FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Certificate for Veterans

Certifications · Updated July 2026 · 16 min read

Military aircraft maintainers already do most of the work an FAA-certificated mechanic does. The certificate is what makes that work count in civil aviation. This guide explains the two legal routes to an FAA Airframe and Powerplant certificate, how the FAA credits military time, what the exams actually are, which funding program applies depending on whether you are still serving or already out, and — the question most guides skip — whether each route burns GI Bill entitlement. Every figure below is tied to the government page it came from, with the date that page was last verified.

What the A&P is, and what it legally does

The A&P is a federal certificate issued by the FAA, not a state licence and not a training certificate. The FAA issues one mechanic certificate that can carry an Airframe (A) rating, a Powerplant (P) rating, or both. There is no requirement to get both. The FAA notes that people use "certificate" and "license" interchangeably, but the legal instrument is a certificate issued under 14 CFR part 65, subpart D.

Holding it is not, by itself, a legal requirement to work on aircraft. The FAA states plainly that possession of an Aviation Mechanic certificate, for employment by an air carrier, is not an FAA regulatory requirement. Uncertificated people can and do perform maintenance under the supervision of a certificated mechanic or repairman, or under the authority of a part 145 repair station or a part 121 or part 135 air carrier operating certificate. The same is true of repair stations: the FAA says a certificate is not required, though the repair station's own policies may require one.

What the certificate buys is signature authority — but state that precisely, because the common version of this claim is wrong. The FAA's wording is that approval for return to service after the completion of work "can only be done by a certificated individual, or using the procedures of the part 145, 121, or 135 certificate holder." So a certificated organisation can also release the aircraft through its own approved procedures. What the certificate gives you personally is the ability to sign for that release in your own name, anywhere, rather than only inside someone else's certificate. That is why air carriers and repair stations commonly make the A&P a hiring requirement even though the regulation does not.

The certificate does not expire. The FAA states it is valid until it is surrendered, suspended, or revoked. There is no medical certificate requirement and no FAA-prescribed general education requirement, though the FAA notes some employers ask for a high school diploma or GED.

Two legal routes: documented experience or a Part 147 school

14 CFR 65.77 gives two ways to establish the experience eligibility. One is an authenticated document from a certificated Aviation Maintenance Technician School (AMTS) under part 147. The other is documentary evidence, satisfactory to the Administrator, of at least 18 months of practical experience with the procedures, practices, materials, tools, machine tools, and equipment generally used in constructing, maintaining, or altering airframes or powerplants, appropriate to the rating sought — or at least 30 months of practical experience concurrently performing the duties appropriate to both the airframe and powerplant ratings. The FAA separately lists completion of the Joint Service Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification Council (JSAMTCC) course as a way military personnel may become eligible; that is covered in its own section below.

For most military maintainers the experience route is the one that matters. It costs the least, and the time has usually already been earned. The FAA's own guidance calls on-the-job training "usually the most inexpensive method" of gaining the required experience. The trade-off is that nobody hands you an eligibility document. You have to assemble the evidence and convince an Aviation Safety Inspector.

The FAA will not accept a shortcut on the calendar. In its published FAQ the agency confirms that part 65 does not provide for anything less than 18 months of practical experience for a single rating, or anything less than 30 months for both, even if the raw hours worked exceed what 40-hour weeks over that period would produce. The FAA's worked example is a person who logged 3,120 hours in one year — 10 hours a day, 6 days a week — and still did not qualify. For civilian experience the FAA adds that the time "must be based on a typical, full-time, 40-hour work week." One piece of good news on the civilian side: the FAA confirms that work as a non-certificated mechanic or repairman for a repair station does count, as long as you performed it on an airframe, a powerplant, or both.

