Will AI replace aviation inspectors?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 59m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 7h 1m (88%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.2% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 2 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 59m of a typical shift. 1 more task has only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so it stays with people here. For 4 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Examine landing gear, tires, and exteriors of fuselage, wings, and engines for evidence of damage or corrosion and the need for repairs. (47m a shift; e.g. Donecle Iris GVI at HAECO Americas, in use)
• Examine aircraft access plates and doors for security. (12m a shift; e.g. Mainblades drones at Delta TechOps, in use)

7h 1m of a typical shift, or 88%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Prepare and maintain detailed repair, inspection, investigation, and certification records and reports. (1h 29m a shift)
• Inspect new, repaired, or modified aircraft to identify damage or defects and to assess airworthiness and conformance to standards, using checklists, hand tools, and test instruments. (1h 17m a shift)
• Inspect work of aircraft mechanics performing maintenance, modification, or repair and overhaul of aircraft and aircraft mechanical systems to ensure adherence to standards and procedures. (1h 11m a shift)
• Examine maintenance records and flight logs to determine if service and maintenance checks and overhauls were performed at prescribed intervals. (1h 11m a shift)
• Recommend replacement, repair, or modification of aircraft equipment. (24m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 96% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 94% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious
• 82% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety

The median pay is about $92,100 a year ($44.28 an hour), 81% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $40,330 and $138,670 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 2.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 26,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 2,300 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 25,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.02% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 510th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 26,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is an associate's degree: about 34% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 1m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Inspect uncrewed aircraft systems, such as drones, to ensure compliance with safety and operation regulations.

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (0m touched, $80k median pay)
• Avionics Technicians (0m touched, $82k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 with robots in real deployments, 11 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.