Top 12 Aviation Mechanic Skills to Put on Your Resume
In the competitive field of aviation maintenance, showcasing the right blend of skills on your resume can lift your chances of landing a role that fits like a glove. The list below unpacks 12 core skills aviation mechanics should highlight to show proficiency, judgment, and readiness for the ever-shifting demands of modern fleets.
Aviation Mechanic Skills
- Troubleshooting
- Avionics
- Hydraulics
- Pneumatics
- Composite Materials
- Welding
- Electrical Systems
- Engine Repair
- Aircraft Maintenance
- Safety Compliance
- Inspection Authorization
- Flight Control Systems
1. Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting is the disciplined hunt for faults in aircraft systems and components—confirming symptoms, isolating causes, validating fixes, and documenting the work so the next turn of the wrench is smarter.
Why It's Important
Faults left to linger grow teeth. Strong troubleshooting keeps aircraft reliable, protects lives, and curbs costly repeat write‑ups by getting to root causes instead of chasing shadows.
How to Improve Troubleshooting Skills
Deepen system knowledge: Know the architecture—power distribution, data buses, hydraulics, pneumatics, fuel, structures. Procedures stick when you understand the why.
Use a method: Define the problem, verify the complaint, isolate by subsystem, test one variable at a time, confirm the fix, and record the evidence. 5 Whys, fault trees, and logic flow charts help.
Leverage the books: Live in the AMM, FIM, WDM, SRM, IPC. Cross‑check effectivity, revision status, and torque/tolerances every time.
Measure don’t guess: Multimeters, TDR, oscilloscopes, pressure gauges, borescopes, vib analyzers—pick the right tool and capture data before and after.
Close the loop: Debrief with peers, note recurring snags, and feed lessons learned into shift turnover and reliability reports.
How to Display Troubleshooting Skills on Your Resume
2. Avionics
Avionics covers the aircraft’s electronic nervous system—communications, navigation, surveillance, indication, autoflight, and the data highways tying it all together.
Why It's Important
Modern aircraft rely on precise, clean signals and robust wiring practices. Avionics health directly shapes situational awareness, compliance, and dispatch reliability.
How to Improve Avionics Skills
Master standards and practices: Bonding/grounding, shielding, proper terminations, wire routing and lacing, and fault isolation per accepted guidance.
Know the buses: ARINC 429/629, CAN, Ethernet-based networks—understand message flow, termination, and failure modes.
Use the right instruments: TDR for wiring faults, oscilloscopes for signal integrity, pitot‑static testers for ADC checks, RF test sets for comm/nav.
Protect the hardware: ESD control, connector care, pin retention checks, and moisture control prevent gremlins before they start.
Stay current: Service bulletins, software loads, database cycles, MEL/CDL implications—track versions and effectivity with discipline.
How to Display Avionics Skills on Your Resume
3. Hydraulics
Hydraulics uses pressurized fluid to muscle heavy tasks: landing gear, brakes, slats/flaps, spoilers, thrust reversers, steering—often with redundant circuits and accumulators.
Why It's Important
These systems carry huge loads. Clean fluid, tight seals, and stable pressures keep control surfaces obedient and ground operations predictable.
How to Improve Hydraulics Skills
Maintain fluid integrity: Use the specified fluid, filter on schedule, sample for contamination, and avoid mixing types. Treat cleanliness like a religion.
Hunt leaks methodically: Inspect hose runs, unions, actuators, and pumps under operating pressure. Tag damp spots, trace upstream, verify with pressure decay or dye where approved.
Protect components: Cap and plug open lines, follow torque specs, and replace seals with correct materials and orientation.
Test with data: Record pressures, temps, and actuation times. Compare to limits to catch a weak pump or sticking valve before it strands an aircraft.
Upgrade when authorized: Where approved, replace legacy hoses or seals with improved materials that resist swelling, cold-soak shrink, and Skydrol attack.
How to Display Hydraulics Skills on Your Resume
4. Pneumatics
Pneumatics uses compressed air or bleed air for systems such as engine start, ice protection, pressurization, environmental control, some door mechanisms, and certain emergency backups.
Why It's Important
Stable air supply and leak‑free plumbing mean consistent pressurization, reliable de‑ice, and clean starts—comfort and safety rolled together.
