Avionics Certifications: FCC GROL, NCATT AET, and the FAA Repairman Route

Does the FAA Issue Avionics Certifications?

No. The mechanic FAQ on faa.gov says it plainly: "There are no additional regulatory certifications required to perform work on avionics equipment." There are no specialist ratings either, electronics specialist included. Your mechanic certificate carries an Airframe rating, a Powerplant rating, or both, and that's the whole list.

What FAA rules do control is who does and signs for the work. If you hold neither a mechanic certificate nor a repairman certificate, you may only do aviation work while supervised by a certificated mechanic. And the mechanic certificate has one limit that matters here: its privileges exclude "any repair to, or alteration of, instruments" (14 CFR Part 65, Subpart D).

FCC GROL: Exam Elements, Radar Endorsement, and Validity

The FCC GROL is a commercial radio operator license, not an aviation certificate. You earn it by passing two written exams, Element 1 and Element 3. Element 3 is the avionics piece: it covers adjusting, repairing, and maintaining transmitters and receivers at FCC-licensed stations "in the aviation and maritime radio services." Anyone legally eligible for employment in the United States can apply on FCC Form 605.

The Radar Endorsement

The radar add-on is the Ship Radar Endorsement, earned by passing written Element 8. The rule describes Element 8 in marine terms: the theory behind installing, servicing, and maintaining ship radar used for navigation. Before you study for it, ask whether the radar work you'd do calls for it.

How GROL Testing Works

Exams are run by a COLEM (commercial operator license examination manager) or by the FCC. The COLEM must give you results within 3 business days and issue a Proof-of-Passing Certificate for each element you pass. That certificate is good for 365 days, so file your license application inside that year (47 CFR 13.211). The FCC sets question counts and passing scores by public notice, not in the rule.

How Long an FCC GROL Lasts

Commercial radio operator licenses "are normally valid for the lifetime of the holder" (47 CFR 13.15). If a license does expire, you get a five-year grace period to apply for renewal without retaking the exams.

NCATT AET: Exam Format and Pass Mark

The AET is an industry avionics technician certification from ASTM International's NCATT program. The AET exam has 90 questions and a 73% passing score. It's open to anyone "regardless of career field, training, education or experience," so you don't need a school or an employer to sign off before you test.

SpaceTEC Partners Inc. administers the written exams through Credential Testing Services. You can test in person or by remote proctoring with a webcam and microphone, which carries a $10 to $14 proctoring fee. There's no limit on retakes. Since January 1, 2022, every NCATT certification, the AET included, renews every five years.

AET Endorsements

Once you hold the AET, you can add endorsements in specific systems. You have to pass the AET before you're eligible for any of them.

The FAA Repairman Certificate Path

If you don't hold a mechanic certificate, a repairman certificate is the other way to hold FAA privileges for avionics work. It's tied to a job. Under 14 CFR Part 65, Subpart E, you must be at least 18, work for a certificated repair station, commercial operator, or air carrier in a job that needs special qualifications, and be recommended by that employer.

You also need 18 months of practical experience or formal training the FAA accepts. The agency has recognized the AET, plus at least one qualifying NCATT avionics endorsement, as equal to that formal training (NBAA). And under FAA Advisory Circular 65-24, repair station and air carrier applicants normally don't take a written, oral, or practical test.

How Avionics Certifications Relate to the FAA Mechanic Certificate

No avionics certification replaces the mechanic certificate, and the certificate doesn't replace them. The A&P is earned through knowledge, oral, and practical tests, and its Airframe rating already covers avionics work. The other avionics certifications, the GROL and AET, test radio and electronics knowledge on top of it. The repairman certificate is the FAA option for people without a mechanic certificate.

For the mechanic side, read what the FAA mechanic exams cover and how to become an aircraft mechanic. If you're heading to school, look for a program that preps you for the GROL or AET alongside the Airframe and Powerplant ratings.

Avionics Pay and Job Outlook

Avionics technicians earned a median of $82,280 ($39.56 an hour) in May 2025, across 18,830 jobs, per BLS OEWS. That's $2,410 above the $79,870 median for aircraft mechanics ($82,280 minus $79,870).

Projections Central expects avionics jobs (SOC 49-2091) to grow from 21,400 in 2024 to 23,100 in 2034, a 7.9% increase, with about 1,800 openings a year. Avionics certifications don't set your pay on their own; see avionics pay by state for local figures.

FAA-Approved Schools With Avionics Options

22 of the 225 FAA-approved schools in our directory name a specific avionics credential, track, or option on their own program pages, and all 22 are listed below. Schools that only mention avionics coursework inside the mechanic curriculum are left off. Three name these avionics certifications directly: Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach, K-State Salina, and Metro Tech in Oklahoma City.

Program facts from each school's own site, retrieved September 2026. See our methodology.

Program details change, so confirm the avionics option, cost, and schedule with the school before you apply. You can compare every FAA-certificated school by state in the aircraft mechanic school directory, or read what avionics technicians do day to day.