Top 12 Aviation Maintenance Technician Skills to Put on Your Resume
In aviation maintenance, the blend of sharp technical skill and steady judgment isn’t optional—it’s survival gear. Hiring managers look for proof you can diagnose fast, fix clean, and document what matters. Below are the twelve skills that tend to separate strong Aviation Maintenance Technicians from the rest—and how to sharpen them.
Aviation Maintenance Technician Skills
- Troubleshooting
- Avionics
- Hydraulics
- Pneumatics
- Composite Materials
- Welding
- Electrical Systems
- Engine Repair
- Aircraft Systems
- Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
- Flight Control Systems
- Boeing 787 (or specific aircraft type expertise)
1. Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting is the disciplined hunt for a fault’s root cause—isolating symptoms, testing hypotheses, and validating fixes using approved data and procedures—so the aircraft returns to service safely and reliably.
Why It's Important
Good troubleshooting shrinks downtime, prevents repeat write-ups, and—most importantly—catches the issue behind the issue before it snowballs into something unsafe.
How to Improve Troubleshooting Skills
Work the manuals, not your memory: AMM, FIM, WDM, IPC, MEL/CDL. Follow the tree, record results, verify the fault clears.
Build system intuition: know normal behavior for pressures, temps, voltages, message logic. Abnormal jumps out when you know baseline.
Use the data: CMC/electronic logs, fault histories, trend data, and post-fix function checks to confirm cause and effect.
One change at a time: control variables so you know what actually solved the problem.
Replicate, then resolve: recreate conditions (power state, phase of flight, ambient) to catch intermittent faults.
Tool smart: multimeters, breakout boxes, pressure gauges, borescopes—calibrated and used with intent.
Close the loop: document findings clearly so the next tech doesn’t start from zero.
How to Display Troubleshooting Skills on Your Resume
2. Avionics
Avionics covers the aircraft’s electronic backbone—navigation, communication, surveillance, flight displays, auto-flight, and the networks that tie it all together.
Why It's Important
It’s the information layer pilots rely on. If avionics misbehave, situational awareness erodes and margins shrink.
How to Improve Avionics Skills
Stay current on software loads, bulletins, and configuration control. Version discipline prevents ghost faults.
Practice clean wiring work: EWIS awareness, proper terminations, strain relief, shielding, and bonding.
Bench-test when possible; confirm LRUs meet spec before reinstall. Trust, but verify.
Understand data buses (ARINC, CAN, Ethernet) and failure modes: when a single node drags a network down, you’ll know where to look.
Document fault codes precisely, including conditions and timestamps. That breadcrumb trail saves hours later.
Perform robust operational checks post-fix—signal quality, interference checks, and end-to-end function tests.
How to Display Avionics Skills on Your Resume
3. Hydraulics
Hydraulics use pressurized fluid to power critical systems: landing gear, brakes, thrust reversers, spoilers, flaps, and more.
Why It's Important
These systems move big loads with precision. If pressure drops or contamination creeps in, control and stopping power suffer.
How to Improve Hydraulics Skills
Chase leaks early: fittings, flex lines, actuators, quick-disconnects. Dye, UV, and clean wipe checks help.
Guard cleanliness: use correct fluids (e.g., phosphate-ester vs mineral), filter changes on time, caps and plugs every time.
Sample and analyze fluid; watch for particulates, moisture, and discoloration. Trends tell a story.
Flush after major component changes or contamination events; verify system stability and temps under load.
Test accumulators and relief valves; confirm precharge and pressure settings to spec.
Inspect for chafing and heat damage; protect lines with proper clamps and routing.
How to Display Hydraulics Skills on Your Resume
4. Pneumatics
Pneumatics in aircraft generally involve compressed air or bleed-air systems used for engine start, ice protection, pressurization, and air conditioning on many platforms.
Why It's Important
Stable air supply keeps cabins breathable, windows clear, and engines spooling when needed. Any leak or overheat can snowball fast.
How to Improve Pneumatics Skills
Leak-check diligently—manifolds, ducts, couplings, and boots. Pressure decay tests expose small problems early.
Keep water out: service moisture separators and drains; monitor desiccant where installed.
Inspect ducts for wear, hot spots, and clamp damage; torque and align per spec to avoid chafing.
Function-test valves, regulators, and pressure switches; confirm response under actual operating conditions.
Use correct tooling and procedures for external air carts and engine starts; poor hookups cause expensive surprises.
Mind temp limits near heat exchangers and precoolers; overheating air ruins components quickly.
How to Display Pneumatics Skills on Your Resume
5. Composite Materials
Composites combine fibers (like carbon or aramid) with a resin matrix to deliver high strength with low weight and excellent fatigue and corrosion resistance.
Why It's Important
They’re everywhere now—skins, control surfaces, fairings, primary structure on newer types. They demand different inspection and repair mindsets than metal.
How to Improve Composite Materials Skills
Diagnose damage properly: visual, tap tests, and approved NDT methods to distinguish surface scuffs from subsurface delamination.
Repair with discipline: ply orientation, scarf ratios, adhesive selection, and cure cycles exactly as the SRM prescribes.
Master vacuum bagging: leaks, bridges, bleeder/breather placement, thermocouple positioning—details make or break cures.
Control the environment: temperature, humidity, freezer storage for pre-preg, and out-time tracking.
Protect yourself and the aircraft: dust management, PPE, FOD control, and careful handling to avoid fiber damage.
How to Display Composite Materials Skills on Your Resume
6. Welding
Welding in aviation maintenance typically involves high-precision processes like TIG (GTAW) for approved repairs and fabrication per controlled procedures.
Why It's Important
Sound welds restore strength and longevity. Poor heat control or contamination, though, can invite cracking or corrosion.