How to Improve Pneumatics Skills
Chase leaks early: Verify pressures and flows, use approved leak‑detection methods, and scrutinize couplings, flex joints, and manifolds after thermal cycles.
Mind heat and wear: Inspect ducts and clamps near hot sections, replace heat‑brittled seals, and confirm insulation integrity.
Keep it dry and clean: Water and debris wreck valves. Drain moisture, service filters and moisture separators on schedule.
Validate control logic: Test regulators, PRSOVs, and check valves under operational conditions; confirm pack performance against limits.
Document configurations: Record valve positions, set points, and any temporary deferrals precisely to avoid pressurization surprises.
How to Display Pneumatics Skills on Your Resume
5. Composite Materials
Composites combine fibers and resin to deliver high strength with low weight and resistance to corrosion and fatigue. Think control surfaces, fairings, radomes, fuselage and wing structures on newer airframes.
Why It's Important
Lighter structures mean fuel savings and payload. Damage tolerance and corrosion resistance cut downtime—when repairs are done right.
How to Improve Composite Materials Skills
Diagnose precisely: Use approved NDI—tap tests, ultrasound, thermography—to map delam, disbonds, and core crush before committing to a repair.
Control the environment: Temperature, humidity, and cleanliness make or break bond quality. Verify cure profiles and vacuum integrity, log the numbers.
Follow the SRM to the letter: Ply orientation, scarf angles, core selection, resin systems—small deviations multiply into big weaknesses.
Protect yourself and the aircraft: Dust control, PPE for fibers, FOD prevention, and careful handling to avoid fiber breakage or moisture intrusion.
Finish and seal correctly: Post‑cure inspections, correct sanding techniques, primer/paint systems, and edge sealing to keep moisture out.
How to Display Composite Materials Skills on Your Resume
6. Welding
Welding joins metal components—aluminum, steel, titanium—using controlled heat and filler to produce strong, reliable structures and repairs where allowed.
Why It's Important
Structural integrity depends on clean joints and sound technique. Poor welds crack; good welds quietly carry the load.
How to Improve Welding Skills
Train on the alloys you’ll see: TIG for thin aluminum and titanium, precision control for chromoly—practice coupons that mirror the job.
Prep like it matters: Meticulous cleaning, proper fit‑up, correct filler selection, and tight heat control reduce distortion and porosity.
Qualify and re‑qualify: Maintain process qualifications and certifications; log parameters and keep gear calibrated.
Respect safety: Eye, skin, fume, and fire protection—plus post‑weld NDT where required to confirm soundness.
Document and trace: Record materials, settings, and inspection results so repairs are defensible and repeatable.
How to Display Welding Skills on Your Resume
7. Electrical Systems
Aircraft electrical systems include generation, conversion, storage, distribution, protection, and control—keeping lights on, instruments alive, and computers fed with stable power.
Why It's Important
No electrons, no avionics, no flight deck clarity. Healthy power systems prevent nuisance faults and keep MEL use from spiraling.
How to Improve Electrical Systems Skills
Inspect with intention: Look for chafing, heat discoloration, loose grounds, corrosion at connectors, and proper clamp spacing.
Measure the system: Load checks, ripple, phase balance, bus voltage stability, contactor drop tests—trend results across checks.
Protect the wiring: Correct wire gauge, proper splices and terminals, strain relief, and shielding terminations reduce intermittent faults.
Modernize when approved: Replace aging breakers or lighting with approved equivalents that cut load and heat.
Maintain documentation: Update schematics and configuration control after changes, and record findings clearly for the next tech.
How to Display Electrical Systems Skills on Your Resume
8. Engine Repair
Engine repair spans inspections, borescope evaluations, line maintenance, troubleshooting, and heavy work to keep turbines or pistons on spec and in service.
Why It's Important
Engines are the heartbeat. Reliable power means safe departures, safe diversions, and fewer late‑night callouts.
How to Improve Engine Repair Skills
Study the type: Each engine family has quirks—start limits, hot section sensitivities, vibration signatures. Know them cold.
Use condition data: Trend oil analysis, EGT margin, vibration, and borescope images to act before limits get nibbled away.
Follow manuals exactly: Torque values, stack‑ups, clearances, and run‑ups by the book. Shortcuts cost later.
Verify with tests: Rigging checks, power assurance runs, leak checks, and proper warm‑up/cool‑down routines safeguard hot section life.
