Top 12 Aviation Technician Skills to Put on Your Resume

In an industry where precision and reliability rule the day, the skills you highlight can lift your resume above the noise. A focused, well-structured skills section signals technical depth, clear judgment, and an ability to keep pace with the rapid shifts in aircraft maintenance and repair.

Aviation Technician Skills

1. Avionics Troubleshooting
2. Hydraulic Systems
3. Aircraft Maintenance
4. Boeing 737
5. Airbus A320
6. Electrical Diagnostics
7. Composite Materials
8. Engine Repair
9. Fuel Systems
10. Pneumatics
11. Flight Controls
12. Safety Compliance

1. Avionics Troubleshooting

Avionics troubleshooting is the disciplined hunt for faults across an aircraft’s electronic systems—navigation, communication, surveillance, autoflight, displays, and data buses—using structured logic, manufacturer procedures, and diagnostic tools to restore performance and ensure safety.

Why It's Important

Because avionics knit the aircraft’s brain and senses together. Fast, accurate fault isolation keeps aircraft reliable, reduces deferred defects, and protects crews and passengers from cascading issues.

How to Improve Avionics Troubleshooting Skills

Build fundamentals, then layer in method and speed.

1. Master the basics: DC/AC theory, signal integrity, bonding/grounding, EMI/EMC. Know ARINC data buses (429, 629), CAN, and, on newer types, AFDX/Ethernet.
2. Use BITE first: Start with built‑in test results and central maintenance computers. Confirm with measurements, don’t chase every message at face value.
3. Work the manuals: Follow AMM, WDM, FIM, and IPC steps exactly. Log what you tried, what changed, and what didn’t.
4. Tool fluency: DMM, oscilloscope, TDR, insulation resistance tester, pitot‑static gear. Calibrated. Checked before you trust them.
5. Think like the system: Inputs, processing, outputs. Verify power, grounds, discretes, and connectors before swapping LRUs.
6. Document software: Track part numbers, mod status, and software loads. Configuration control prevents phantom faults.
7. Replicate safely: Intermittents demand vibration, temperature, and harness stress checks. Secure the fix with a clean retest.

How to Display Avionics Troubleshooting Skills on Your Resume

2. Hydraulic Systems

Aircraft hydraulics convert fluid pressure into serious work—landing gear swings, brake force, flaps, slats, spoilers, thrust reversers. High pressure, tight tolerances, unforgiving of contamination.

Why It's Important

Hydraulics deliver big power with precise control. Reliability here dictates dispatch rates and margin on critical phases of flight.

How to Improve Hydraulic Systems Skills

1. Cleanliness is king: Control contamination. Sample fluid, read particle counts, replace filters at dp limits, flush lines after component changes.
2. Fluids and seals: Use correct spec fluid. Verify seal compatibility. Temperature matters; manage heat soak and cold starts.
3. Accumulators: Check precharge accurately. Confirm leakdown within limits and system damping under dynamic loads.
4. Leak hunting: Inspect fittings, flex lines, and actuator glands under pressure. Fix, then retest with functional checks.
5. Rigging and timing: Landing gear, doors, and flight control actuators demand exact rig points and synchronization.
6. Trend and test: Record pump output, system pressures, and cycle times. Trending catches wear before failure.

How to Display Hydraulic Systems Skills on Your Resume

3. Aircraft Maintenance

Maintenance keeps aircraft airworthy through inspections, troubleshooting, repair, and verification. It’s planning plus precision—task cards, tooling, records, and returning the aircraft to service in full compliance.

Why It's Important

Good maintenance prevents small snags from becoming safety events. It protects schedules, equipment life, and the people on board.

How to Improve Aircraft Maintenance Skills

1. Follow the book: AMM, SRM, IPC, CMM, MEL/CDL coordination. Use current revisions. No shortcuts.
2. Preventive mindset: MSG‑3 logic, zonal inspections, reliability data. Fix root causes, not just symptoms.
3. Tool control: Calibrated instruments, torque traceability, FOD discipline, shadow boards, kit audits.
4. Digital MRO: Use maintenance systems for task tracking, parts control, and error‑proofing. Clear signoffs and photos where allowed.
5. Human factors: Manage fatigue, interruptions, and handovers. Solid shift turnover notes save rework.
6. Quality gates: Independent inspections on critical tasks, dual signatures where required, functional checks that prove the fix.

How to Display Aircraft Maintenance Skills on Your Resume

4. Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a narrow‑body twinjet family flown worldwide on short to medium routes. Multiple generations—Classic, Next‑Generation, and MAX—each with distinct systems, procedures, and maintenance nuances.

