Also called: Aircraft Part-Out Technician, Aircraft Disassembly Technician
Takes apart retired airliners in desert boneyards, removing engines and parts that will be inspected and sold for reuse.
In the Arizona desert you climb onto a retired jet parked in a row of hundreds. You remove landing gear, cockpit screens and seats, tag each part with its paperwork, and help lift off an engine worth millions.
Estimated; A&P holders earn more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.5 years after high school. High school plus on-the-job training; A&P helps for advancement.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Trade school, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Aviation Maintenance Technology.
Growing faster than average. Used parts demand grows as airlines retire older jets.
Low risk for 10 years. Tracking software handles paperwork, but taking jets apart stays hands-on.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to aircraft part-out and teardown companies as an entry technician; they train you
Classes: Shop, Physics, Business math.
Official data: O*NET occupation 49-3011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.