Aviation Inspectors — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.
Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$92,100
United States, 2025
Employment
24,500
United States, 2025
Typical education
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Inspect aircraft, maintenance procedures, air navigational aids, air traffic controls, and communications equipment to ensure conformance with Federal safety regulations.
- O*NET code
- 53-6051.01
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 10 years
Typical tasks
- Examine aircraft access plates and doors for security.
- Investigate air accidents and complaints to determine causes.
- Recommend changes in rules, policies, standards, and regulations, based on knowledge of operating conditions, aircraft improvements, and other factors.
- 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 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.
- Approve or deny issuance of certificates of airworthiness.
- Prepare and maintain detailed repair, inspection, investigation, and certification records and reports.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$40,330
25th percentile
$58,780
75th percentile
$108,890
90th percentile
$138,670
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Operations Monitoring3.8
- Quality Control Analysis3.8
- Writing3.6
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Monitoring3.4
- Troubleshooting3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3
- Time Management3.3
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 17 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
17
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Writing | 3.6 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Operation and Control | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $84,890
Compare with Aviation InspectorsSupplemental
National median $74,510
Compare with Aviation InspectorsSupplemental
National median $80,730
Compare with Aviation InspectorsSupplemental
National median $65,380
Compare with Aviation InspectorsSupplemental
National median $90,150
Compare with Aviation InspectorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis, MN | $140,880 | 180 | 2025 |
| Anchorage, AK | $131,060 | 110 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $129,480 | 270 | 2025 |
| Orlando, FL | $126,710 | 290 | 2025 |
| Dallas, TX | $126,010 | 890 | 2025 |
| AK | $123,120 | 170 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $121,410 | 280 | 2025 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $120,000 | 120 | 2025 |
| IA | $116,850 | 60 | 2025 |
| Memphis, TN | $115,920 | 70 | 2025 |
| Columbia, SC | $115,210 | 40 | 2025 |
| OK | $111,070 | 470 | 2025 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $109,990 | 160 | 2025 |
| HI | $108,270 | 150 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $108,270 | 130 | 2025 |
| AL | $108,140 | 670 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $107,840 | 160 | 2025 |
| Longview, TX | $107,670 | 30 | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $107,640 | 480 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $107,330 | 80 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Aviation Inspectors to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.