A part 147 school is the alternative if your service time will not support the claim. FAA guidance says most AMTS programs take an estimated 18 to 24 months depending on which ratings you want, and that a graduation certificate provides eligibility to test — you present it directly to the testing centre, with no FSDO endorsement. Two narrower provisions help students: under 14 CFR 65.75(c) and 147.31, a student who has not yet graduated may take the General knowledge test by presenting an authenticated document showing satisfactory completion of the General curriculum; and separately, under 14 CFR 65.80, a school may certify that a student is prepared to take the oral and practical tests during the final subjects of the curriculum, before that student meets 65.77 experience requirements or passes the written tests. Note that a 65.80 applicant does still need an FAA endorsement on Form 8610-2, unlike a graduate.

Getting military experience credited: the FSDO visit and Form 8610-2

If you are applying on experience, the process starts with FAA Form 8610-2, Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application. The form instructions direct you to complete two originals when submitting a printed application, and the FAA FAQ tells applicants to bring two completed forms to the appointment. You take them, plus your evidence, to a Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), and an Aviation Safety Inspector interviews you to evaluate your experience. If the inspector accepts your documentation, the inspector completes Section V, which reads: "I find this applicant meets the experience requirements of 14 CFR part 65 and is eligible to take the required tests." That signature is the authorisation to test, and it is the whole point of the appointment.

The FAA lists what military applicants should bring: all documentation of your training and qualifications, and a letter from your Executive Officer, Maintenance Officer, or Classification Officer certifying your length of military service, the amount of time you worked in each MOS, NEC, or AFSC, the make and model of aircraft and/or engine on which you acquired the practical experience, and where you obtained the experience. The FAA's list of useful documentary evidence includes the DD Form 214, aviation-related course completion certificates, training records, an AMT log signed by your supervising mechanic, letters of recommendation, and evidence of additional military qualifications such as Collateral Duty Inspector, Quality Assurance Representative, assignment to a Quality Assurance department, or an engine turn qualification endorsement.

Two FAA warnings deserve to be read twice. First: "You will not be authorized to test just because you served in the military." Second: you cannot count time you spent training for the specialty, only time you spent working in it. A long tech school pipeline does not move you toward 18 or 30 months. The FAA repeats the point when describing documentary evidence: practical experience means actually performing maintenance, and time spent in training cannot be accepted for either the time or the experience determination.

Which specialties can earn credit is set out in FAA Order 8900.1, Flight Standards Information Management System, Volume 5, Chapter 5, Section 2, Figure 5-135, Military Occupational Specialty Codes. The FAA says that depending on your specialty it may grant credit toward the Airframe and/or Powerplant ratings — being listed is not the same as being approved. On the form, Section II blocks B1 through B3 ask for your branch of service, your highest military rank or grade, and your military specialty codes; Section III asks for a dated record of employment and the type of work performed. The instructions are explicit that "job titles are not a description of the type of work performed."

The JSAMTCC route and the Certificate of Eligibility

The Department of Defense, in collaboration with the FAA, established the Joint Service Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification Council (JSAMTCC). It delivers civil aviation training courses to military personnel through a partnership with the Community College of the Air Force, and it evaluates aviation-related specialties for all U.S. military branches of service. The council was created in May 2000 to bridge the gap between military maintenance experience and civilian aviation standards and to help military members meet FAA A&P eligibility requirements. It is the closest thing to a built-in bridge from a maintenance specialty to the A&P.

The practical difference is the paperwork, and it is worth stating exactly what the sources support rather than more. The Form 8610-2 instructions state: "FAA endorsement for testing is required for applicants applying based on civil or military experience or § 65.80. An AMTS or JSAMTCC graduate does not need FAA endorsement to test." The FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix separately lists a "Military Certificate of Eligibility (COE)" as an acceptable form of authorisation at the testing centre, for the tests authorised on the certificate. On the form, blocks B4 through B6 capture the JSAMTCC curriculum completed, the completion date, and the certificate control number, both taken from the Certificate of Eligibility.