Why It's Important

It’s everywhere. Knowing its systems, variants, and documentation speeds troubleshooting, improves turn performance, and keeps fleets moving.

How to Improve Boeing 737 Skills

1. Know the variants: Classic vs NG vs MAX differences in avionics, engines, flight controls, and maintenance tasks.
2. Documentation fluency: Use AMM, WDM, SRM, IPC, and fault isolation manuals. Track service bulletins and airworthiness directives.
3. Powerplant specifics: CFM56 (NG) versus LEAP‑1B (MAX). Understand start logic, FADEC notes, and trend data.
4. Flight control details: PCUs, spoilers, feel and centering units, speedbrake logic, and rigging checks.
5. Use CMC/BITE: Pull faults, corroborate with sensor and wiring checks, and confirm with functional tests.
6. Turn time craft: Brake cooling, MEL coordination, deferred defect management, and quick, clean documentation.

How to Display Boeing 737 Skills on Your Resume

5. Airbus A320

The Airbus A320 family brings fly‑by‑wire controls, extensive BITE capability, and widespread global use. Older CEO models and newer NEO variants differ in engines and some systems behavior.

Why It's Important

Huge fleets, modern architecture, and deep diagnostics make A320 proficiency a career accelerator for technicians.

How to Improve Airbus A320 Skills

1. Fly‑by‑wire smarts: ELAC, SEC, FAC roles and control laws. Understand protections and how tests verify integrity.
2. Engines and variants: CFM56 or V2500 on CEO; LEAP‑1A or PW1100G on NEO. Know start, FADEC, and specific maintenance requirements.
3. CMC first: Use central maintenance system reports to guide fault isolation. Validate with manual procedures.
4. Electrical architecture: IDG/alternators, contactors, bus ties, and battery logic. Solid fundamentals cut downtime.
5. Cabin and ATA integration: Oxy, air conditioning/pressurization, water/waste, doors. Quick fixes need exact steps and post‑task checks.
6. Config control: Mods, software standards, and task cards aligned to the tail and standard configuration.

How to Display Airbus A320 Skills on Your Resume

6. Electrical Diagnostics

Electrical diagnostics means tracking faults from power source to load—verifying continuity, insulation, connectors, and logic—until the system behaves exactly as designed.

Why It's Important

Because most modern aircraft issues touch electricity somewhere. Accurate diagnosis prevents no‑fault‑found swaps and repeat defects.

How to Improve Electrical Diagnostics Skills

1. Read diagrams like a map: WDM, pinouts, splice locations, grounds, and routing. Know where the wire actually runs.
2. Measure, then decide: Voltage drop, resistance, insulation, and waveform checks before changing parts.
3. Harness care: Strain relief, bend radius, chafe points, shielding, and proper splices. EWIS discipline stops future failures.
4. Bonding and grounds: Verify low‑impedance bonds for lightning and EMI protection.
5. Repairs that last: Correct terminals, crimp profiles, heat‑shrink, and protection. Finish with a functional test and a visual re‑inspection.
6. Log the trail: Findings, readings, and corrective actions. The next tech (or you, next shift) will thank you.

How to Display Electrical Diagnostics Skills on Your Resume

7. Composite Materials

Composites combine fibers and resins for high strength with low weight. Great performance, different rules. Moisture, temperature, and impact damage must be handled with care and precision.

Why It's Important

Lighter structures mean better fuel burn and range. Composites resist corrosion but demand specific repair methods and inspection techniques.

How to Improve Composite Materials Skills

1. Repair by the book: SRM‑approved scarf repairs, ply orientation, adhesive selection, cure cycles, and post‑cure checks.
2. NDI savvy: Tap testing, ultrasonic inspection, thermography, and shearography as required to reveal hidden damage.
3. Environmental control: Temperature, humidity, surface prep, and clean rooms. Bad prep equals bad bonds.
4. Lay‑up discipline: Ply count, fiber direction, debulk timing, vacuum integrity, and bagging technique.
5. Protect and seal: UV and moisture barriers, lightning strike protection, edge sealing after trim or drill.
6. Documentation: Lot traceability of materials, shelf life, freezer logs, and certification numbers.

How to Display Composite Materials Skills on Your Resume

8. Engine Repair

Engine work spans inspections, borescope evaluations, line maintenance, and module changes—always within manuals and limits. Precision and cleanliness decide outcomes.

Why It's Important

Engines set the pace and the risk. Solid maintenance preserves performance and prevents inflight shutdowns.

