Vocational Index

Career

Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers

Build the structures and systems of aircraft.

$65,380
Median pay
-5.6%
Job growth, 2025–35
3,100
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • Read blueprints, illustrations, or specifications to determine layouts, sequences of operations, or identities or relationships of parts.
  • Inspect or test installed units, parts, systems, or assemblies for fit, alignment, performance, defects, or compliance with standards, using measuring instruments or test equipment.
  • Assemble parts, fittings, or subassemblies on aircraft, using layout tools, hand tools, power tools, or fasteners, such as bolts, screws, rivets, or clamps.
  • Mark identifying information on tubing or cable assemblies, using etching devices, labels, rubber stamps, or other methods.
  • Adjust, repair, rework, or replace parts or assemblies to ensure proper operation.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition-14.5%2025–35 edition-5.6%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 2,800 → 3,100 openings a year.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Objects & tools
7.0
Information & systems
3.8
Ideas & analysis
2.7
Creation & expression
1.7
Persuasion & leadership
1.4
People & care
1.0

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Read blueprints, illustrations, or specifications to determine layouts, sequences of operations, or identities or relationships of parts.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Quality Control Analysis, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $65,380 a year and 3,100 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/TechnicianCIP 47.0607
  • Aircraft Powerplant Technology/TechnicianCIP 47.0608
  • Avionics Maintenance Technology/TechnicianCIP 47.0609

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

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Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.