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Boston Career Explorer

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul aircraft engines and assemblies, such as hydraulic and pneumatic systems.

Also called: Aircraft Maintainer, Aircraft Maintenance Technician (Aircraft Maintenance Tech), Aircraft Mechanic, Aircraft Restorer, Aircraft Service Technician (Aircraft Service Tech), Aircraft Technician (Aircraft Tech)

Compare with my current job (Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$93,280
$44.84/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
1,220
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+6.5%
130 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Postsecondary nondegree award

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$74,890$83,090$93,280$99,290$133,400

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Inspect completed work to certify that maintenance meets standards and that aircraft are ready for operation.
  • Read and interpret maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and other specifications to determine the feasibility and method of repairing or replacing malfunctioning or damaged components.
  • Maintain repair logs, documenting all preventive and corrective aircraft maintenance.
  • 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.
  • Replace or repair worn, defective, or damaged components, using hand tools, gauges, and testing equipment.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure22 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 28
  • Language-model AIOE 24
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 15

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with searching maintenance manuals and writing repair logs. Inspecting parts for cracks and leaks, doing the repairs, and signing off that an aircraft is ready all depend on trained people.

Likely to change

  • Searching manuals and service bulletins
  • Writing and organizing repair logs

Still relies on people

  • Hands-on inspection of landing gear and hydraulics
  • Certifying that work meets standards

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door

    You already record repairs and fix mechanical parts. This job has a $95,520 Boston median and moderate-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$2,240 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
    +4.8%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

    Your inspecting, testing, and record-keeping skills carry over. Median pay in Boston is $103,090, with long-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$9,810 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
    +0.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

    Your careful, code-based repair work carries over to pipe installation and repair. It offers a $96,760 Boston median through an apprenticeship.

    Pay difference
    +$3,480 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
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    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

2 programs near Boston

Related occupations

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