How Long Is Aviation Maintenance School? Published Lengths From 52 FAA Schools

How Long Is Aviation Maintenance School at 52 FAA Schools?

Of the 225 schools on the FAA's approved list, 52 state the length of their aviation maintenance program in months. Their median is 18 months, and 31 of them land between 18 and 24 months (31 ÷ 52 = 59.6%), which is the FAA's range.

The fast end is real but narrow. 21 schools publish lengths under 18 months, and the shortest run long days: US Aviation Academy's 8-month option is about 36 hours a week. Each school counts once, at the headline length on its program page. Schools that give length only in years or semesters aren't in the chart, and some run past 24 months: San Diego Miramar College lists 2.5 years.

Hours still predict calendar length. Gordon Cooper Technology Center fits 1,920 clock hours into 63 weeks, about 30 hours a week (1,920 ÷ 63 = 30.5).

Day, Evening, and Accelerated Tracks

Aviation maintenance school length depends as much on your schedule as on the curriculum. Of the 94 schools whose program pages describe a class schedule, 40 mention evening or night classes. Evening tracks cover fewer hours a week, so the same curriculum takes more months: Pima Community College lists 16 months full-time or 28 part-time.

Broward College shows the trade-off in hours. Its Traditional schedule covers 400 hours a semester and takes 18 to 19 months. Express packs about 600 hours into each of three semesters, plus about 200 in a final one, and takes 13 months (3 × 600 + 200 = 2,000 hours).

Paying with GI Bill benefits at a non-degree school? VA sets your monthly payment partly by the clock hours you're scheduled each week, and for hands-on programs it counts 22 or more hours a week as full time.

Associate Degree vs. Certificate: How Much Time the Degree Adds

The FAA doesn't require a degree for the mechanic certificate. An associate degree adds general education to the mechanic curriculum, and at schools that publish both, that's 4 or 5 more months. California Aeronautical University lists 17 months for its diploma and 22 for its associate degree (22 − 17 = 5). Spartan College's Los Angeles campus lists 18 and 22.

Ratings change the clock too. Lincoln Land Community College lists 10 months for an airframe or powerplant certificate alone and about 18 months for both. Weighing the longer path? See how an aviation maintenance degree fits.

Published Lengths and Schedules at 10 Schools

These programs show the range, from compressed full-time tracks to night schedules that run three years. The aviation maintenance school directory lists every FAA-approved school by state, including aviation maintenance schools in Texas.

How Long Does It Take to Get Certified Without School?

Without an FAA-approved school, regulation sets the clock. You need documented practical experience: at least 18 months for one rating, or 30 months working on both airframes and powerplants at the same time for the FAA mechanic certificate with Airframe and Powerplant ratings, known as the A&P (14 CFR 65.77).

You can't compress it. The FAA counts experience on a typical 40-hour week. Its own FAQ takes up an apprentice who worked 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, for a year: 10 × 6 × 52 = 3,120 hours, equal to 18 months of 40-hour weeks. The FAA's answer is that it doesn't qualify.

Only time spent doing maintenance counts, backed by proof such as logs signed by a certificated supervisor. About 20% of new mechanics came this way, per the 2025 ATEC Pipeline Report. An aircraft mechanic apprenticeship is one way in.

Military Experience and the Certification Clock

The FAA won't authorize you to test just because you served. Only time spent working in an aviation maintenance specialty counts, not time spent training for it. The Joint Service Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification Council evaluates military specialties to decide what credit the FAA may grant toward each rating.

Bring your DD Form 214 with your MOS codes and time worked under each. The military route produced 14% of new mechanics in the 2025 Pipeline Report. The military aircraft mechanic guide covers each branch.

How Much Time Testing Adds

Students at FAA-approved schools can overlap testing with the end of training. Here's the order:

You must pass all tests within 24 months. Fail one and you can retest after 30 days, or sooner with a signed statement from a mechanic holding the rating you're seeking. In 2025, examiners approved 11,065 of the 14,838 original mechanic applicants they tested (11,065 ÷ 14,838 = 74.6%), per FAA Civil Airmen Statistics.

How Long Does It Take to Become an Aircraft Mechanic?

Through an FAA-approved school, it's the program length, 18 months at the median, with testing that can overlap the final subjects. Through work experience, it's at least 30 months on the job for both ratings before you can test. Either way, you must be at least 18 to be eligible.

Next, check what aviation maintenance school costs, read how to become an aircraft mechanic, or read how we rank aviation maintenance schools.