Aerospace Engineering Technician

Job description

Technicians set up test equipment to match specific data-acquisition plans, then run aircraft systems through simulated operational conditions, performing readiness checks and pre- and post-flight inspections to establish design or fabrication parameters. When something isn't working right, they diagnose the malfunction and repair or replace the faulty component, often fabricating and installing parts using hand and power tools. The work happens in a climate-controlled facility but around loud, potentially hazardous equipment, so protective gear is standard, and the pace stays fast with real deadline pressure and heavy teamwork.

A typical day

Badge in, coveralls on, and the first task is instrumenting a wing section for a fatigue test — strain gauges placed to the drawing, wiring routed and labeled, torque values logged. Mid-morning the test runs: the tech monitors readouts for anomalies while the structure is loaded cycle after cycle. After lunch there's calibration work on a wind-tunnel sensor array and a nonconformance report to write for a part that failed inspection. Precision is the culture — every measurement traceable, every step signed off, because the hardware eventually flies.

Tasks at the job

• Record and interpret test data on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms.
• Fabricate and install parts and systems to be tested in test equipment, using hand tools, power tools, and test instruments.
• Test aircraft systems under simulated operational conditions, performing systems readiness tests and pre- and post-operational checkouts, to establish design or fabrication parameters.
• Adjust, repair, or replace faulty components of test setups and equipment.
• Identify required data, data acquisition plans, and test parameters, setting up equipment to conform to these specifications.
• Inspect, diagnose, maintain, and operate test setups and equipment to detect malfunctions.

Workplace & working conditions

Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting. Noise levels can be distracting or uncomfortable. The role involves regular exposure to hazardous equipment or conditions and contaminants, and standard protective equipment (gloves, safety glasses, and similar) is expected.

The pace is often fast, with real time pressure to meet deadlines, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Precision and accuracy are essential to the work. Almost all of the work is done as part of a team.

Education necessary or common

Vocational training, apprenticeship, or associate's degree

Common college majors

Licenses & certifications

• FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) — for maintenance-side roles
• IPC soldering certification (J-STD/610, common in aerospace shops)
• OSHA 10

Career path

Related fields

Courses to take

• AP Physics 1 — forces, motion, and materials behavior
• Precalculus — the working math of test and measurement
• Shop, Engineering, or PLTW courses — hands-on fabrication skill is the differentiator
• AP Computer Science Principles — test rigs are run by software
• Drafting/CAD if offered

Clubs, activities & competitions

• FIRST Robotics — building and testing under deadline is the job in miniature
• SkillsUSA
• Civil Air Patrol — aerospace-flavored and hands-on
• Model rocketry (NAR club or TARC — the American Rocketry Challenge)

First steps you can take now

• Enter the American Rocketry Challenge or build and fly a model rocket with recorded altimeter data
• Tour an aerospace plant or air museum restoration shop
• Learn basic soldering and multimeter use with a starter electronics kit
• Look up aerospace/avionics associate programs at nearby community colleges and their co-op employers

Related videos

Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians Career VideoCareerOneStopA day in the life of an engineering technicianCollins Aerospace