In-Flight Technician

An airplane contains a staggering amount of equipment. Some pieces keep the plane in the air, others allow the crew to communicate with people on the ground, and still others allow the plane to plot a proper course through the sky. As an In-Flight Technician, you monitor this equipment before, during, and after a flight.

Long before the plane leaves the ground, the In-Flight Technician is in position checking equipment. To make your job as an In-Flight Technician easier, you have a checklist to walk through and fill out before each flight. In each test, you turn switches on and off just to make sure everything is ready to go, and you mark down the results. Having the plane to yourself is a bit calming and reassuring, and you’re allowed to whistle as you work.

When the rest of the crew arrives and the plane takes off, you’re assigned to a specific piece of equipment. For example, you might monitor the plane’s communications equipment and talk with ground control. If you’re in a combat situation, you might try to intercept the communications of enemy airplanes. You might also be in charge of the plane’s radar equipment, helping establish a connection to a satellite so you can accurately determine where the plane is now and where it should be in the future.

Once the flight is over, you stay on the airplane and run another series of checks to make sure the equipment is still functioning properly and no damage has occurred during the flight. Once again, you have a checklist to run through, and you turn equipment on and off to test it.