How to Improve Welding Skills
Know your metals: aluminum, titanium, stainless—how they conduct heat, distort, and respond to filler selection.
Prep like a pro: exact fit-up, clean surfaces, proper purge for reactive alloys, and tight control of parameters.
Practice on coupons that mirror the job: thickness, joint type, and position. Consistency breeds confidence.
Use approved procedures and record keeping: WPS, PQR, and welder qualifications up to date.
Inspect results: visual plus NDT where required (e.g., penetrant). Fix defects before they fly.
How to Display Welding Skills on Your Resume
7. Electrical Systems
The aircraft electrical system generates, conditions, distributes, and protects power—AC, DC, and the control logic that orchestrates it all.
Why It's Important
If power is dirty or unstable, avionics glitch, pumps stall, and protections misfire. Reliability here echoes everywhere.
How to Improve Electrical Systems Skills
Inspect methodically: connectors, bonding, grounds, routing, and chafe points. Small arcs leave big clues.
Respect EWIS standards: proper wire types, terminations, shielding, and separation from fluids and structure.
Use the right diagnostics: load banks, insulation resistance tests, and power quality checks.
Keep software and configuration data controlled. The wrong load can mimic a hardware fault.
Verify changes under load: generators online, busses cross-tied, emergency configurations tested safely.
How to Display Electrical Systems Skills on Your Resume
8. Engine Repair
Engine repair spans troubleshooting, maintenance, and overhaul tasks across turboshaft, turboprop, and turbofan engines—always by the book and with tight tooling control.
Why It's Important
Engines convert fuel into thrust and heat. Treat them right and they run smooth for thousands of hours; ignore early signs and they bite back.
How to Improve Engine Repair Skills
Live in the manuals: EM/AMM, SBs, ADs, and IPC. Procedures first, shortcuts never.
Use borescopes and vibration analysis to catch hot-section wear, FOD, imbalance, and seal issues early.
Track performance: EGT margin, fuel flow, N1/N2 speeds, oil health. Trend shifts point to looming work.
Execute torque, timing, and rigging precisely; mistakes here echo as chronic faults.
Control tools and parts: calibration current, parts traceable, no commingling hardware.
Perform disciplined post-maintenance runs with limits, monitoring, and clean documentation.
How to Display Engine Repair Skills on Your Resume
9. Aircraft Systems
From ATA 21 to 80 and beyond—environmental, fuel, landing gear, ice and rain, lights, oxygen, fire protection—aircraft systems interlock to keep flight routine.
Why It's Important
Understanding interactions prevents tunnel vision. Fix one system, and you might disturb another if you’re not watching interfaces.
How to Improve Aircraft Systems Skills
Study system schematics and logic tables until flows make sense without the legend.
Run preventive maintenance like clockwork—filters, lubes, function checks—so failures don’t get a head start.
Use reliability data to prioritize work and spot recurring defects before they become write-up magnets.
Collaborate with flight crews: symptom details (phase of flight, temps, messages) guide efficient diagnosis.
Document with clarity—configurations, tests, results. Traceability saves future nights.
How to Display Aircraft Systems Skills on Your Resume
10. Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
NDT is the toolkit for finding flaws without harming the part—ultrasonic, eddy current, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, radiography, and more.
Why It's Important
Hidden cracks, disbonds, and corrosion don’t announce themselves. NDT does.
How to Improve Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Skills
Pursue proper qualification and currency (e.g., Level I/II/III) in the methods you perform.
Follow approved technique sheets and use calibrated standards; lighting, dwell times, and surface prep matter.
Know where defects like to hide—fastener holes, blend transitions, stress concentrations, lap joints.
Interpret results conservatively, confirm with secondary methods when in doubt, and record with traceable detail.
Protect safety: radiation controls, chemical handling, PPE, and area isolation when required.
How to Display Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Skills on Your Resume
11. Flight Control Systems
Primary and secondary controls—mechanical, hydraulic, or fly-by-wire—govern pitch, roll, yaw, and trim. Precision here is non-negotiable.
Why It's Important
Rigging errors or latent faults in control paths can turn benign flights into emergencies. Redundancy only helps when each channel is right.
How to Improve Flight Control Systems Skills
Rig by the numbers: travel limits, neutral positions, and cable tensions verified with calibrated tools.
Check free play and backlash; excessive slop today becomes flutter risk tomorrow.
Function-test PCUs/servos and bypass valves; confirm smooth, leak-free operation across the range.
On FBW systems, verify software/config status, perform control law tests, and run full post-maintenance BITs.
Confirm gust locks, trim systems, and feel units behave as designed under power and in standby modes.
How to Display Flight Control Systems Skills on Your Resume
12. Boeing 787 (or specific aircraft type expertise)
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range, composite-intensive, more-electric twinjet. Its architecture leans heavily on high-voltage electrical power and advanced systems, with engines commonly including the GEnx and Trent 1000 families.
Why It's Important
Type-specific knowledge matters. The 787’s materials, electrical distribution, and maintenance philosophy differ markedly from older bleed-air designs.
How to Improve Boeing 787 (or specific aircraft type expertise) Skills
Train on the platform: electrical generation and distribution (variable frequency AC, high-voltage DC), system controls, and safety protocols.
Master composite SRM repairs and inspection techniques appropriate for primary structure.
Stay current on engine fleet messages, service bulletins, and reliability trends for GEnx/Trent variants.
Manage batteries and power electronics with respect for limits and monitoring—handle with the right test equipment and procedures.
Use CMC data and maintenance test panels to validate fixes; confirm software/config alignment after any replacement.
Refine turnaround efficiency with coordinated task cards, kitting, and configuration control to protect dispatch reliability.
How to Display Boeing 787 (or specific aircraft type expertise) Skills on Your Resume
