Aeronautical Mechanic
Importance of an Aeronautical Mechanic
In a perfect world, airplanes and other air craft would run forever without needing special care, but like cars and trucks, airplanes, helicopters, space shuttles, and other airborne modes of transportation need an aeronautical mechanic to keep engines functioning properly. Men and women working as an aeronautical mechanic work closely with aeronautical maintenance crew to fix potential problems before a plane takes off.
Throughout history, dozens of planes, space shuttles, and helicopters have crashed to the ground or into large bodies of water killing or injuring passengers due to mechanical failure. It is the job of aeronautical maintenance crews to closely inspect every inch of an aircraft before it is cleared to load passengers and head for a runway. If there is a problem, the aircraft goes to an aeronautical mechanic for repairs and corrections. An aeronautical mechanic must then have the repair cleared by maintenance before the plane can take off. These teams must work together to ensure delays are not horribly long because it is not acceptable to keep passengers waiting hours or even days for a flight to depart.
Similar to automotive mechanics, an aeronautical mechanic must have a thorough knowledge of all parts of an airplane, helicopter, or other aircraft. An aeronautical mechanic is skilled to repair everything and has had special training to ensure he or she knows what to do. While a college degree is not often required, certification programs that last more than 300 hours is required. Rigorous training is necessary to ensure that an aeronautical mechanic knows how to safely and correctly fix anything.
Aeronautical mechanic students will work alongside a licensed aeronautical mechanic while training for their job. Apprenticeships are common to ensure that students are gaining an exceptional hands-on education in between classes. Those who do not take their studies seriously are often removed from the program due to the important nature of airline repairs because no airline wants to be found guilty of shoddy repair work leading to a crash.
