ATEC Pushes FAA To Remove Barrier For Future Mechanics

Pipelines function best when they are obstruction-free. With this in mind, the leading U.S. trade group for aviation maintenance schools is asking the FAA to remove a blockage from an innovative program that gives young students a head start on an aviation technical career.

The Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) petitioned the FAA to allow qualified high school students to take the agency’s General Written Test, which is required for all prospective airframe and powerplant (A&P) certificate candidates. ATEC’s request, which would grant exemption from experience requirements in FAR 65.77, sets out three qualifications that students must meet to sit for the FAA test: Complete designated aviation maintenance coursework, pass a related test and earn an endorsement from their program instructor.

FAR 65.77 requires A&P candidates to have either relevant work experience, such as an apprenticeship, or proof of having completed required coursework at a “certificated aviation maintenance technician school” (AMTS) per Part 147 before taking agency-mandated tests. A persistent shortage of skilled maintenance workers has prompted stakeholders to expand efforts to attract candidates beyond traditional paths. In the U.S., ATEC spearheaded Choose Aerospace, which permits high schools and other learning institutions to make General A&P courses available.

While the curriculum is based on the latest FAA Aviation Mechanic Airman Certification Standards, Choose program schools are not agency-approved Part 147 AMTS. Students who complete the curriculum—which mirrors that of a certified AMTS environment—still must meet the FAA’s rules to pass the first test required to earn an A&P license. The other exams cover airframe and powerplant, and include both written and practical elements.

Fundamental aviation maintenance principles can be taught in a classroom environment. But the FAA-mandated equipment, instructors and other resources for more advanced AMTS coursework require space and investment beyond what most high schools can afford. Choose bridges this gap by giving high school students a head start on another career option.

Permitting Choose students to sit for the General Written Test would make their paths to a maintenance career both more direct and more likely, ATEC argues. Passing the test would put students one step closer to an FAA license, making them more attractive to prospective employers or more likely to enroll in a Part 147 school to continue their training.

Conversely, fear of testing is one of the most common hurdles students cite when asked why they have not sat for required A&P exams. Such fear stems in part from gaps between when students complete relevant courses and when they can sit for related exams. While the issue affects more than Choose Aerospace students, their hurdle is codified into FAA regulations.

“Under the current framework, a student who completes structured aviation maintenance instruction outside an AMTS cannot take the General Written Test until meeting the 18- or 30-month practical experience requirements,” ATEC states in its petition. “The student therefore cannot begin the FAA testing sequence even after completing [FAA standards-aligned] instruction and demonstrating mastery of the General knowledge elements.”

Granting ATEC’s request would permit successful Choose students “to translate demonstrated General knowledge into a completed FAA testing milestone, reinforcing continued progress toward certification through AMTS training, qualifying employment or an apprenticeship,” the association states. ATEC is not seeking any changes to what the students must learn.

The organization’s exemption request proposes awarding an ATEC credential to any Choose students who meet the three qualifications required to sit for the FAA General exam. The credential includes a free, one-year ATEC membership. The association’s request targets these credential holders as the only ones who would be eligible to meet the exemption—a small but important designation that should satisfy the FAA’s requirements for a clear definition of who would qualify.

Choose has grown steadily since its 2021 introduction. The program had 1,237 enrollees from 52 programs in 23 states this past school year, ATEC states in its petition. Several companies and AMTS have partnered with Choose high school programs as part of their workforce development pipelines, the organization adds.

The FAA accepted the petition (Docket No. FAA-2026-9274) and will begin a formal review process that will last at least four months. The petition will go through a public notice and comment period that had not opened by the end of August.