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United States · Mechanic certificate

A&P apprenticeship: getting your experience on the job

An A&P apprenticeship is what the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) calls on-the-job training (OJT): you work on aircraft under a certificated mechanic until you have 18 months of experience for one rating, or 30 months for both. The FAA calls it “usually the most inexpensive method” of getting the experience. The FAA doesn’t place you: you find the work yourself. What matters is that the work is real maintenance, it’s supervised, and you can prove it to an FAA inspector, who then authorizes you to test.

  • 40 hoursThe work week the FAA counts a month on
  • 18 monthsMinimum for one rating
  • Certificated mechanicWho supervises and signs your log
Where to study

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How does an A&P apprenticeship work?

You can get the experience at any facility that builds, maintains or alters aircraft, engines or appliances, or in the military. The FAA suggests asking a flying club or aero club for help finding work or volunteering at a local airport. For civilian on-the-job training, the FAA says you need to:

  • Be supervised by a mechanic who holds an Airframe or Powerplant certificate, or both
  • Keep documentary evidence the FAA will accept
  • Set aside time to study for the knowledge, oral and practical tests

Work as a non-certificated mechanic or repairman at a repair station counts too, as long as it was on airframes, powerplants or both. The FAA’s Advisory Circular (AC) 65‑30B says your evidence can come from a series of certificated mechanics, not only one.

Military experience →What the work involves →

Keeping your log

The FAA recommends an Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) log. You can buy a logbook, make your own or use a sample log. Each entry should show:

  • The maintenance task you did
  • The time you spent on it
  • A validation by a certificated Airframe or Powerplant technician

The FAA’s FAQ also mentions pay receipts for tasks, or records signed by a certificated supervisor showing the hours, the exact task and the registration number of the aircraft. AC 65‑30B says one way to show your experience is to list work in 50% of the subject areas in the mechanic Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for the rating. Training records, a course certificate, a statement from your employer and letters of recommendation can all support it. Only time spent actually doing maintenance counts: time in training doesn’t.

How the months are counted

The FAA bases the experience on a full-time, 40-hour week, and AC 65‑30B counts a month as an average of 160 hours. Extra hours don’t shorten the time. The FAA’s FAQ gives the example of an apprentice who worked 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 3,120 hours in a year: that doesn’t qualify, because the rule allows nothing less than 18 months for one rating or 30 months working on both.

All the eligibility rules →

Getting authorized to test

  1. Fill in two copies of FAA Form 8610‑2.
  2. Make an appointment at your local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) and bring the forms and all your evidence.
  3. An Aviation Safety Inspector reviews your experience. The FAA says the more evidence you bring, the better.
  4. If it’s enough, the inspector signs the form, and that signed form is your authorization at the test center.
  5. Pass the knowledge tests, then book the oral and practical tests with an examiner.
Filling in Form 8610-2 →Prep courses for people who qualify →
Sources: FAA · GovInfo and 2 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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