes in rules, policies, standards, and regulations, based on knowledge of operating conditions, aircraft improvements, and other factors.

Technology Skills

• Computer aided design CAD software - CAD/CAM software
• Data base user interface and query software - Aircraft regulation databases; Data entry software
• Industrial control software - Robotic workstation software
• Office suite software - Microsoft Office
• Spreadsheet software - Microsoft Excel
• Word processing software - Microsoft Word

Tools Used

• Borescope inspection equipment - Borescopes
• Calipers - Vernier calipers
• Coordinate measuring machines CMM
• Desktop computers
• Dial indicator or dial gauge - Dial gauges
• Eddy current examination equipment - Eddy current inspection equipment; Eddy current pencil probes
• Feeler gauges - Angled feeler gauges
• Infrared imagers - Thermographic equipment
• Inspection mirror - Inspection mirrors
• Integrated maintenance information systems - Aircraft Technical Publishers ATP Maintenance Planner; Maintenance tracking software
• Interferometers - Shearographic equipment
• Ladders
• Liquid penetrant examination equipment - Fluorescent penetrant testers
• Magnetic particle examination equipment - Magnetic particle inspection equipment
• Magnifiers - Hand held magnifiers
• Micrometers
• Notebook computers - Laptop computers
• Ohmmeters
• Oscilloscopes
• Personal computers
• Pick or place robots - Non-destructive inspection NDI robots
• Portable data input terminals - Handheld computers
• Pressure indicators - Pressure gauges
• Protractors
• Rulers - Precision rulers
• Scaffolding
• Tachometers
• Thread counters or gauges - Thread gauges
• Torque wrenches
• Ultrasonic examination equipment - Ultrasonic inspection devices
• Voltage or current meters - Output meters
• Wearable computing devices - Wearable computers
• X ray radiography examination equipment - X ray inspection equipment

Knowledge

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Abilities

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
• Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
• Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
• Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

Interests

• Interest code: RCI
  • Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
  • Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
  • Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Work Context

• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - 95% responded “Extremely important.”
• Electronic Mail - 92% responded “Every day.”
• Frequency of Decision Making - 87% responded “Every day.”
• Time Pressure
• Face-to-Face Discussions
• Telephone
• Freedom to Make Decisions - 55% responded “A lot of freedom.”
• Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
• Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - 70% responded “Extremely important.”
• Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - 29% responded “High responsibility.”
• Structured versus Unstructured Work - 54% responded “A lot of freedom.”
• Contact With Others - 34% responded “Constant contact with others.”
• Deal With External Customers
• Coordinate or Lead Others - 39% responded “Extremely important.”
• Letters and Memos - 32% responded “Every day.”
• Work With Work Group or Team - 11% responded “Very important.”
• Duration of Typical Work Week - 62% responded “40 hours.”
• Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
• Consequence of Error - 21% responded “Fairly serious.”
• Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - 30% responded “Moderate responsibility.”
• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - 25% responded “Once a year or more but not every month.”
• Spend Time Sitting - 31% responded “More than half the time.”
• Exposed to Contaminants - 25% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
• Level of Competition
• Frequency of Conflict Situations - 44% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
• Physical Proximity - 42% responded “I work with others but not closely (e.g., private office).”

Education

Percentage of Respondents	Education Level Required
61%	Post-secondary certificate
19%	High school diploma or equivalent
18%	Associate's degree

Work Styles

• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
• Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

Work Values

• Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
• Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
• Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Wages & Trends

• Median wages (2017)
  • $34.68 hourly, $72,140 annual
• Employment (2016)
  • 28,000 employees
• Projected growth (2016-2026)
  • Average (5% to 9%)
• Projected job openings (2016-2026)
  • 2,900