How to Improve Engine Repair Skills

1. Type training: Deep knowledge of the specific engine model, FADEC logic, and limits.
2. Clean work: FOD control, tool discipline, gauging, and torque technique. Engine inlets don’t forgive debris.
3. Borescope fluency: Identify burner, HPT/LPT, and compressor defects accurately. Trend findings across cycles.
4. Oil and vibration trend: Chip detection, spectrometric oil analysis, and vibration signatures catch problems early.
5. Rig and adjust: Thrust reversers, variable stator vanes, and actuation checks. Finish with proper leak and performance tests.
6. Service bulletins and ADs: Stay current on required actions and recommended reliability improvements.

How to Display Engine Repair Skills on Your Resume

9. Fuel Systems

Fuel systems store, condition, and deliver fuel to the engines with the right pressure and flow. Tanks, pumps, valves, ejectors, lines, quantity probes, and controls all must play nicely together.

Why It's Important

Contamination or mismanagement here can end a flight before it starts—or much worse. Tight control keeps engines fed and safe.

How to Improve Fuel Systems Skills

1. Safety first: Bonding and grounding, vapor control, gas detection, and permit procedures before opening tanks.
2. Clean fuel: Routine sump checks, water detection, microbial monitoring, and correct filtration.
3. Component tests: Pump output, valve actuation, pressure and flow checks, crossfeed function, and leak checks.
4. Quantity accuracy: Calibrate capacitance probes and compensators. Verify after structural or wiring work.
5. Defuel/refuel discipline: Correct procedures, proper couplings, and post‑service leak and indication checks.
6. Records that matter: Track contamination events, tank entries, and corrective actions to spot trends.

How to Display Fuel Systems Skills on Your Resume

10. Pneumatics

Pneumatics in transport aircraft often mean bleed air and air management: engine/APU sources, pressure regulating, check valves, anti‑ice, pressurization, and air cycle machines.

Why It's Important

Pressurization, ice protection, and environmental control depend on it. Leaks or malfunctions ripple into performance and safety.

How to Improve Pneumatics Skills

1. Leak checks done right: Controlled pressure tests, temperature‑aware inspections, and repair validation.
2. Valve behavior: Understand regulators, PRSOVs, check valves, and modulating logic. Confirm movement and sealing.
3. Ducting and boots: Inspect for chafing, clamp condition, insulation integrity, and heat damage.
4. ACM and packs: Measure pack performance, monitor bearings and temperatures, and verify sensors and controllers.
5. System trends: Record pressures, temps, and flow deltas. Trends expose small leaks early.

How to Display Pneumatics Skills on Your Resume

11. Flight Controls

Primary and secondary controls—elevators, ailerons, rudder, flaps, slats, spoilers, and trims—are the aircraft’s muscles. Cable, rod, or fly‑by‑wire, they demand careful setup and verification.

Why It's Important

These systems shape every second of a flight. Errors here can be subtle on the ground and severe in the air.

How to Improve Flight Controls Skills

1. Rig to spec: Cable tensions, travel limits, feel and centering units, asymmetry protections. Use proper tools and temperature corrections.
2. Hydraulic discipline: Actuator leak checks, bypass rates, contamination control, and functional tests with loads applied.
3. FBW checks: Control law tests, sensor alignment, and surface position feedback verification.
4. Independent inspections: Critical areas get a second set of eyes. Record, sign, and verify.
5. Post‑work proof: Operational checks that mimic real use—full travel, rate checks, and annunciations.

How to Display Flight Controls Skills on Your Resume

12. Safety Compliance

Safety compliance means living inside the rules that keep aircraft airworthy—applying procedures, documenting clearly, and using systems that surface risk before it bites.

Why It's Important

It protects people, aircraft, and certificates. It also makes work repeatable and defensible when audits arrive.

How to Improve Safety Compliance Skills

1. Current procedures: Work from up‑to‑date manuals and policies. Out‑of‑date steps create errors.
2. SMS in action: Report hazards, analyze trends, and close the loop with corrective actions. No blame, all learning.
3. Checklists and controls: PPE, lockout/tagout, tool control, and hazardous material handling. Every time.
4. Audits as allies: Internal audits, spot checks, and corrective action tracking. Treat findings as free improvements.
5. Training rhythm: Recurrent human factors, EWIS, fuel tank safety, and type updates keep skills sharp.
6. Clear records: Accurate log entries, traceability for parts, and signatures that tell the story cleanly.

How to Display Safety Compliance Skills on Your Resume