In practice that removes the FSDO appointment, the inspector interview, and the risk of being turned away with a folder of records an inspector does not find persuasive. Note one thing that reads as a conflict in FAA guidance: the FAA's experience page still tells active-duty members generally to make application at their local FSDO. If a JSAMTCC pathway is open to you, confirm with your branch's programme representative whether you still need the FSDO step before you book an appointment.

Whether it is open to you depends on your service and your specialty, and the council reviews specialties over time. Confirm your eligibility through your branch's education or credentialing office and through the DoD COOL site for your service rather than through a commercial course provider.

The exams: three written tests, then an oral and practical

There are three knowledge tests. The FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix lists them as AMG (Aviation Maintenance Technician General), 60 questions; AMA (Airframe), 100 questions; and AMP (Powerplant), 100 questions. Each allows 2.0 hours and each requires a score of 70 to pass. The FAA says to take the General test first, followed by the Airframe and/or Powerplant tests. Questions are objective multiple choice. Tests are delivered at FAA-approved airman knowledge testing centres — commercially through the FAA's contracted testing vendor, currently PSI, which sets its own fees, and also at FAA-approved JSAMTCC testing centres located in military installation facilities and education centres.

Before you can test you need an FAA Tracking Number (FTN). You register for one in IACRA, but the FAA notes IACRA is not yet programmed to accept Aviation Mechanic certificate applications, so the paper Form 8610-2 is still required. Keep both originals the FSDO issues you — the Testing Matrix instructs that the applicant must retain both, and that the proctor scans the form and returns the original to you.

After the written tests come the oral and practical, administered by a Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME) against the Aviation Mechanic General, Airframe, and Powerplant Airman Certification Standards, which 65.79 incorporates by reference. You bring the signed 8610-2 and your Airman Knowledge Test Reports to the DME. DMEs charge for the oral and practical, and the amount is set by the individual examiner. Find one through the FAA Designee Locator. The FAA states that at this time there are no DMEs located outside the U.S., so plan the oral and practical for a period you will be stateside. Pass, and you receive a Temporary Mechanic Certificate on the spot.

Two clocks matter. Under 65.71(a)(3) you must pass all of the prescribed tests within a period of 24 months. Miss that window and passed tests fall out of it. Under 65.71(b), a certificated mechanic adding a rating must pass the tests prescribed by 65.75 and 65.79 within a period of 24 calendar months. If you fail any knowledge, oral, or practical test, you may apply for retesting 30 days after the failure, or sooner if you present a signed statement from an airman holding the certificate and rating you are seeking certifying that you received additional instruction in each subject failed and are considered ready for retesting.

There is deployment relief. 14 CFR 65.75(d) makes an applicant eligible to take the practical test with an expired written test report in accordance with 14 CFR 61.40. That relief applies if you served in a U.S. military or civilian capacity outside the United States in support of a U.S. Armed Forces operation on or after 11 September 2001; the report expired during that service or within 6 calendar months of returning; and you complete the practical test within 6 calendar months after returning. You must submit an appropriate application to the Flight Standards office with documentation of the assignment and return dates — official U.S. Government notification, military orders, or a letter from your military commander or civilian supervisor.

Who pays: Credentialing Assistance while serving, GI Bill after

These are two different programs with different rules, and mixing them up costs people money. Credentialing Assistance (CA) is a service program for people currently serving; it pays vendors directly and does not touch your GI Bill. The GI Bill licensing and certification benefit is a VA program that reimburses you after you have paid, and it does consume GI Bill entitlement. Free testing under the FAA-JSAMTCC agreement is a third, separate thing.

