Flight Training - September/October 2020 - 43

ADVANCED PILOT CAREER SPOTLIGHT

BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER

HANDS ON
AVIONICS TECHNICIANS
GET THEIR HANDS DIRTY

MIKE COLLINS

BRICE WEYRICH WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED IN AVIATION. "INSTEAD OF

baseball cards, I collected airplane cards. They were pictures of airplanes
with statistics-they listed engines, where they were made, what year,
how many. My favorite was the Black Hawk."
After four years of college and a stint in the Marine Corps, Weyrich
is now an assembly and test technician at GE Aviation. He works on the
Boeing 737 Max and the Airbus A320, after graduating with certificates in
aviation maintenance technology and aviation electronics technology from
the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA). "I've seen a lot of people
go through a two-year school and get out in the industry and make just as
much money, if not more, than a four-year-school graduate," he said.
Avionics technicians test, maintain, and produce aviation electronics-which could include missile guidance systems, jet engines, and
flight-control circuitry-as well as the old reliable systems on your GA piston airplane. Much of an avionics job is preventive: caring for the systems
that keep aircraft safe and pilots safer. Technicians can often work unusual
hours, providing maintenance and support when needed, as needed.
Russell Wheatley is an avionics technician for Dynamic Aviation and is
also a graduate of PIA. "Last year we did a lot of installs. The biggest thing
recently has been ADS-B [automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast]
systems. We put it into all our planes. Being able to install a system, turn it
on, and have it all work is great.
"Learning to do paperwork correctly is a big thing. I write a ton of 337s
[FAA forms for major repairs and alterations to an airframe, powerplant,
propeller, or appliance]. Also, being able to go through the AC 43.13, a general practices manual. Old army birds don't have the greatest manuals."
"Many graduates find high-paying jobs at avionics manufactures, airlines, fixed-based operations, service centers, and electronic and avionics
accessory shops," said Mindy L. Pavilonis, associate director of career ser-

QUALIFICATIONS
Avionics technicians are high school and
college graduates who have completed
certification requirements through an FAR
Part 147 FAA-approved aviation maintenance technical school, such as Pittsburgh
Institute of Aeronautics.
BENEFITS
If you are thorough, have strong attention
to detail, and enjoy working a problem to
its solution-and doublechecking even after
you think you're done. Second only to the
pilot, you are responsible for the safety of
the people in the aircraft and relying on the
avionics you maintain and repair.
DRAWBACKS
If you need lots of personal interaction;
while you'll consult with others in your field
and work with owners, the attention will be
on wires, electronics, and systems.
PAY
$29 to $30 per hour or approximately
$60,000 per year.
vices at PIA. "With the technological advancements
gaining exponentially, and the demand for highly
trained individuals, the demand for avionics technicians is growing steadily." FT
julie.walker@aopa.org
AOPA.ORG/FT 43

http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

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