Top 12 Aircraft Mechanic Skills to Put on Your Resume

In aircraft maintenance, the right skills don’t just look good on paper—they keep metal flying and passengers safe. Hiring teams skim fast, so make each skill punch through the noise. The twelve below carry real weight on the hangar floor and in the logbook, showing depth, discipline, and an instinct for safety and efficiency.

Aircraft Mechanic Skills

1. Troubleshooting
2. Hydraulics
3. Avionics
4. Composite Materials
5. Welding
6. Pneumatics
7. Electrical Systems
8. Engine Repair
9. Sheet Metal Fabrication
10. Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
11. Flight Control Systems
12. Fuel Systems

1. Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting means isolating faults methodically, testing assumptions, confirming root cause, and restoring airworthiness without guesswork.

Why It's Important

It cuts downtime, prevents repeat defects, and protects safety margins when the clock and the flight schedule are both snarling.

How to Improve Troubleshooting Skills

1. Know the systems cold: Study maintenance manuals, wiring diagrams, and fault isolation procedures until the flows are second nature.
2. Prove the fault: Reproduce, monitor, and verify with data (BITE/CBIT, logs) before swapping parts.
3. Think simple first: Connectors, grounds, fuses, sensors—eliminate easy culprits early.
4. Use instruments well: Calibrate meters, pressure gauges, and test sets; understand their limits.
5. Record everything: Fault histories reveal patterns; good notes save the next shift.
6. Fight bias: Slow down, follow the logic tree, and avoid tunnel vision.
7. Safety above speed: Lockout/tagout, de-energize, depressurize, and protect yourself and the aircraft.

How to Display Troubleshooting Skills on Your Resume

2. Hydraulics

Hydraulic systems convert fluid pressure into muscle for flight controls, landing gear, brakes, spoilers, and thrust reversers.

Why It's Important

They move the big loads precisely. When hydraulics falter, airplanes don’t go anywhere.

How to Improve Hydraulics Skills

1. Guard cleanliness: Keep fittings capped, fluids filtered, and work areas immaculate—contamination kills components.
2. Use the right fluid: Only the specified type and mix; label and segregate to avoid cross-contamination.
3. Chase leaks smartly: Inspect with light, dye, and logic; verify torque and seal condition before replacing assemblies.
4. Set pressures correctly: Accumulator precharge, relief valve settings, and system pressures must match the manual.
5. Flush and bleed: After component changes, flush lines and remove air thoroughly.
6. Trend performance: Watch case-drain flow, temps, and pressure drop to catch slow failures early.
7. Train and refresh: New valves, PTUs, and actuators arrive with quirks—stay current.

How to Display Hydraulics Skills on Your Resume

3. Avionics

Avionics covers navigation, communication, flight management, surveillance, and the electronics that glue it all together.

Why It's Important

It’s the nerve network of modern aircraft—integrated, vigilant, unforgiving of sloppy maintenance.

How to Improve Avionics Skills

1. Control configuration: Manage software loads, options, and database currency with strict version control.
2. Wire like a pro: Proper routing, lacing, shielding, and strain relief; repair to spec, not to hope.
3. Grounding/bonding: Low-resistance bonds tame noise and protect from lightning/EMI headaches.
4. Use BITE data: Interrogate systems, pull logs, and let the diagnostics talk before you wrench.
5. Protect the hardware: ESD precautions always; handle LRUs and connectors gently.
6. Prove performance: Execute functional checks (pitot-static, transponder, nav/comm), document results, and close the loop.
7. Track changes: Service bulletins and updates land fast—capture, assess, comply.

How to Display Avionics Skills on Your Resume

4. Composite Materials

Composites blend fibers and resin to deliver high strength with low weight and solid corrosion resistance.

Why It's Important

Lighter structures burn less fuel and shrug off fatigue—until damage hides beneath the surface.

