Civil Aviation Engineers and Technicians

How to become a General Aviation Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 民航通用航空工程技术人员

Develops equipment for general aviation work such as aerial photography, mineral surveying, slinging loads, monitoring and crop spraying, and manages its technical side and use.

Main tasks

Developing specialist equipment for aerial photography, mineral surveying, slinging loads, monitoring and spraying, and testing and trialling whether it is fit for purpose
Researching and improving the methods used in aerial work and drafting work standards
Analysing terrain, underground resource data and pre flight weather for the work area, and writing work plans that combine customer needs with aircraft performance
Checking and calibrating instruments and equipment for aerial photography, surveying, monitoring and spraying
Directing the pilot to hold the right flight attitude for the task, analysing the weather in flight and adjusting the work plan
Operating aerial cameras in flight to photograph the terrain to the planned forward and side overlap and sharpness
Operating survey instruments in flight to map where underground resources lie
Operating helicopter winches in flight to raise and lower loads, keeping slung loads stable, dealing with emergencies and directing ground crews in lifting and unloading
Collecting samples or operating monitoring instruments in flight to measure the type, spread, concentration or density of what is being monitored
Preparing and mixing spray materials, writing safety plans for chemical treatment and operating spraying equipment over the work area in flight

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Aerospace Engineering (0820); majors such as Aerospace Engineering, Aircraft Design and Engineering, Aircraft Manufacturing Engineering, Aircraft Power Engineering, Aircraft Environment and Life Support Engineering, Aircraft Quality and Reliability. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Aero Engine Maintenance Technology (260603). Vocational major 260603 Aero Engine Maintenance Technology (航空动力装置维修技术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Aero Engine Repair.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Technology (260602). Vocational major 260602 Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Technology (飞行器维修工程技术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Aircraft Riveting and Assembly.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥79,500 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,200 to CN¥123,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥192,300.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥116,181 a year (2025), middle half CN¥77,050 to CN¥175,622.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Engineering and Technical Personnel holds 2.35% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
48.9% are under 35, 45.1% are 35 to 54 and 6% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a General Aviation Engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Aero Engine Maintenance Technology (260603); Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Technology (260602).

How much does a General Aviation Engineer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,500 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥116,181 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a General Aviation Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026