Finding a Maintenance Job Beyond an Airline

Though being an airline mechanic certainly has its perks, not everyone fits well into the lifestyle. Many people seek out jobs at flight schools, with corporate flight departments, or in management to put their skills to good use.

Airlines do provide great perks and pay to their mechanics. There are, though, a number of reasons that a mechanic may choose to work elsewhere.

Most notably, airlines require mechanics to work at a specific maintenance base. So they need to live on base or commute, which not all mechanics want to do.

Airlines also often have their mechanics work exclusively on one component, such as engines or landing gear. Many mechanics prefer to work on aircraft more holistically and enjoy exploring various parts of different aircraft.

In addition, many mechanics work at flight schools in order to take advantage of discounts on flight training and access to instructors. Being in close contact with flight training professionals provides additional benefits, such as having free range to ask questions and access resources.

Other mechanics choose to work with private operators. These operators often pay their mechanics to fly around the country and the world with the aircraft to be ready in case maintenance problems arise at outstations. This gives mechanics terrific access to new places that they wouldn’t otherwise see.

Mechanics can find jobs away from the airlines in the same way that pilots can.

By spending time in FBOs, mechanics have easy access to flight schools and transient pilots with whom they can network. Finding big organizations and operators is a great way to start your search, but there are also smaller flight schools and mechanic shops that are looking for mechanics.

In particular, mechanic hopefuls can seek out companies that have maintenance apprentice programs. These programs provide practical experience that count towards a mechanic certificate while giving practical experience working on aircraft, and they can provide great experience working in the actual environment that a mechanic wants to start their career in.

Established mechanic schools often have partnerships with flight schools, charter operators, and airlines alike that offer students positions right out of training. These schools are great ways to get in front of hiring managers at specific companies even before finishing training to make the transition into the workforce seamless. Some schools even offer training scholarships to help new apprentices kickstart their training.

Many hiring fairs also host areas for mechanics. The biggest hiring fairs in the country often rent out conference rooms and convention centers to invite dozens or hundreds of companies to meet with prospective applicants. If no maintenance staff is on site, applicants can still use the events to discover the most efficient outlets for contacting potential employers.

While many mechanics choose to work for flight schools or private companies, some work for the military or other sectors of the government.

The armed forces require a significant number of mechanics to work on a wide variety of aircraft from multiengine transports to fighter jets to rotorcraft. Military mechanics can be stationed in a wide variety of places, opening the possibility they work in unique conditions with special challenges.

Working for the military gives mechanics greater opportunities when transitioning into the civilian world. Military experience is often considered especially beneficial and can provide great benefits over new mechanics right out of civilian training programs.

Many aircraft manufacturers also employ in-house mechanics to build airplanes and fix discrepancies found during test flights. This job is uniquely tailored to mechanics who want to gain special expertise in a particular type of aircraft. Manufacturers also maintain service stations throughout the country for owners to fly their planes to for regular inspections and unscheduled maintenance.

Some mechanics choose to open their own maintenance shops to provide services to the general public.

These shops usually specialize in one type of maintenance—such as avionics work—or in a particular type of aircraft. One shop, for example, may be particularly well known for repairing specific lines of Cessna, Piper, or Beechcraft airplanes and bring a higher level of expertise to the table.

Still other mechanics provide freelance services and do regular inspections for a variety of aircraft. These mechanics have the benefit of setting their own schedules and picking the projects they want to work on instead of responding to supervisors.

Becoming a mechanic is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, and it provides great benefits. Though airlines are among the most visible aspects of aviation, there are plenty of mechanic jobs apart from the airlines on the market that not only appeal to a wider range of people but also provide great benefit in their own right.

If maintenance is a path to becoming a pilot, see the world, run a business, or simply enjoy being around airplanes, there are plenty of ways to grow a career in maintenance in your own way.