Aviation Mechanic Military 2026: FAA Credit and Free Testing

Which aviation mechanic military specialties count?

The FAA’s Advisory Circular (AC) 65‑30B lists them in Appendix A, Military Occupational Specialty Codes, dated May 23, 2023, with the rating each one may count toward. The FAA also publishes the list in FAA Order 8900.1, Volume 5, Chapter 5, Section 2, Figure 5‑135. A few of the Army codes, as AC 65‑30B lists them:

15B Aircraft Powerplant Repairer: Powerplant
15G Aircraft Structural Repairer: Airframe
15N Avionics Mechanic: Airframe
15T UH-60 Helicopter Repairer: Airframe and Powerplant
15U CH-47 Helicopter Repairer: Airframe and Powerplant

The appendix also lists Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC), Navy Enlisted Classification codes (NEC) and Marine Corps and Coast Guard specialties. Older codes stay on the list, because the experience doesn’t expire.

FAA: AC 65-30B, with Appendix A (PDF) ↗Avionics specialties and the Airframe rating →

Two ways to get authorized

If you finished the JSAMTCC certificate training, run with the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), you get a military Certificate of Eligibility (COE). The FAA treats it as meeting the experience rule for the ratings it lists, and the test center accepts it as your authorization. You don’t need to see an inspector first.

Without a JSAMTCC COE, you go to a Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), where an inspector interviews you and checks your evidence. Bring all your training and qualification records and a letter from your executive officer, maintenance officer or classification officer stating:

Your length of military service
The time you worked in each specialty
The make and model of aircraft or engine you worked on
Where you got the experience

Veterans can bring a DD Form 214 showing the specialty and the time in it. Extra qualifications such as Collateral Duty Inspector or Quality Assurance Representative help too.

The forms you fill in →

No-cost knowledge tests at JSAMTCC sites

Under an agreement with the FAA, JSAMTCC sites give FAA knowledge tests at no cost to eligible people. The JSAMTCC testing FAQ, updated August 14, 2025, lists them:

Active-duty, guard and reserve members, and service academy cadets, of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force
Their spouses and children
Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) civilians, including Coast Guard Auxiliarists with base access
Former military members, including retirees and veterans, with base access, and dependents of retirees with base access

Find a site through the Find a Test Center search on the FAA site of PSI Services, the FAA’s testing vendor: military centers are marked with the letter “M”. Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets aren’t covered. The FAA doesn’t refund fees paid at a commercial test center, so ask your branch about reimbursement before you book there.

FAA: JSAMTCC Airman Knowledge Testing FAQ (PDF) ↗PSI: Find a Test Center ↗

Testing while you serve

You can take the tests while in the Armed Forces, once you meet the experience rule. Some overseas bases can give FAA knowledge tests, but the FAA’s FAQ says there are no Designated Mechanic Examiners (DMEs) outside the United States for the oral and practical tests.

If you served outside the United States in support of US Armed Forces operations, Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 65.75(d) and 61.40 let you take the practical test with an expired knowledge test report, as long as the report expired while you were serving or within 6 calendar months of coming back, and you take the practical test within 6 calendar months of returning. You apply to a Flight Standards office with your orders, a personnel action or a letter from your commander showing the dates (14 CFR 61.40). That relief has been in part 65 itself from December 1, 2024.

The oral and practical tests →Test fees off base →

Sources: FAA · Federal Register and 4 more. Checked November 2026.