Ma'anar ƙamus na kalmar "masanin jirgin sama" ƙwararren ma'aikaci ne wanda ke da hannu wajen kera, gyara, gyara, ko sarrafa jirgin sama. A fannin aikin soja, ma’aikacin jirgin sama yakan kasance memba ne na rundunar sojan sama ta Royal Air Force, kwatankwacin mukamin soja mai zaman kansa, wanda ya samu horo kan wata sana’a ta musamman da ta shafi kula da jiragen sama.
