Engineer

The role of the engineer

If you become an aircraft or avionics engineer, you will be performing scheduled maintenance, making repairs, and completing inspections required by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA) to keep aircraft in peak operating condition.

Much of your work will be preventive maintenance, ensuring that everything works properly. Depending on categories and ratings that you may add to your licence, you may be involved with repairing sheet metal or composite surfaces; measuring the tension of control cables; or checking for corrosion, distortion, and cracks in the fuselage, wings and tail. You may also be involved with repairing engines and using precision instruments such as x-ray and magnetic inspection equipment to measure parts for wear and to check for otherwise invisible cracks, andadvances in aircraft technology means that you will continually have to update your knowledge and skills to keep up with the pace.

Inspections on aircraft engines, landing gear, instruments, and other parts of the aircraft are conducted following a schedule based on the number of hours the aircraft has flown, calendar days since the last inspection, cycles of operation or a combination of these factors. You will also work with the pilots to ensure faulty systems are fixed as soon as possible. If a pilot reports that an aircraft system is not working properly, then based on the pilots report of what went wrong you can troubleshoot the relevant system to locate the source of the problem and repair or replace any defective components.

In large, sophisticated planes equipped with aircraft monitoring systems, you will also gather valuable diagnostic information from electronic boxes and consoles that monitor the aircraft’s basic operations.

After completing all repairs, they must test the equipment to ensure that it works properly. This will all be done as fast as safety permits so that you can put the aircraft back into service as quickly as possible. Part of your job will be to also maintain detailed records related to the maintenance performed on the aircraft.

Getting your licences 

Becoming a qualified Aircraft Maintenance Engineer can be a very involved process, depending on where you want to go. You start by gaining a licence as either an airframe, engine or avionics engineer. Once you have your licence you can then build on it by adding different categories and ratings to it, such as rotorcraft, powerplant or electrical. A full description of the categories and ratings may be found on the career pathways section of this site here.

There are several ways for you to gain qualifications in the aero engineering industry in NZ. These are:

1. Formal Structured Training

A formal structured training course involves you undertaking a training through an institution such as Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT), Air New Zealand, or the Airforce. In the cases of NMIT and Air NZ, you will have to fund your training yourself. Further details of these courses can be found on the institutions respective websites, listed on the training providers page of this site, under engineering.

 
2. Aero Engineering Apprenticeships and Traineeships

On the job training and assessment is another method of gaining engineering qualifications. This is the cheapest and sometimes the most efficient option for gaining skills, but not always the most efficient way to pick up the required knowledge. If the training providers are NZQA registered and ITO accredited then funding support for their training is available.

The modern apprenticeship programme is aimed at people aged between 16 and 22. You will need to sign up as a trainee or apprentice with an aeronautical engineering workplace with an employer willing to take you on as an apprentice. You will be employed by them and receive a wage or salary while training. To assist you with finding people to take you on, funding is also available for workplaces to help cover training costs.

You will also have the support of a modern apprentice co-ordinator who will help you establish your individual training plan and who will be on hand to assist with any problems that may arise. 

The following areas are suitable for a Modern Apprentice:

The Aeronautical Engineering Modern Apprenticeship programme usually takes three years to complete and results in the National Certificate in Aeronautical Engineering Level 4. 

Trainees can be anyone over 22 seeking a qualification.

3. Recognition of Current Competency / Recognition of Previous Learning

Those who have been in associated industries for some time can have their skills assessed and formally recognised to gain aero engineering qualifications. This includes tradespeople such as general engineers, painters, machinists, composites, and automotive can have their current knowledge and skills cross-credited to aero engineering unit standards through the assessment process.