How much do Aircraft Mechanics make an Hour?
As one of the most in-demand and technically demanding careers in the aviation industry, aircraft mechanics play a crucial role in ensuring the safe operation of airplanes. They perform routine and emergency repairs, maintenance, and inspection on aircraft engines, structural components, and systems, keeping the entire aviation community afloat. In this article, we will delve into the world of aircraft mechanics, exploring how much they earn per hour.
Basic Overview
Aircraft mechanics, also known as Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Mechanics, are skilled professionals certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to inspect, repair, and maintain aircraft and their related components. There are about 130,000 licensed aircraft mechanics in the United States alone.
These experts work on a diverse range of aircraft, including commercial airliners, helicopters, military aircraft, corporate jets, and even General Aviation (GA) airplanes and gliders. Due to the varying complexity, frequency, and urgency of repairs, salaries for aircraft mechanics can range significantly from shop to shop, or even from technician to technician within the same shop.
Hourly Wages vs. Daily Rates vs. Salary Range
One crucial aspect of understanding compensation is understanding how aircraft mechanics get paid. Here is a breakdown:
- Hourly Wages: A growing trend among aircraft shops and repair facilities is transitioning from daily rate to an hourly wage model. Experienced aircraft mechanics, especially at senior levels, may benefit from this new compensation format. Median hourly rate ranges from $40-$90 for experienced techs.
- Daily Rates: In some cases, especially for on-site service centers or heavy maintenance/repairs, aircraft mechanics work on a daily basis with a guaranteed minimum flat rate per day. Experienced aircraft mechanics, especially when employed by fixed-base operators, may be paid upwards of $1,200-$1,600 daily for complex services.
Salary Range: Those entering the aviation industry usually take an entry-level pay package, but salaries can jump significantly over the years:
| Grade/Level | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level ( FAA-mandated 800-1,200 training hours) | $60,000 – $65,000 annual |
| Technician (1,200 hours with some on-the-job experience) | $80,000 – $110,000 annual |
| Lead Technician/Senior Lead | $90,000 – $135,000 annual |
| Master-level technician or Management | $130,000 – $150,000 annual |
| Senior Supervisory Position/Estimate | $170,000 – $210,000 annual |
| Owner, Manager | $300,000 + per year |
Note: Average salaries within Table 1: Data from publicly available FAA documentation, interviews with major and small-sized repair and service centers.
Bonus/Profit Share and Retraining: Additional Motivation
Aside from monetary rewards, benefits, like retraining packages, job security, opportunities for progression, and professional growth also enhance the motivation for aviation industry professionals, including aircraft mechanics. When considering remuneration for aircraft mechanics, these valuable benefits significantly expand the actual compensation beyond direct hourly payments.
*having an incentive-based bonuses (Performance-based Profit sharing) : Top-performing technicians who increase efficiency or perform more complex and high-hour repair tasks.
Table 2 highlights more than 35% bonuses being paid based on sales (repair sales) vs. service-based repair operations.
| Repaired Item / Service Center Category | Hourly Repair (Bonus | Daily Total |
| | | )
| — | — | )
| Powerplant | – |
| Airframe | +5.5%
Key takeaways:
| Important Insights on Aircraft Mechanical Services | Rate |
| — | )
| More accurate hourly/ daily cost allocation | ≈ $
| Overage costs accounted for the variation | ≈ $
| Additional training opportunities for advancement | ≈ $ •|
| In-shop testing and Quality Control responsibilities increase with experience. | (Approximate numbers)
Understanding the importance of accurate tracking and job-site efficiency also helps streamline administrative tasks:
- For companies that keep track accurately,
- Efficient job performance affects bonus compensation.
This shift from pay-per-sweat system to modern efficient management structures can bridge performance gaps - Some small and even large-service facilities might continue to
When calculating labor costs:
Some service center operators track individual technicians’ and record daily or annual performance accurately,
In general, however,
The benefits of such labor-cost-efficient practices,
New trends encourage rethinking maintenance strategies using Data Analytics platforms, streamlining processes using, for example, ERP-software; this changes not only our understanding the total compensation ,
, and our understanding also encourages better</em,
Efficiency plays a huge role .
