HomeAirline CareerStruggles faced by Aircraft Maintenance Engineers - 2022

Struggles faced by Aircraft Maintenance Engineers – 2022

Before knowing the struggles faced by the aircraft maintenance engineers, it is important to know who aircraft maintenance engineers are what they do.

Albeit the airplane is built with the most advanced materials, they have a natural lifespan that will inevitably need to be repaired and replaced.

The lifespan also depends on various stresses the airplane faces.  In fact, the airplane is always subjected to stresses due to environmental factors (weather, heavy turbulence, pressure forces on airframe), design limitations (structural weak points), deterioration of materials (corrosion) and human errors (contact with physical objects, hard landing). These stresses invite risks that could even prove fatal. Therefore, one must make sure the airplane is always in top working condition.

In the aviation industry, the state of an aircraft or in other words, whether the aircraft is fit to fly is measured by airworthiness.

The certification of an aircrafts’ airworthiness is done by Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. To put it in a different way, he or she is responsible for the physical safety of an aircraft. Many lives are at stake -from pilots, cabin crew to passengers and the general public.

Duties of an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer:

Along with the certification, his/her main duties include:

  1. Dismantling, inspecting testing and reassembling various aircraft parts, components and avionic systems.
  2. Record maintenance data.
  3. To know and perform the safety procedures in case of emergencies.
  4. To know and perform security procedures.
  5. To comply with the protocols put forward by the civil aviation regulatory and operating system of the respective country.

Maintenace work is divided according to where and when the work is carried out. They include line, base and shop.

Line: it refers to the maintenance work carried out when the aircraft is in service. This includes daily checks and interval checks.

Base: it refers to the maintenance work carried out when the aircraft is brought to the hangar. This includes painting, anti-corrosion, engine changes and other modifications in the aircraft.

Shop: it refers to the maintenance work carried out on the parts that have been removed from the aircraft. This includes avionic systems, component systems, etc.

Skills of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers:

To handle these responsibilities, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers are expected to have certain skills:

  • A tiny damage in the aircraft could prove to be fatal. Therefore, an Aircraft Maintenance engineer is expected to be a good observer and have a close attention to detail.
  • Issues pertaining to aircraft is unpredictable and can arise at any point of time. Hence, an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer is expected to be flexible.
  • An Aircraft Maintenace Engineer is expected to interact with different people and should have the ability to explain the problems eloquently. Miscommuincation can lead to problems. Therefore, an Aircraft Maintenace Engineer is expected to have good communication skills.
  • When there is an issue pertaining to aircraft, an Aircraft Maintenace Engineer is expected to get to the root of the issue. Hence, he/she is expected to be a good problem solver.

Pros and Cons of being Aircraft Maintenance Engineers:

If you are an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer for a particular airline, you get free tickets from that airline and subsidized tickets from their network airlines. You also have quite a decent salary and the opportunity to see new airports and aircraft. In other words, if you love aviation and machines, then this job is for you.

However, you need to work 6 days a week, thereby taking away your work-life balance. There are other challenges especially when it comes to seeking a job which is mentioned below.

Challenges faced by Aircraft Maintenace Engineers:

Considering the duties the aircraft maintenance engineers perform, they are beyond essential. However, like many other professions in the aviation industry, they face challenges when it comes to seeking a job. Some of the challenges are due to:

Aircraft Maintenace Engineer course is not a degree:

Aircraft Maintenace Engineering course is neither a degree nor a diploma, it is just a certification course. Therefore, there is no progression in the educational profile. This limits the opportunity to grow.

However, the government is taking baby steps in favour by introducing hybrid programs. Furthermore, the institutions such as AME CET and Hindustan Academy have introduced a degree program pertaining to Aviation Maintenance Engineering

Less Demand:

Considering the high number of aircraft maintenance engineers in the country, the airlines and MROs are quite less. In other words, there is less demand and more supply. Therefore, there are limited openings and high competition among aircraft maintenance engineers.

However, to survive this intense competition, it is advisable to make your profile stand out.

Beyond Qualification:

Due to high competition, the airlines and MROs look for candidates beyond the basic qualification. This makes it difficult for the freshers when it comes to seeking a relevant job.

It is recommended to get a degree related to aviation or any other one in order to diversify your options. For instance, if you have an Aircraft Maintenance Engineering license, you only get yourself in the aviation industry without any progression of your career. 

Experienced Candidates:

Due to high competition, the airlines and MROs look for experienced candidates. Therefore, it makes it difficult for a fresh Aircraft Maintenace engineer to seek a relevant entry-level job.

In order to gain experience, the candidates are advised to look for internships pertaining to Aircraft Maintenace Engineering.  

Ignorance:

Many candidates are not aware of the vacancies. Therefore, miss the opportunity. It is wise to keep an eye on the websites of the company one wish to apply for.

AeroNefs is an authentic website for aviation job seekers. We regularly post verified jobs so that candidates don’t fall victim of the scam.

Bright Future:

Despite the struggles, as per AMECET.in, the world requires 7,54,000 licensed AME. Furthermore, the UDAN scheme launched in 2016 is going to give the aviation industry boost, thereby favouring the Aviation Maintenance Engineers.

Boeing and Airbus are setting up their MRO organisation in various Indian states, thereby creating thousands of jobs for Aviation Maintenance Engineers. Also, the growth rate of passengers is approximately 25% requiring the need for new airplanes, thereby need of more Aircraft Maintenace Engineers.

Bottom Line:

Though this field is quite challenging, with the right approach and guidance, one can totally be successful in this part of the aviation industry. So, if you love machines and aviation, do not be afraid to get into this field.

Rohan Dominichttps://lyfeclue.com/
Rohan is a computer engineer and an aspiring pilot. Having worked with a myriad of start-up aviation companies, he has a wealth of experience in the aviation industry — whether it being a web developer intern to being a blogger for aviation companies. In addition to his background in aviation, he is also passionate about content writing. Outside of AERONEFS, he owns a personality development website and is a Chief Executive Editor for a London-based aviation media company. Aside from aviation and writing, he also has an affinity to travel. As a matter of fact, he has a dream to become a pilot, travel the world, help people and write about his journey.
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2 COMMENTS

  1. A fresher AME with Bsc.Aeronatical engineering wish to apply for the post of Junior technician etc.in a reputed airlines.
    Please uptade when job vaccancy arises.

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