Avionics Technicians
Install, inspect, test, adjust, or repair avionics equipment, such as radar, radio, navigation, and missile control systems in aircraft or space vehicles.
Most important skills
- Equipment Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Critical Thinking
- Operations Monitoring
- Quality Control Analysis
- Complex Problem Solving
- Active Listening
Key knowledge
- Computers and Electronics
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Engineering and Technology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Telecommunications
- Design
- Mathematics
What the work involves
- Set up and operate ground support and test equipment to perform functional flight tests of electrical and electronic systems.
- Test and troubleshoot instruments, components, and assemblies, using circuit testers, oscilloscopes, or voltmeters.
- Keep records of maintenance and repair work.
- Coordinate work with that of engineers, technicians, and other aircraft maintenance personnel.
- Interpret flight test data to diagnose malfunctions and systemic performance problems.
- Install electrical and electronic components, assemblies, and systems in aircraft, using hand tools, power tools, or soldering irons.
- Adjust, repair, or replace malfunctioning components or assemblies, using hand tools or soldering irons.
- Connect components to assemblies such as radio systems, instruments, magnetos, inverters, and in-flight refueling systems, using hand tools and soldering irons.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Post-Secondary Certificate (50% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (30.9%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (29.2%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Avionics Technicians is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Moderate | Lower on contact with others than 53% of occupations compared | 69% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 95% of occupations compared | 55% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Low | Lower on teamwork than 75% of occupations compared | 52% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 71% of occupations compared | 45% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Moderate | Lower on time pressure than 51% of occupations compared | 44% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 91% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 95% of occupations compared | 40% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 79% of occupations compared | 37% of surveyed respondents chose “Very serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: moderate
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Occasional contact with others: 14.26%
- Contact with others about half the time: 5.73%
- Contact with others most of the time: 10.69%
- Constant contact with others: 69.33%
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 55.47%
- Fairly important: 13.25%
- Important: 20.6%
- Very important: 10.69%
- Extremely important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 11.34%
- Fairly important: 11.03%
- Important: 4.1%
- Very important: 21.29%
- Extremely important: 52.25%
n = 11, Incumbent 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very little freedom: 20.07%
- Limited freedom: 14.55%
- Some freedom: 20.27%
- A lot of freedom: 45.11%
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a year or more but not every month: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a month or more but not every week: 35.63%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 44.29%
- Every day: 20.08%
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 24.5%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 45.59%
- Once a month or more but not every week: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a week or more but not every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Every day: 3.86%
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 35.19%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 39.57%
- Once a month or more but not every week: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a week or more but not every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 8.53%
- Fairly serious: 13.25%
- Serious: 9.39%
- Very serious: 37.3%
- Extremely serious: 31.53%
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer
Where people with this background could move
- Analyze
Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians
Closeness 94/100
- Analyze
Photonics Technicians
Closeness 94/100
- Analyze
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians
Closeness 94/100
- Analyze
Medical Equipment Repairers
Closeness 93/100
- Analyze
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
Closeness 92/100 · job zone -1
- Analyze
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
Closeness 92/100
Find more alternativesCompare skills with another job
O*NET-SOC 49-2091.00 · SOC 49-2091 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8