It is no secret the aviation industry, at all levels, needs more maintainers.
One of the charts in the 2026 Pipeline Report gave me pause.
According to the report, Figure 3 (above) shows us 44% of all certificated mechanics in the United States are 60 or older.
Gulp.
That’s a lot of experience nearing, or past, retirement age.
The report also tells us 27,740 students are currently enrolled in schools around the country. That number won’t replace the forthcoming retirements, but it’s better than nothing.
Figure 11 (below) shows there is capacity for more aspiring mechanics. We just need to promote the opportunity, line these students up with financial aid, if needed, and support them on their educational journey.
Mike Rowe, the Dirty Jobs guy, has a succint explanation of “The Problem” at his Mike Rowe Works Foundation:
It’s not a lack of opportunity or a shortage of good jobs. It’s simpler than that: We’ve been lying to ourselves about what success looks like.
Over the last 40 years, America has convinced itself that the best path for the most people is an expensive, four-year degree. Pop culture has glorified the ‘corner office job’ while unintentionally belittling the kind of work that built the corner office. As a result, we’ve devalued any other path to success, and an entire generation of people don’t understand the opportunities that exist.
The video at the top of the foundation’s webpage includes a young mechanic walking the “slow walk” with a military fighter aircraft in the background. That’s cool.
If you are an influencer — not just the social media type, but a parent, a grandparent, or a mentor of any stripe with today’s younger generation — throw in a good word for an aircraft or avionics maintenance career.
We’re going to need all the help we can get.
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