Becoming a certified airplane mechanic takes between 18 months and 4 years, depending on which training path you choose. The FAA requires either graduation from an approved aviation maintenance school or documented hands-on experience before you can earn your Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate, which is the standard credential for working on aircraft.
What the FAA Requires
The FAA issues two ratings for aircraft mechanics: Airframe (covering the body, wings, and structural components) and Powerplant (covering engines and related systems). Most mechanics pursue both ratings together, which is why the credential is commonly called an “A&P license.”
You can qualify to take the FAA certification exams through one of two routes. The first is completing a program at an FAA-approved Aviation Maintenance Technician School. The second is accumulating documented practical experience working on aircraft: 18 months for a single rating (Airframe or Powerplant alone) or 30 months for both ratings combined. You must be at least 18 years old and able to read, write, and speak English.
FAA-Approved School: 14 to 24 Months
Attending an FAA-certified Aviation Maintenance Technician School is the most common path. These programs combine classroom instruction with hands-on shop work, covering everything from sheet metal fabrication and electrical systems to turbine engine overhaul. The FAA mandates a minimum of 1,900 curriculum hours for the combined A&P program.
How long that takes depends on the school’s schedule. Full-time accelerated programs can be completed in as little as 14 to 16 months. Some schools offer an 8-month accelerated track, though these are intensive and may run longer days. Part-time and evening programs stretch to 20 to 24 months. A few community colleges fold A&P training into an associate degree, which typically takes two years and includes general education courses alongside your maintenance training.
Tuition at many of these programs covers your first attempts at the FAA written exams and the oral and practical tests, so factor that into your comparison when shopping schools. Programs that don’t include exam fees will add several hundred dollars to your total cost.
Experience-Based Path: 30 Months Minimum
If you’d rather skip formal schooling, the FAA allows you to qualify through on-the-job experience. You need 30 months of documented practical experience working on both airframes and powerplants to sit for both exams. If you only want one rating, the requirement drops to 18 months of relevant experience.
The key word is “documented.” Your experience records must show that you worked with the procedures, materials, tools, and equipment used in constructing, maintaining, or altering aircraft. This typically means working under a certified mechanic at a repair station, airline, or other aviation employer who can verify your time and tasks. Finding an employer willing to hire and train someone without a certificate can be the biggest hurdle on this path, so the 30-month clock may not start as quickly as you’d like.
Military Path: Varies by Service Branch
Military aviation maintenance experience counts toward the FAA’s 30-month practical experience requirement. If you’ve spent at least 30 months working on aircraft in a qualifying military specialty, you can pursue your A&P without attending a civilian school.
The Air Force, for example, runs a structured certification program through the Community College of the Air Force. Eligible personnel complete three online courses (General, Airframe, and Powerplant), finish a supervised qualification training package, and document their 30 months of hands-on maintenance experience. Each online course must be completed within 6 months. After finishing all requirements, the program issues a Certificate of Eligibility that allows you to sit for the FAA exams.
For service members who already have the experience logged, the additional coursework and exam preparation can take roughly 6 to 12 months. Some veterans enroll in civilian test-prep programs after separating, which condense the review into about 6 weeks: three weeks of online written exam prep followed by three weeks of in-person hands-on training and practical exam preparation. All told, a veteran with qualifying experience can go from military service to FAA certificate in well under a year.
The Exam and Licensing Timeline
Once you’ve met the training or experience requirements, you still need to pass three written knowledge tests (General, Airframe, and Powerplant), plus oral and practical exams for each rating. A passing score is 70% on each test.
The written exams are administered at FAA-designated testing centers, and you can usually schedule them within a few weeks of becoming eligible. Each written test is multiple choice and takes a few hours. The oral and practical exams are given by a Designated Mechanic Examiner, and scheduling depends on examiner availability in your area. In some regions, wait times for an examiner appointment can stretch four to eight weeks.
All FAA exams must be completed within 24 months of the date your first knowledge exam is administered. If you don’t finish within that window, any expired test results are voided and must be retaken. Most candidates who study consistently can finish all exams within one to three months after completing their training.
After you pass everything, the FAA issues a temporary certificate on the spot, so you can start working right away. A permanent certificate arrives within about 120 days.
Total Timeline by Path
- Full-time AMT school: 14 to 24 months of training, plus 1 to 3 months for exams. Total: roughly 15 to 27 months.
- Associate degree program: About 2 years of coursework, plus exam time. Total: roughly 24 to 27 months.
- On-the-job experience: 30 months of documented work, plus exam time. Total: roughly 31 to 33 months, assuming you find qualifying employment quickly.
- Military transition: Requires 30 months of service experience (often already completed), plus 6 to 12 months for coursework and exams. Veterans using an accelerated prep course can finish in as little as 6 weeks after meeting the experience requirement.
What Affects Your Timeline
A few practical factors can speed things up or slow you down. Schools with rolling admissions let you start sooner than programs with fixed semester dates, where you might wait months for the next cohort. Geographic location matters for the exam phase, since areas with fewer Designated Mechanic Examiners have longer wait times for oral and practical tests.
Your financial situation plays a role too. Full-time programs move faster but require you to step away from other work. Part-time and weekend programs at some schools stretch to 13 or 15 months, offering a middle ground if you need to keep earning income while training. Veterans can use GI Bill benefits at most approved schools, which removes a financial barrier but doesn’t change the clock on coursework hours.
If you already have some mechanical aptitude or prior experience working on engines, electrical systems, or structural repairs, you won’t necessarily finish faster (the FAA hour requirements are fixed), but you’ll likely find the material easier to absorb and the practical exams less stressful.