Fly to Career Highs as an Aircraft Technician

One of the most important things a passenger considers when flying is the safety of the aircraft. With everything else on the passenger’s mind such as accommodation, jetlag, what he or she will do upon arriving at his or her destination, the passenger wants to rest assured that the airplane is completely safe and has been properly inspected before takeoff. The people ensuring this safety are aircraft technicians whom have received thorough aircraft technician training.

These technicians have a variety of common tasks that include: overhaul, repair, inspection or modification of an aircraft as well as the installation or removal of a component from an aircraft or aircraft subassembly. They also work in a range of areas within the aviation industry including: aircraft maintenance companies, airlines, manufacturers and other Canadian aviation operations. Most commonly, aircraft technicians go on to become Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, whose job it is to certify, after inspection, any work that is performed on the aircraft as well as performing it themselves. However, with aircraft technician training from an institution such as Centennial College, professionals are also qualified to seek employment in non-aircraft related areas of certain repair and manufacturing industries. Candidates are trained under highly skilled trainers for Aviation Program.

So what exactly does this two-year Centennial College training entail? Within the Aviation Technician – Aircraft Maintenance program, students learn all about aircraft maintenance, power plants, structures, inspections, troubleshooting, mechanical, electrical and electronic skills as well as other sciences that are related to the aircraft maintenance industry. Students also receive detailed information on hydraulics, fuels, environmental systems, engines, surface controls and undercarriage systems, and the aircraft’s frame and external skin. However, this isn’t your regular lecture-based program. The aircraft technician training employs significant use of hands-on training, during which students work in labs on fixing aircraft engines, performing flight-line activities as well as conducting aircraft and component inspections.

Before students can graduate and become aircraft technicians they must complete over 200 maintenance tasks. Also required for Aircraft Maintenance Technician graduation is a minimum C grade in all courses. However, Transport Canada accreditation requires both a minimum B grade in every course and an absentee rate of less than five per cent of the total program hours. The program, which results in an Ontario College Diploma, is both Transport Canada approved and Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council certified as a recognized aircraft maintenance-training program.

Centennial College expects students applying for admission to present, at minimum, an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or General Education Development or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. Applicants must also possess compulsory English 12C or U or skills assessment or equivalent and Math 11M or U or 12C or U or skills assessment or equivalent.