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Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Good Aircraft Mechanic?

So you want to be an aircraft mechanic; this idea has been in your mind for many years now. And you can imagine the prestige and salary that you’ll someday soon once you get that job.

But before you go further into that dreamland. Ask yourself this question: Do you have the basic skills to be a good one?

Of course, everyone is qualified to be an aircraft mechanic, given that they’ll willing and invested in the job. However, you still can’t deny that people with certain characteristic tend to be good at a certain job.

Knowing all the ins and outs of aircraft engine maintenance is crucial, of course, but there are many other personal qualities and traits that can also help you to be a success in aviation.
 

Can you spot the difference between two seemingly similar pictures?

We cannot stress enough how very important being detail oriented is for an aircraft mechanic. Not checking every part of the aircraft before giving it a go signal can lead to a disaster that may have been prevented if only the mechanic has double-checked everything.

Just imagine the guilt of being accountable to the lives of the passengers and the embarrassment you’ll bring to the entire airline company – and even the whole country of the flight was international. So important, right?

Being an excellent mechanic means checking the way the aircraft sounds, moves, and performs. You have to detect even the smallest change in the machine. Simply scanning the picture without spotting a difference is a big no no, so to speak.
 

Can you articulately say what you have in mind?

Technical professionals often get a bad rap in verbalizing their ideas. One of the reasons is because they often think in a very structured way. Expressing their ideas in a way that other people could understand is almost impossible – unless the person he/she’s talking to is also immersed in the same field or topic they have in mind.

But the difficulty of expressing technical ideas shouldn’t be an excuse for a bad work performance. To be a good aircraft mechanic, you have to be able to speak and write clearly, especially when it comes to documenting maintenance routine.

Can you cooperate with varying kinds of personalities?
If you haven’t seen one closely, an aircraft can be a colossal machine; and it’s impossible for a single person to check, maintain, and repair something as big as that – all at once!

There are many people working behind the scenes to make this machine functional. There’s the pilot, the flight attendant, the engineer, the dispatcher and of course, the mechanic, among others. And keeping this functioning at its best level is going to need the cooperation of these people.

This is the reason why proper cooperation and collaboration is one of the basic traits of becoming an aircraft mechanic. Being pleasant with other aviation professionals (especially those working in the airport) can be a plus points, too.

Can you put an order to a seemingly chaotic list of things?

Assembling a machine is a step-by-step process that you can’t simply jumble around like a 4×4 Rubik’s cube. This same logic applies to repairing or maintaining a flight machine. There’s a proper protocol to doing things, and this is what mechanics study about in flight schools.

But there are situations in a mechanic’s work life where there are so many things to fix in a machine – and what’s worse, the aircraft will have to fly within the day! If you are a quality aircraft mechanic, you should know what to prioritize in this situation.

Coming up with a logical and doable plan quickly in this time-pressured scenario is one of the things that makes an aircraft mechanic, truly a mechanic of cool machines.

Can you help with minor chores without being asked by your supervisor?

Initiative can go a long way! For one, it can leave a good impression that you’re willing to sweat the small stuff for the good of the company. Second, it could actually help you learn more by being eager to do the things that you ought not to do.

The best aircraft mechanic initiates help without being too pushy about it. They know it when their co-worker needs a helping hand or whether they need to be left to fix things alone. They don’t wait around for someone to actually ask them to do something – they intuitively know what to do!

Of course, passion for aviation – regardless if it’s technical or not – is what makes any aircraft mechanic the best for his job. Passion for this certain industry can come from personal interest or cultivated in a good flight school.
But if you already have that inner curiosity in this field of work, and is actually thinking of pursuing it,  WCC Aviation School is one flight school in the Philippines that is the most accessible in the Metro. Choosing the right flight school that will cultivate you knowledge and skill in aviation is important to start your flying career.