How to Improve Composite Materials Skills

1. Assess precisely: Map damage using approved methods (tap test, ultrasonic, thermography) before cutting anything.
2. Prep the surface: Clean, abrade, and control contamination; surface energy matters.
3. Layup discipline: Ply orientation, fiber continuity, and correct materials—no substitutions.
4. Control the cure: Temperature, pressure, time, and vacuum integrity drive repair quality.
5. Choose the right repair: Scarf, step, or bolted—match method to load paths and limits.
6. Protect the area: Keep FOD out, humidity stable, and heat blankets monitored.
7. Document fully: Traceability of materials, cure logs, and inspections protects the aircraft and you.

How to Display Composite Materials Skills on Your Resume

5. Welding

Welding joins metals with heat and filler to restore or fabricate approved parts and structures. In aviation, certification, procedure control, and inspection are the guardrails.

Why It's Important

Done right, it returns strength and geometry. Done wrong, it seeds cracks and invites failure.

How to Improve Welding Skills

1. Follow qualified procedures: WPS/PQR compliance, correct filler, correct gas, correct technique.
2. Master TIG: Precision on aluminum, stainless, and high-temp alloys demands steady TIG work.
3. Cleanliness rules: Perfect joint prep, oxide removal, and purge quality—especially on thin sections.
4. Control heat: Avoid distortion, respect interpass temps, and apply post-weld heat treatment when required.
5. Inspect relentlessly: Visual and dye penetrant at minimum; more when specified.
6. Maintain gear: Calibrate machines, check torches, replace consumables before they cause defects.

How to Display Welding Skills on Your Resume

6. Pneumatics

Pneumatics harness compressed air and bleed air for engine start, air conditioning/pressurization, de-ice boots, and some door or utility systems—more common on smaller or legacy types for brakes; less so on large transports.

Why It's Important

Leaks waste performance, heat, and money; failures ripple into starts, cabin comfort, and anti-ice capability.

How to Improve Pneumatics Skills

1. Hunt leaks: Listen, soap, temperature checks—verify upstream and downstream of regulators and check valves.
2. Mind the heat: Bleed-air ducts run hot and high pressure; inspect insulation, clamps, and supports for chafe.
3. Service moisture control: Separators, dryers, and filters keep corrosion and ice at bay.
4. Validate controls: Regulators, modulating valves, and sensors need calibration and function checks.
5. Protect lines: Correct torque, proper ferrules, and tidy routing prevent vibration damage.
6. Care for ACMs: Follow CMM guidance on air cycle machine inspections, balance, and cleanliness.
7. Work safely: Depressurize, cool down, and shield skin—bleed air will bite.

How to Display Pneumatics Skills on Your Resume

7. Electrical Systems

Aircraft electrical systems generate, regulate, and distribute power for avionics, lighting, instruments, controls, and countless auxiliaries.

Why It's Important

No power, no data, no dispatch. Reliable distribution keeps every other system honest.

How to Improve Electrical Systems Skills

1. Load and health checks: Verify bus loads, generator output, and battery capacity under real conditions.
2. Wire integrity: Inspect routing, chafe points, and insulation; repair to spec with proper splices and strain relief.
3. Bonding first: Low-resistance bonding and grounding curb nuisance faults and protect from lightning.
4. Connector care: Clean, pin-check, re-terminate damaged contacts, and seal where required.
5. Right tools, right tests: Use calibrated meters and insulation testers; confirm breaker/fuse coordination.
6. Upgrade thoughtfully: LEDs and solid-state replacements reduce load and maintenance—when approved and documented.
7. Document changes: Keep schematics, pinouts, and effectivity notes current.

How to Display Electrical Systems Skills on Your Resume

8. Engine Repair

Engine repair spans inspection, troubleshooting, and restoration of powerplants and their controls to meet strict performance limits.

Why It's Important

Engines set the pace for reliability, fuel burn, and dispatch. Miss a trend, and costs spike.

