Aircraft mechanic school: how to pick a Part 147 school

What is an aircraft mechanic school?

An aircraft mechanic school is an FAA-certificated aviation maintenance technician school, under 14 CFR Part 147. People also call it an A&P school or a Part 147 school. It can be rated for Airframe, Powerplant, or both. When you graduate, it gives you a signed document that stands in for work experience when you apply to test. [14 CFR Part 147, § 147.11, § 147.21] [14 CFR Part 65, § 65.77(a)]

That document is the whole point. It shows the FAA your graduation date and the course you finished. Without school, you prove your experience with work records instead.

Do you need to go to school to get your A&P?

No. School is one of three routes. You can also qualify with work experience or through the military. Experience means at least 18 months for one rating or 30 months for both. All three routes end in the same FAA tests. [14 CFR Part 65, § 65.77]

Sources: [14 CFR Part 65, § 65.75(c), § 65.77, § 65.80] [14 CFR Part 147, § 147.31]

Already working on aircraft, or did you in the military? You may not need school at all. Read the experience requirements guide and the military route guide.

What does Part 147 require of a school?

The FAA sets rules every certificated school must follow. Knowing them helps you spot a weak school fast. The big ones: a course built to the FAA's mechanic test standards, no more than 25 students per instructor in shop, and at least 70% of graduates passing their FAA tests.

All from 14 CFR Part 147. [14 CFR Part 147, § 147.13 to § 147.29]

How do you check a school's FAA pass rate?

The FAA publishes it. Open the FAA's school pass-rate report, find the school by name, and read the three rows for it: AMG (General), AMA (Airframe) and AMP (Powerplant). "Percent passed" is the pass rate. "Total" is how many graduates tested. A rate based on 4 students tells you much less than one based on 80. [FAA-AMTS-PASS-CY2024-Q4, Detail pass rate by exam code, p. 2 to 17]

1. Open the FAA's AMTS pass rate report by exam code (PDF, covers August 2023 to December 2024).
2. Search the PDF for the school's name. On a phone, use "Find in page."
3. Check all three rows, and the totals. Then ask the school about any rate under 70%.

Here is how all schools did, added up. We counted every row in the FAA's report.

Our totals from the FAA report, 198 schools, August 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024. [FAA-AMTS-PASS-CY2024-Q4, Detail pass rate by exam code, p. 2 to 17]

Most schools clear the 70% bar, but not all. Of the 108 schools with at least 10 graduates tested on the General, 16 were under 70%. That is why you check before you sign.

Two things to know about this report. It counts the written, oral and practical tests taken within 60 days of graduation, and a retest that passes inside those 60 days counts as a pass. And the FAA calls it preliminary: it should not be used to judge whether a school meets the rule until full 3-year data comes out in January 2027. [FAA-AMTS-PASS-CY2024-Q4, Report description, calculation notes, p. 1]

What should you ask an aircraft mechanic school?

Ask these before you pay anything. A good school answers all of them without a sales pitch.

1. Can I see your FAA school certificate? It must be posted where the public can see it. Check which ratings it covers: Airframe, Powerplant, or both. [14 CFR Part 147, § 147.11, § 147.29]
2. What is your pass rate on each test in the FAA's report? Ask about the General, Airframe and Powerplant separately, then check the report yourself.
3. Are you accredited? If not, has the FAA signed off on your quality control system? A school needs one or the other. [14 CFR Part 147, § 147.23]
4. How many students are in a shop class? More than 25 per instructor breaks the rule. [14 CFR Part 147, § 147.19(c)]
5. Who teaches, and do they hold mechanic certificates? [14 CFR Part 147, § 147.19(b)]
6. Will you sign me off for the General written once I finish the General part? And can I take the oral and practical during my final subjects? [14 CFR Part 147, § 147.31] [14 CFR Part 65, § 65.80]
7. Where will I train? Any site besides the main one must be listed with the FAA. [14 CFR Part 147, § 147.15]
8. What is the total cost, test fees included? Tuition is only part of it. See what the A&P costs for the test and examiner fees.
9. How do you set up the oral and practical? Ask who the examiner is and whether the fee is included.

We do not rank schools. The FAA's numbers, a visit to the shop, and these questions will tell you more than any ranking.

How do you find an aircraft mechanic school near you?

The FAA keeps a list of certificated schools you can search by name, city or state: the FAA aviation maintenance technician school list. If it is down, the pass-rate report above also lists every school by name. Then call the schools near you and work through the questions above.

School or experience: which is right for you?

If you already work on aircraft, or did in the military, check the experience route first. You may already have most of what you need, and you keep earning while you finish. If you are starting from zero, school gives you a set path, early testing, and a document the FAA accepts without digging through work records.

Either way, the tests are the same, and they are not easy. In 2025, about 3 in 10 people failed the General written. [FAA-AKT-VOL-CY2025, CY2025, p. 1]

Not sure which route fits? Check if you're eligible for your A&P. It takes about a minute. Want to see how ready you are for the General? Take the free A&P practice test. For the full process, read how to get your A&P license.

Technical detailsShowHide

Part 147 at a glance. § 147.11 ratings: Airframe, Powerplant, or Airframe and Powerplant. § 147.17(a)(1): a curriculum designed to continually align with FAA-S-ACS-1. § 147.19(c): student-to-instructor ratio not over 25:1 for any shop class. § 147.21: an authenticated document to each graduate with graduation date and curriculum completed. § 147.23(a): accredited under 20 U.S.C. 1001(a)(5), or a quality control system approved by the Administrator. § 147.25: at least 70% pass rate for students who test within 60 days after graduation, over the most recent 3-year period; a failure on any one test counts as a student failure unless passed within the 60 days.

Early testing. § 65.75(c) and § 147.31: the General written before meeting § 65.77, with an authenticated document showing completion of the General portion. § 65.80: oral and practical tests during the final subjects, before meeting § 65.77 and before passing each written section, when the school shows the student is prepared.

Our pass-rate totals. Sum of FAIL, PASS and TOTAL columns for every AMG, AMA and AMP row in the FAA's "AMTS Details of Pass Rate by Exam Code" (8-1-2023 through 12-31-2024), 561 rows, 198 AMTS numbers. The "16 of 108" count uses schools with a General TOTAL of 10 or more and a pass rate under 70%. Tests taken before graduation (early General written, § 65.80 tests) are excluded by the FAA.