Protect the intake and exhaust: FOD control, tool control, clean oiling practices, and precise filter servicing extend life meaningfully.
How to Display Engine Repair Skills on Your Resume
9. Aircraft Maintenance
Aircraft maintenance groups inspections, servicing, repairs, and modifications to keep the airframe and systems compliant, airworthy, and available.
Why It's Important
Safety and reliability ride on well‑planned maintenance. Good programs reduce AOG time and keep regulators comfortable.
How to Improve Aircraft Maintenance Skills
Invest in training: Keep current on new types, revised procedures, human factors, and emerging tooling.
Go predictive where possible: Use trend monitoring and reliability data to time work before failures bite schedules.
Tighten the workflow: Standardize task cards, kitting, tool control, and shift handovers to cut rework and delays.
Use a solid CMMS: Plan checks, track parts, log discrepancies, and maintain configuration control with disciplined data entry.
Build a safety culture: Encourage reporting, perform self‑audits, hold clear toolbox talks, and correct hazards without blame.
Audit and improve: Regular internal audits, findings tracked to closure, and lessons pushed across teams.
Equip the shop: Calibrated torque tools, up‑to‑date test sets, and model‑specific tooling save time and protect hardware.
How to Display Aircraft Maintenance Skills on Your Resume
10. Safety Compliance
Safety compliance means maintaining and releasing aircraft in line with governing regulations, approved data, and company procedures—documented, traceable, and auditable.
Why It's Important
Compliance isn’t paperwork; it’s protection. It guards passengers, crews, mechanics, and the certificate you work under.
How to Improve Safety Compliance Skills
Know the rules that apply: Company manuals, approved manuals, and relevant regulations for your operation and ratings. Keep revisions front of mind.
Use checklists relentlessly: Standard task cards and QA checks lower human error when the clock is loud.
Report and learn: Encourage voluntary reporting and near‑miss capture. Share outcomes so the same trap doesn’t catch the next person.
Calibrate and verify: Tool and gauge calibration on schedule, with usage logs and stickers that actually mean something.
Control the workspace: Housekeeping, PPE, lockout/tagout, and proper chemical handling keep small risks from compounding.
Document precisely: Clear discrepancies, references to approved data, and signatures that reflect the work performed—no ambiguity.
How to Display Safety Compliance Skills on Your Resume
11. Inspection Authorization
Inspection Authorization (IA) is an advanced qualification that permits a certificated mechanic to perform and approve for return to service annual inspections, and to approve major repairs and alterations after proper inspection and documentation.
Why It's Important
IA holders carry the authority—and responsibility—to make final calls on complex work. That oversight protects airworthiness and ensures the paperwork can stand any audit.
How to Improve Inspection Authorization Skills
Stay sharp on regulations: Revisit relevant parts and guidance regularly so interpretations don’t drift.
Attend renewal training: Seminars and workshops refresh knowledge and surface airworthiness trends and common findings.
Strengthen records review: Hone the ability to spot logbook gaps, configuration mismatches, and undocumented alterations.
Mentor and be mentored: Discuss tricky findings with other IAs to calibrate judgment and reduce variance.
Standardize inspections: Use detailed checklists and evidence photos, track snags to closure, and maintain a clean audit trail.
How to Display Inspection Authorization Skills on Your Resume
12. Flight Control Systems
Flight control systems—mechanical, hydraulic, or fly‑by‑wire—translate cockpit inputs into precise movement of ailerons, elevators, rudders, flaps, spoilers, and stabilizers.
Why It's Important
Predictable handling isn’t negotiable. Correct rigging, responsive actuators, and clean sensor data keep the aircraft honest in every phase of flight.
How to Improve Flight Control Systems Skills
Rig by the numbers: Use control locks, travel boards, and exact tolerances; verify free‑play and symmetry with care.
Validate hydraulics and actuators: Check pressures, leaks, and servo response; confirm autopilot servo clutches engage and release as specified.
Mind the sensors: Inspect transducers, feel units, and feedback mechanisms for alignment and calibration drift.
For fly‑by‑wire: Track software baselines, perform built‑in tests, and confirm redundancy paths; document configuration changes rigorously.
Protect cables and linkages: Lubricate where required, set correct tensions, and guard against chafing and corrosion in pulleys and quadrants.
How to Display Flight Control Systems Skills on Your Resume