Army CA changed sharply. Under ALARACT 102/2025, released 14 November 2025, the annual cap dropped from $4,000 to $2,000, Soldiers are limited to one credential a year and a maximum of three in 10 years, aviation credentials are capped at $1,000 per year for all Army components, Soldiers must take the associated credential exam or the cost of the coursework is recouped, first-time CA users must complete ArmyIgnitED training, and Soldiers must use the decision support tool before requesting CA. Effective 19 March 2026, all TA and CA requests need supervisor or commander-representative approval in ArmyIgnitED; commissioned officers O1 through O10 are ineligible for CA, though officers who submitted a credential education goal not completed before 19 March 2026 may still request funding to finish it; and two recoupment actions across TA and CA in the same fiscal year trigger a 12-month suspension from requesting either, appealable through ArmyIgnitED. The Army does not reimburse anything — you pay nothing out of pocket and the Army pays the vendor — and it will initiate recoupment through DFAS if results are not uploaded. Because the A&P is an aviation credential, the $1,000-per-year aviation limit is the number that will actually bind you.

Air Force and Space Force enlisted members use AF COOL, which will not exceed $4,500 per lifetime per Air and Space professional — a lifetime figure, not an annual one. It is a Total Force enlisted program: you must possess a 5-skill level in your primary AFSC, obtain supervisor approval, and complete the entire credential while on active duty status. Members may attain only one credential at a time per category at Air Force expense. The AF pays exams, administrative and application fees, recertification fees, and books not to exceed $500. If you fail the credential exam you are required to repay the cost, and members who fail to submit grades within 120 days of test completion may be responsible for recoupment of some or all funding. The figures above come from the Regular Air Force active-duty page; Guard and Reserve terms may differ. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard programs have their own rules and their own fiscal-year funding limits; check your service's page on cool.osd.mil before you commit money.

Separately, the FAA and JSAMTCC have a Memorandum of Agreement that lets eligible people take FAA airman knowledge tests at no cost. Read the fine print. First, the MOA is dated 30 September 2023 and states it "is valid for a period of three calendar years from the date of approval signatures" — that term runs out around 30 September 2026, so confirm the agreement has been renewed before planning around it. Second, AMT knowledge tests "may be delivered only to applicants who meet the requirements of 14 CFR 65.77" — free testing is not a substitute for eligibility. Third, the covered groups are specific: active-duty, service academy cadets, guard and reserve component personnel of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force; dependents (spouse, child) of those personnel; DoD civilians; DHS civilians, including Coast Guard Auxiliarists with base access; prior U.S. military members including retirees and veterans, with base access; and dependents of U.S. military retirees, with base access. Not covered: Civil Air Patrol, college or high school ROTC cadets, DoD and DHS contractors, Department of State employees, FAA employees and contractors, foreign affiliate military members, Individual Ready Reserve, NOAA, NATO, TSA, prior military members without base access, Coast Guard Auxiliarists without base access, and other government or civilian individuals not listed. Testing centre staff will not arrange base access or escort you, and you must bring proof of affiliation. This covers the written tests only, not the DME's oral and practical fee.

For veterans, the VA pays back the cost of an approved licensing or certification test up to $2,000 per test, including registration and administrative fees. It will pay even if you fail, and it will pay for retakes and recertification tests. You may take as many tests as you like, but only as long as you have remaining entitlement and use your benefits within your time limit. The VA will not pay fees connected with obtaining the actual licence or certification document. You claim it with VA Form 22-0803 under Chapter 33, Chapter 30, Chapter 1606, or Chapter 35. Prep courses are reimbursed separately with VA Form 22-10272 and only under Chapter 33 or Chapter 35, and the VA approves prep courses only for tests it has already approved. Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31) is a separate program worth asking about if you have a service-connected disability. Note that the FAA charges nothing to issue the mechanic certificate itself.

