From where you are to certified A&P. Here's the whole path.
Most people fail at the A&P because nobody shows them the full process. Here it is — every step, in order, with what we do at each one.
Five steps. No guesswork.
Every A&P goes through the same five steps. The order matters — and skipping ahead is how people waste months.
Find your path
Civilian experience, military service, Part 147 school, or international — the FAA accepts all of them, but the paperwork is different for each. The free 2-minute quiz tells you which one is yours.
Take the free quiz →Get cleared to test
Document your experience, fill out FAA Form 8610-2, and pass your FSDO appointment. This is where most people get turned away — for paperwork, not experience. Our eligibility courses fix that before you file.
See the eligibility courses →Pass the three writtens
General, Airframe, Powerplant — in that order (General is required first). Our courses teach the material AND drill you on FAA-style questions, so you understand it instead of just memorizing it.
See the written + oral courses →Pass the oral & practical
Ask any A&P: this is the one that gets people. A DME asks you to explain what you memorized — and then prove it with your hands. Every ASM course includes oral prep, and our San Antonio program adds hands-on practice with real components.
See the in-person program →Get hired
The certificate is the credential — the job is the payoff. ASM is built by Total Aviation Staffing, so certified graduates plug straight into a network of employers hiring A&P mechanics.
About the TAS partnership →Self-paced online, or in a classroom. Same destination.
Pick the format that fits your life. Both cover written and oral prep. Both lead to the same network.
Study anywhere, on your schedule
Work through the courses at your own pace — nights, weekends, layovers. Built for working mechanics who can't stop life for school.
- Written + oral prep in every course
- AI tutor answers you 24/7
- Lifetime access · payment plans available
A classroom, a shop, and an instructor
A focused two-week format with a facilitator in the room, and hands-on Oral & Practical practice on real components in our shop.
- Instructor-led, structured schedule
- Real tools, real components for O&P prep
- Day and night options
Three FAA testing phases. We prep all three.
The written exams
Three computer tests — General, Airframe, Powerplant. We teach the material in plain English and drill you on FAA-style questions until test day feels familiar.
The oral examination
Turning a wrench is one thing. Explaining your logic to a DME is another. We train you to talk through systems and procedures out loud — before the DME asks.
The practical skills test
Hands-on tasks to FAA tolerances — safety wiring, inspections, navigating manuals under pressure. Our in-person shop time gets your hands ready, not just your head.
Wherever you're starting from.
Transitioning veterans
Your service time counts. We translate your MOS, AFSC, or NEC into an FAA rating and walk you through the military paperwork.
Experienced mechanics
You've done the work for years without the ticket. We turn your shop time into FSDO-ready documentation and get you through the exams.
New to aviation
Starting fresh? We show you every route in, what each one takes, and give you a clear plan — before you spend money on the wrong path.
Step 1 takes 2 minutes.
Take the free quiz, find your path, and get your exact next step. Or talk to our team if you'd rather walk it through with a person.