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Aviation Inspectors

$79.57K Median Salary 3.3K Job Openings (Annual Projection) 4.5% Job Growth

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About This Career

Inspect aircraft, maintenance procedures, air navigational aids, air traffic controls, and communications equipment to ensure conformance with Federal safety regulations.

Reported Job Titles

Aircraft Inspector, Aircraft Quality Control Inspector (Aircraft QC Inspector), Airworthiness Safety Inspector, Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI), Avionics Safety Inspector, Inspector, Manufacturing Aviation Safety Inspector (Manufacturing ASI), Quality Control Inspector (QC Inspector), Quality Inspector, RTS Inspector (Return to Service Inspector)

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Skills You'll Need

Click on skills to find related courses.

Abilities

Inductive Reasoning

Problem Sensitivity

Deductive Reasoning

Near Vision

Oral Comprehension

Oral Expression

Written Comprehension

Speech Clarity

Written Expression

Information Ordering

Speech Recognition

Far Vision

Perceptual Speed

Visualization

Category Flexibility

Flexibility of Closure

Selective Attention

Auditory Attention

Control Precision

Hearing Sensitivity

Visual Color Discrimination

Arm-Hand Steadiness

Fluency of Ideas

Manual Dexterity

Time Sharing

Knowledge

English Language

Mechanical

Public Safety and Security

Customer and Personal Service

Transportation

Education and Training

Production and Processing

Engineering and Technology

Mathematics

Administration and Management

Law and Government

Computers and Electronics

Design

Physics

Administrative

Telecommunications

Skills

Critical Thinking

Active Listening

Reading Comprehension

Speaking

Operations Monitoring

Quality Control Analysis

Writing

Complex Problem Solving

Monitoring

Judgment and Decision Making

Time Management

Troubleshooting

Active Learning

Operation and Control

Service Orientation

Social Perceptiveness

Systems Analysis

Technology Skills

Data base user interface and query software

Presentation software

Spreadsheet software

Electronic mail software

Graphics or photo imaging software

Document management software

Enterprise resource planning ERP software

Desktop publishing software

Office suite software

Word processing software

Computer aided design CAD software

Analytical or scientific software

Web platform development software

Industrial control software

Computer aided manufacturing CAM software

Tools

Eddy current examination equipment

Integrated maintenance information systems

Dial indicator or dial gauge

Wearable computing devices

Infrared imagers

Calipers

Pick or place robots

Liquid penetrant examination equipment

Pressure indicators

Notebook computers

Magnetic particle examination equipment

Magnifiers

Rulers

Ultrasonic examination equipment

Inspection mirror

Portable data input terminals

Interferometers

Borescope inspection equipment

Thread counters or gauges

Feeler gauges

Voltage or current meters

X ray radiography examination equipment

Coordinate measuring machines CMM

Ladders

Micrometers

Ohmmeters

Scaffolding

Tachometers

Torque wrenches

Protractors

Desktop computers

Personal computers

Oscilloscopes

Abilities

Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).

Knowledge

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Public Safety and Security: Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Transportation: Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Education and Training: Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Engineering and Technology: Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Law and Government: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Design: Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Physics: Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Administrative: Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Telecommunications: Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

Skills

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Technology Skills

Data base user interface and query software: Blackboard software; Database software; Microsoft Access; Yardi software
Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Electronic mail software: IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook
Graphics or photo imaging software: SmugMug Flickr
Document management software: Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat; Filing system software; Records management software; Transcription system software
Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne; Oracle PeopleSoft; Oracle PeopleSoft Financials; SAP software
Desktop publishing software: Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign; Microsoft Publisher
Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Word processing software: 3M Post-it App; Evernote; Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD; Autodesk Revit
Analytical or scientific software: Statistical analysis software; TapRooT
Web platform development software: Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Industrial control software: Industrial Scientific iNET; QuestSuite Professional
Computer aided manufacturing CAM software: 1CadCam Unigraphics; Geometric CAMWorks; Siemens NX

Tools

Eddy current examination equipment: Eddy current flaw detectors; Eddy current probes
Integrated maintenance information systems: Aircraft Technical Publishers ATP Maintenance Planner; Maintenance tracking software
Dial indicator or dial gauge: Dial indicators
Wearable computing devices: Wearable computers
Infrared imagers: Infrared analyzers
Calipers: Dial calipers; Digital calipers; Vernier calipers
Pick or place robots: Remote operated vehicles ROV
Liquid penetrant examination equipment: Penetrant flaw detectors
Pressure indicators: Pressure meters
Notebook computers: Laptop computers
Magnetic particle examination equipment: Magnetic particle inspectors
Magnifiers: Hand lenses
Rulers: Precision rulers; Steel rules
Ultrasonic examination equipment: Impact resonance devices; Sonic devices
Inspection mirror: Small mirror tools
Portable data input terminals: Data acquisition equipment; Data loggers
Interferometers: Holographic interferometers
Borescope inspection equipment: Video borescopes
Thread counters or gauges: Thread gauges
Feeler gauges: Angled feeler gauges
Voltage or current meters: Digital voltmeters DVM
X ray radiography examination equipment: Radiographic flaw detectors
Coordinate measuring machines CMM: Verisurf 3Dgage; Verisurf CMM Master
Ladders: Extension ladders
Micrometers:
Ohmmeters: Digital ohmmeters
Scaffolding:
Tachometers: Digital tachometers
Torque wrenches: Hydraulic torque wrenches
Protractors:
Desktop computers:
Personal computers:
Oscilloscopes: Sampling oscilloscopes

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