How to Improve Engine Repair Skills

1. Follow the data: Trend EGT, vibration, oil consumption, and borescope findings—act before limits are breached.
2. Protect from FOD: Tool control, intake/exhaust covers, and disciplined housekeeping are non-negotiable.
3. Use the right tools: Calibrated torque, rigging fixtures, timing tools, and test equipment per the manual.
4. Inspect smartly: Hot-section checks, filter tear-downs, chip detector reviews—small clues, big saves.
5. Run and verify: Post-maintenance runs with stabilized parameters and leak checks; document thoroughly.
6. Stay current: Service bulletins, airworthiness directives, and updated procedures change the playbook.

How to Display Engine Repair Skills on Your Resume

9. Sheet Metal Fabrication

Cutting, forming, and fastening sheet stock to restore structure and skin, to tight tolerances and stricter rules.

Why It's Important

Geometry, strength, and aerodynamics hinge on fit and finish. Sloppy work shows—and cracks.

How to Improve Sheet Metal Fabrication Skills

1. Measure like a hawk: Edge distance, pitch, and countersink depths matter; templates and jigs keep you honest.
2. Choose the right alloy: Match alloy, temper, and thickness; heat treat when required.
3. Prep edges: Deburr, radius, and cold-work holes to fight fatigue.
4. Fastener fidelity: Solid or blind, correct grip and head style; set rivets cleanly and consistently.
5. Seal and protect: Corrosion prevention, primer, and sealant where the drawing says so—no shortcuts.
6. Control distortion: Sequence drilling and fastening to preserve contour and load paths.
7. QA at each step: In-process inspections catch the gremlins early.

How to Display Sheet Metal Fabrication Skills on Your Resume

10. Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)

NDT reveals hidden flaws—without harming the part—using methods like eddy current, ultrasonic, radiography, and penetrant.

Why It's Important

It protects structural integrity, extends service life, and keeps maintenance targeted instead of blind.

How to Improve Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Skills

1. Maintain certification: Keep training, eye exams, and method proficiency fresh.
2. Calibrate and verify: Standards, probes, films, and equipment need routine checks.
3. Prep properly: Clean, strip, and condition surfaces as the technique requires.
4. Choose the right tool: Match method and frequency to the defect type and material.
5. Record with rigor: Clear indications, traceable results, and solid interpretations prevent disputes.
6. Respect safety: Radiation controls, PPE, and controlled areas—no compromises.

How to Display Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Skills on Your Resume

11. Flight Control Systems

Primary controls (ailerons, elevator, rudder) and secondary controls (flaps, slats, spoilers, trim) driven by cables, hydraulics, or fly‑by‑wire electronics.

Why It's Important

They keep the aircraft stable, responsive, and safe through every phase of flight. Any mis-rig or leak can turn nasty fast.

How to Improve Flight Control Systems Skills

1. Rig precisely: Cable tension, travel limits, and neutral positions per spec—no “close enough.”
2. Validate actuators: PCUs/servos need leak checks, case-drain monitoring, and performance tests.
3. Balance and feel: Control surface balance, feel/trim systems, and gust locks must be verified.
4. FBW discipline: Software baselines, sensor calibration, and fault monitoring demand clean documentation.
5. Inspect linkages: Bearings, rods, pulleys, and quadrants wear quietly; catch it early.
6. Full and free checks: After maintenance, sweep controls, verify directions, and sign only when satisfied.

How to Display Flight Control Systems Skills on Your Resume

12. Fuel Systems

From tanks to engines: pumps, valves, lines, vents, probes, and controls that store, manage, and feed fuel safely.

Why It's Important

Contamination, leaks, and mismanagement can ground fleets—or worse. Clean systems save fuel and headaches.

How to Improve Fuel Systems Skills

1. Respect hazards: Bond, ground, ventilate, and follow confined-space rules before tank entry.
2. Control contamination: Drain sumps, test for water and microbes, and change filters on evidence, not hope.
3. Verify components: Boost pumps, selectors, check valves, and quantity systems need periodic functional checks and calibration.
4. Seal it right: Use approved sealants, cure correctly, and inspect for weeps after return to service.
5. Chase leaks methodically: Pressure tests, sniffers, and clean surfaces turn vague stains into exact sources.
6. Document upgrades: Approved parts and mods only; record effectivity and weights.

How to Display Fuel Systems Skills on Your Resume