People Team AI Ask about a date

How exposed to AI is a Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technician?

Of the 38 tasks O*NET lists for aircraft mechanics and service technicians, 1 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 34 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Aircraft MaintainerAircraft Maintenance Technician (Aircraft Maintenance Tech)Aircraft MechanicAircraft RestorerAircraft Service Technician (Aircraft Service Tech)Aircraft Technician (Aircraft Tech)Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A and P Mechanic)Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT)Aviation MechanicHelicopter Mechanic
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
38
tasks rated for this occupation
1%
hold a degree, from a survey of 30
125k
people do this job in the US
26 of 50
least protected in installation and repair

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

1
  • Determine repair limits for engine hot section parts

Only with software built on top

3
  • Read and interpret maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and other specifications to determine the feasibility and method of repairing or replacing malfunctioning or damaged components
  • Read and interpret pilots' descriptions of problems to diagnose causes
  • Communicate with other workers to coordinate fitting and alignment of heavy parts, or to facilitate processing of repair parts

Cannot be sped up

34
  • Examine and inspect aircraft components, including landing gear, hydraulic systems, and deicers to locate cracks, breaks, leaks, or other problems
  • Conduct routine and special inspections as required by regulations
  • Inspect completed work to certify that maintenance meets standards and that aircraft are ready for operation
  • Maintain repair logs, documenting all preventive and corrective aircraft maintenance
  • Modify aircraft structures, space vehicles, systems, or components, following drawings, schematics, charts, engineering orders, and technical publications
  • Inspect airframes for wear or other defects
  • Measure parts for wear, using precision instruments
  • Obtain fuel and oil samples and check them for contamination
  • Maintain, repair, and rebuild aircraft structures, functional components, and parts, such as wings and fuselage, rigging, hydraulic units, oxygen systems, fuel systems, electrical systems, gaskets, or seals
  • Replace or repair worn, defective, or damaged components, using hand tools, gauges, and testing equipment
  • Test operation of engines and other systems, using test equipment, such as ignition analyzers, compression checkers, distributor timers, or ammeters
  • Measure the tension of control cables
  • Spread plastic film over areas to be repaired to prevent damage to surrounding areas
  • Remove or install aircraft engines, using hoists or forklift trucks
  • Assemble and install electrical, plumbing, mechanical, hydraulic, and structural components and accessories, using hand or power tools
  • Locate and mark dimensions and reference lines on defective or replacement parts, using templates, scribes, compasses, and steel rules
  • Fabricate defective sections or parts, using metal fabricating machines, saws, brakes, shears, and grinders
  • Reassemble engines following repair or inspection and reinstall engines in aircraft
  • Service and maintain aircraft and related apparatus by performing activities such as flushing crankcases, cleaning screens, and or moving parts
  • Clean, refuel, and change oil in line service aircraft
  • Trim and shape replacement body sections to specified sizes and fits and secure sections in place, using adhesives, hand tools, and power tools
  • Accompany aircraft on flights to make in-flight adjustments and corrections
  • Remove or cut out defective parts or drill holes to gain access to internal defects or damage, using drills and punches
  • Install and align repaired or replacement parts for subsequent riveting or welding, using clamps and wrenches
  • Inventory and requisition or order supplies, parts, materials, and equipment
  • Clean, strip, prime, and sand structural surfaces and materials to prepare them for bonding
  • Examine engines through specially designed openings while working from ladders or scaffolds, or use hoists or lifts to remove the entire engine from an aircraft
  • Check for corrosion, distortion, and invisible cracks in the fuselage, wings, and tail, using x-ray and magnetic inspection equipment
  • Disassemble engines and inspect parts, such as turbine blades or cylinders, for corrosion, wear, warping, cracks, and leaks, using precision measuring instruments, x-rays, and magnetic inspection equipment
  • Cure bonded structures, using portable or stationary curing equipment
  • Listen to operating engines to detect and diagnose malfunctions, such as sticking or burned valves
  • Clean engines, sediment bulk and screens, and carburetors, adjusting carburetor float levels
  • Remove, inspect, repair, and install in-flight refueling stores and external fuel tanks
  • Prepare and paint aircraft surfaces
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.