An A&P school trains you for the FAA Airframe and Powerplant certificate, the license that lets you work on aircraft for airlines and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) shops. It is your entry into a real, in-demand trade. The pay backs that up: the median wage for aircraft mechanics and service technicians is $78,680, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024), with employment projected to grow about 5% through 2033.
If you specialize, the ceiling rises: avionics technicians earn a median of $81,390, per the same BLS data. So the real question is not just where you train. It is how to choose a school that gets you airline-ready. This guide walks you through the credential, the two FAA routes to it, and a clear checklist for comparing schools on the criteria that matter: approval, timeline, cost, employer connections, and support.
At US Aviation Academy, we train pilots, mechanics, and dispatchers to the same airline standard, under one roof. Pilot. Mechanic. Dispatcher. ONE Academy.
What Is An A&P School?
An A&P school prepares you to earn the FAA Airframe and Powerplant certificate. The certificate carries two ratings: Airframe (A) covers the structure and systems of the aircraft, and Powerplant (P) covers the engines. Hold both, and you are qualified to maintain aircraft and return them to service.
Here is the part that confuses most people: the certificate, not any single school, is the goal. The FAA recognizes two routes to earn it. You can graduate from an FAA Part 147 Aviation Maintenance Technician School, or you can document on-the-job experience and then test. The table below lays out both.
| Route | Who It Fits | Typical Time | What You Still Must Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAA Part 147 school | New entrants starting from scratch | 8 to 24 months | 3 FAA tests: written, oral, and practical |
| On-the-job (OJT) experience | People already working under supervision | 18 months (single rating) or 30 months (both) | 3 FAA tests: written, oral, and practical |
This is where a common myth trips people up. Those 1-to-4-week “accelerated A&P” courses you see advertised are test prep for candidates who already meet the OJT experience requirement. They are not a from-scratch school path. If you are new to aviation maintenance, the Part 147 route is the one built for you.
Whichever route you take, you must pass three FAA tests each in three areas: General, Airframe, and Powerplant. Every test comes in written, oral, and practical form.
The admission bar is lower than most people expect. To hold the certificate, you must be at least 18 and able to read, write, speak, and understand English. Most Part 147 schools ask for a high school diploma or GED. The FAA does not require a medical certificate for the mechanic certificate, and there is generally no aptitude entrance exam. Unlike a pilot certificate, your eyesight and physical exams are not the gate here. If you can meet the standard and do the work, you can get in.
The Academy runs an FAA Part 147-approved program, which is the direct, from-scratch route to the A&P certificate.
How To Choose The Right A&P School
Use the four criteria below to compare schools honestly. Confirm the credential first, then weigh timeline and cost, employer connections, and the support you qualify for.
Confirm FAA Part 147 Approval
Approval comes first. Only an FAA Part 147 school delivers the from-scratch, classroom-and-hangar route that takes a new entrant to a certified mechanic. Verify that approval before you look at anything else. It is the difference between a program that trains you to the standard the FAA and the airlines expect and one that cannot.
Compare Timeline And All-In Cost
Be realistic about time. The FAA baseline for most Part 147 programs is 18 to 24 months, depending on the rating or ratings you pursue. Accelerated programs compress that to 8 to 16 months without skipping FAA requirements.
| Format | Length |
|---|---|
| Full-time accelerated | 8 months |
| Accelerated | 12 months |
| Evening / semi-full-time | 16 months |
| FAA baseline (most schools) | 18 to 24 months |
Cost is the other half of the decision, and sticker tuition rarely tells the whole story. Ask what is actually included: tools, books, and your first FAA exam attempts. Those line items add up fast when a program leaves them out.
| School / Route | Format | Approx. All-In Cost | What's Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Aviation Academy | 8, 12, or 16 months | ~$36,000 | Tools, digital textbooks, first FAA exam attempts |
| Thrust Institute | 10 months | $39,539 | Tuition, books, labs, fees (housing extra) |
| Vaughn College | As little as 16 months | Varies | Certificate track |
| Arapahoe (test prep) | 1 week | $2,100 + ~$1,775 testing fees | Test prep for experienced mechanics only |
The Academy's tuition of about $36,000 is all-in: tools for use, digital textbooks on a Chromebook, and first attempts at all FAA written, oral, and practical exams. Program formats run 8, 12, and 16 months.
Look At Employer Pipelines And Campus Location
A school near hiring MROs shortens your transition from the classroom to the hangar. Ask which employers a program actually feeds, by name. Vague talk about “connections” is not the same as a named pipeline.
For aspiring mechanics: proximity is leverage. Our Forest Park campus in Atlanta sits about 10 minutes from Delta TechOps, one of the largest maintenance operations in the country.
For career-changers moving from automotive, industrial, or military maintenance: much of your existing skill maps onto the A&P curriculum, and an employer-connected campus turns that head start into interviews.
This is the credibility moment, so here is the record. US Aviation Academy was founded in 2006 and is one of the largest independent aviation training centers in the United States. The Academy operates a fleet of 140+ aircraft with 400+ staff and instructors, across 11 flight campuses and 5 A&P campuses (plus a campus in Korea). We hold the U.S. Air Force Initial Pilot Training (IPT) contract, carry CAAC approval, and partner in the DOT Forces to Flyers program. On the maintenance side, our named employer partners include Delta TechOps, Frontier, Sun Country, StandardAero, AAR, Gulfstream, and Embraer.
Check Veteran Benefits, Financing, And International Support
The right school meets you where you are.
For military veterans: confirm VA and GI Bill approval before you commit. At the Academy, the Denton campus is VA/GI Bill (Chapter 33) approved, and we support the FAA Form 8610-2 process along with Credentialing Assistance. If you did maintenance in the service, that experience can count toward your certificate.
For international students: the Academy offers an F-1 visa pathway and a campus in Seoul, South Korea, so you can train to the same standard from outside the United States.
Domestic students should also ask about financing options and what the school helps arrange, so cost is a plan rather than a surprise.
Practical Takeaways
- Confirm FAA Part 147 approval first. It is the credential that makes the training count.
- Match the format to your life: 8 months full-time or up to 16 months in the evening.
- Compare all-in cost, with tools, books, and exam attempts included, not sticker price.
- Choose a campus near hiring employers to shorten the classroom-to-hangar transition.
- Veterans: confirm VA/GI Bill approval and 8610-2 support before you enroll.
Conclusion
The right A&P school is FAA Part 147-approved, honest about cost and timeline, and connected to employers who hire. Get those three right, and you are choosing a career, not making a gamble.
At the Academy, you train the way you will work, to airline standards, so stepping into a hangar is a step up rather than a restart. That is the bar we hold, and we believe you can clear it.
Ready to map your path into the A&P program? Talk to Admissions.