FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
For active-duty personnel whose home away from home may be an aircraft, hangar or airfield, the military and the Federal Aviation Administration have a free joint training program in place for achieving a FAA Airframe and Powerplant Certification.
Applicants must have 18 months of practical experience with either powerplants or airframes, or 30 months of practical experience working on both simultaneously. As an alternative to the experience requirement, applicants may graduate from an FAA-approved Aviation Maintenance Technician School.
Applicants obtain the knowledge in one of three ways: through military experience, working at a maintenance facility under the supervision of a certified aircraft mechanic, or through traditional educational means.
The A&P Certificate consists of three areas: General, which covers common knowledge; Airframe which covers the "skin" of the aircraft; and Powerplant, which covers the engine and its parts. Applicants must pass a written exam for all three areas followed by an oral and practical exam for certification. As an added bonus, the Bateman Army Education Center on Ft. Eustis administers the written exam for free.
The oral and practical portions of the exam are administered through the FAA only, and are reimbursable.
Service members can benefit from certification through an increase in knowledge of their profession, promotion potential and college credit towards a degree. Certification also benefits civilians by bolstering their competitiveness for aviation-related jobs in their field.
The hardest part of the A&P program is remaining focused. Virtually all military personnel holding an aviation specialty have proven their dedication, and are at an advanced level of training. Currently, throughout the armed forces, aviation mechanics are being trained and certified through this program.
The program offer includes 180 civilian college credit hours. Some are gaining this certification while staying on active duty to obtain their bachelor's or master's degrees.
For more information, active-duty Soldiers should email usarmy.jble.tradoc.list.usaals-ap-administration@mail.mil, call DSN
826-6372 ext. 2260, or visit https://apportal.army.mil.
Active-duty Airmen should email the Community College of the Air Force Credentialing Programs office at
ccaf.faa@maxwell.af.mil, call DSN 749-5020 or commercially at (334) 649-5020, or visit
http://www.au.af.mil/au/ccaf/certifications.asp.