Does any of this burn GI Bill entitlement? Yes — but only the VA route, and not much of it. The VA states it charges your entitlement based on the amount it paid back to you. For the Post-9/11 GI Bill, at rates effective 1 August 2025 through 31 July 2026, the VA charges 1 month of entitlement for every $2,496.26 in licensing and certification test fees it pays, and 1 month for every $2,428.20 in prep course fees. A few hundred dollars of knowledge-test fees therefore costs you a few days of entitlement, not a month. Those rates change annually — the window above closes on 31 July 2026, so check the current rates page for your chapter before you plan. By contrast, service Credentialing Assistance and free testing under the FAA-JSAMTCC MOA do not consume GI Bill entitlement at all, which is a strong argument for using them while you are still in and saving your entitlement for something larger. VR&E under Chapter 31 is its own benefit and is not charged against GI Bill entitlement either.

Where the money gets wasted, and how to avoid it

The A&P prep market is unregulated. Courses that prepare you for the tests are not FAA-certificated schools, and buying one does not make you eligible to test. The FAA's own advice is that AMTS programs offer FAA-approved curriculum that may establish eligibility, and that test prep courses are for people who are already eligible. Only a part 147 AMTS graduation document, a JSAMTCC Certificate of Eligibility, or an inspector-signed Form 8610-2 authorises you to test. If a provider implies its course is what gets you approved, that is the tell. Establish eligibility first, then decide whether you need a prep course at all.

The consequences of a bad provider are not theoretical. The FAA maintains a page, last updated 19 March 2026, on reexamination of A&P certificate holders tied to St. George Aviation and to two Designated Mechanic Examiners, Bryan Tobias and Marty Simmons, because of concerns about fraudulent or inadequate testing. Certificates issued through St. George Aviation between 10 October 1995 and 31 December 1998 require reexamination unless the holder has since obtained an Inspection Authorization. Affected mechanics schedule reexamination through their nearest FSDO. If they fail, they either surrender the certificate or place it on deposit with the FAA and retest within 45 days, with only one additional attempt permitted. People in that position paid for a credential and ended up with an FAA file.

Treat any offer to help you "document" experience you did not perform as disqualifying. The 8610-2 carries an applicant certification you sign, and the form package includes the Pilot's Bill of Rights Written Notification of Investigation — your signature confirms you received it. Overstating time in a specialty, or counting schoolhouse time as work time, is a fast way to turn a certificate application into an enforcement matter.

A short due-diligence list: ask any school for its FAA part 147 certificate number and verify it; ask any DME for their designation and confirm it in the FAA Designee Locator; check that a test is on the VA's approved list before assuming reimbursement, and note the VA's caution that an unlisted test may still be valid but simply not yet approved; and confirm your service's current CA cap with an education counsellor rather than with a vendor's sales page. Vendors have an incentive to describe funding as more generous than it is.

Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these official sources. Benefit rates and thresholds change — check the current official page before you act.

• FAA - Become an Aviation Mechanic
• FAA - Experience Requirements to Become an Aircraft Mechanic
• FAA - Aircraft Mechanic Oral, Practical, & Written Tests
• FAA - Mechanic Training (Order 8900.1 and school locator)
• FAA - Reexamination of Certain A&P Certificate Holders
• FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix
• FAA Form 8610-2, Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application
• FAA-JSAMTCC Memorandum of Agreement (30 September 2023)
• FAA Designee Locator (find a Designated Mechanic Examiner)
• 14 CFR 65.71 - Eligibility requirements: General
• 14 CFR 65.75 - Knowledge requirements
• 14 CFR 65.77 - Experience requirements
• 14 CFR 65.79 - Skill requirements
• 14 CFR 65.80 - Certificated aviation maintenance technician school students
• 14 CFR 147.31 - Tests: general (AMTS)
• 14 CFR 61.40 - Relief for U.S. military and civilian personnel assigned outside the United States
• VA - Licensing and certification tests and prep courses
• VA - Post-9/11 GI Bill rates (entitlement charges for tests and prep courses)
• VA - Licensing and Certification Test Reimbursement Fact Sheet
• VA - Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31)
• myArmyBenefits - Army Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL)
• myAirForceBenefits - Air Force Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (AF COOL)
• DoD Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL)
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook - Aircraft and Avionics Equipment Mechanics and Technicians