How to become an Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assembler

Official title: Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

Also called: Aircraft Assembler, Aircraft Line Assembler, Assembler, Assembly Riveter, Assembly Technician (Assembly Tech), Sheet Metal Assembler and Riveter (SMAR), Sheet Metal Mechanic, Sheet Metal Technician (Sheet Metal Tech), Structures Mechanic, Structures Technician (Structures Tech)

Assemble, fit, fasten, and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles, such as tails, wings, fuselage, bulkheads, stabilizers, landing gear, rigging and control equipment, or heating and ventilating systems.

Main tasks

• Read blueprints, illustrations, or specifications to determine layouts, sequences of operations, or identities or relationships of parts.
• Inspect or test installed units, parts, systems, or assemblies for fit, alignment, performance, defects, or compliance with standards, using measuring instruments or test equipment.
• Assemble parts, fittings, or subassemblies on aircraft, using layout tools, hand tools, power tools, or fasteners, such as bolts, screws, rivets, or clamps.
• Mark identifying information on tubing or cable assemblies, using etching devices, labels, rubber stamps, or other methods.
• Adjust, repair, rework, or replace parts or assemblies to ensure proper operation.
• Attach brackets, hinges, or clips to secure or support components or subassemblies, using bolts, screws, rivets, chemical bonding, or welding.
• Assemble prefabricated parts to form subassemblies.
• Clean aircraft structures, parts, or components, using aqueous, semi-aqueous, aliphatic hydrocarbon, or organic solvent cleaning products or techniques to reduce carbon or other harmful emissions.

How to become one

The education and qualifications typically needed to enter these occupations vary by industry and employer. Although a high school diploma is enough for most jobs, experience and training are needed for advanced assembly work.

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Assembler, Aircraft Structures.
• Apprenticeship: Assembler Installer General.
• Apprenticeship: Precision Assembler.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $65,380 a year The middle half earn $58,600 to $83,410.
• About 34,400 people work in this job now, and about 32,500 are projected by 2035. (-5.6%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers
• Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
• Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers
• Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
• Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
• Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

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Questions people ask

How do I become an Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assembler?

The education and qualifications typically needed to enter these occupations vary by industry and employer. Although a high school diploma is enough for most jobs, experience and training are needed for advanced assembly work.

How much does an Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assembler earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $65,380 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $58,600 to $83,410.

Is an Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assembler a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 6% by 2035, from about 34,400 to about 32,500 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become an Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assembler?

Usually not. Only 9% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Assembler, Aircraft Structures.

Will AI change the work of an Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assembler?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.