Fla. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that the industry employs more than 130,000 mechanics, mostly at major airlines, and that the industry needs 12,000 new mechanics a year. The remaining 2,000 openings stem from growth. The Federal Aviation Administration grants certificates to about 8,000 mechanics a year. That leaves a 4,000-person gap. But becoming a mechanic requires extensive training.
Testing is rigorous, and refresher courses are required throughout one's career.
Dumaresq estimates that there are three to five openings for every graduate. The U.S. military used to supply many aviation mechanics, but that supply is drying up with the downsizing of the armed forces since the end of the Cold War. Most of the industry's Vietnam-era mechanics will retire by 2010. Of Northwest's roughly 8,500 mechanics, some 1,200 are already 55 years of age or older. Even in the midst of celebrating their hefty pay raises and avoiding a strike, many union members at Northwest were looking ahead Wednesday.