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Get Your Career Off the Ground at Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools
by Robyn Tellefsen
Stuck on the ground? Let  

Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools

  propel you to the next career level.

Flapping
The role of an aviation maintenance technician is a significant one. This professional is responsible for keeping aircrafts in peak operating condition, which involves performing scheduled maintenance, making repairs, and completing inspections required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

More specifically, at aviation maintenance technician schools, you'll learn how to inspect aircraft engines, landing gear, instruments, pressurized sections, and accessories, and performs necessary maintenance and parts replacement. After completing repairs, the aviation maintenance technician tests the equipment to make sure everything's in working order.

Gliding
Most technicians learn their job in one of about 170 aviation maintenance technician schools certified by the FAA. About one-third of these schools award two- and four-year degrees.

In accordance with FAA standards, aviation maintenance technician schools must offer a minimum of 1,900 actual class hours. Coursework typically takes 18 to 24 months to complete and provides training with the tools and equipment used on the job. Aviation maintenance technician schools emphasize technologies such as aviation electronics, composite materials, and turbine engines.

Your training at aviation maintenance technician schools doesn't end after graduation, though. As more complex aircraft are being designed, employers are requiring technicians to update their skills through ongoing aviation maintenance training. In addition, due to recent technological advances in aircraft maintenance, you'll need a solid command of electronics in order to acquire and retain a job as an aviation maintenance technician. FAA certification standards also make ongoing training mandatory; every 24 months, technicians are required to take at least 16 hours of training at aviation maintenance technician schools to maintain certification.

Soaring
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and service technicians held about 142,000 jobs in 2004. Median hourly earnings of these professionals were about $21.77 that same year, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $33.84.

The increase in passenger traffic and aircraft sophistication is creating demand for those who attend aviation maintenance technician schools. As always, prospects are best for those with experience. The aviation maintenance technician who stays on top of the latest technological advances in electronics, composite materials, and other areas via aviation maintenance technician schools will be in greatest demand.

Why stay grounded when you can get airborne at aviation maintenance technician schools?

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About the author:
Robyn Tellefsen is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.



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