GAO Wants High Schoolers To Take Mechanic General Test

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has concluded that high school students taking aviation maintenance classes in non-certified mechanic training programs should be allowed to take the general written knowledge test, the first step in the airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic licensing process. This would help alleviate the mechanic shortage by encouraging students to continue their training and become licensed.

According to the GAO’s “High School Aviation Maintenance Programs” report, there are nearly 100 aviation maintenance programs that also serve high school students, and 43 of these are high schools that are not FAA-approved under the Part 147 regulations that govern A&P programs. Because these aren’t certificated by the FAA, these high school students are not able to take any of the tests toward licensing. 

The general knowledge test is one of three written tests, and candidates must also pass two oral and practical exams after completing the Part 147 curriculum or logging 18 months of maintenance experience for each license (A or P) or 30 months combined for both licenses.

There are more than 200 A&P schools in the U.S., and in 2025, 11,103 people earned their A&P certificate. Of those, 7,513 graduated from Part 147 programs, 2,210 qualified by work experience, and 1,380 were able to use military experience to qualify to take the written and oral/practical tests.

While there were 331,000 people holding FAA mechanic certificates in 2025, the FAA does not track how many work in the aviation industry, nor whether they are alive or dead. The database of mechanics is updated to reflect deceased individuals, but only if the FAA is notified of the person’s death. 

An encouraging sign, according to the GAO, is that “From calendar year 2016 through calendar year 2025, the number of mechanic certificates that the FAA issued each year nearly doubled, from approximately 5,900 in 2016 to a high of more than 11,100 in 2025.”

However, Oliver Wyman forecasts that there will be a supply deficit of 43,000 to 48,000 aircraft mechanics by 2027, according to statistics cited by business aviation maintenance provider Jets MRO. This equates to a shortfall of 24 to 27%. “One in four aviation maintenance workers that the industry needs does not exist,” the company said.

Another aspect of this problem is an aging workforce. “More than a quarter of current mechanics are over age 64,” Jets MRO said, “and an estimated 80% of today’s technicians are expected to retire within the next five to six years.”

That means that the number of new mechanics licensed each year is not enough. According to Jets MRO, “enrollment at [aircraft mechanic] programs is growing at 2% per year when it needs to grow at 20% to close the gap. The math is not close.”

This problem will hit particularly hard for business aviation maintenance providers, Jets MRO added. “Independent MROs and regional operators will likely feel the effects most. Historically, independent MROs and regionals serve as an entry point for mechanics, many of whom eventually move on to work for major airlines.

“The independent private aviation MRO is the training ground for the commercial aviation workforce. It produces the technicians it cannot always afford to keep. And in 2027, the commercial airline sector—with larger recruiting budgets, more visible brand names, and more aggressive compensation packages—will be drawing from the same diminished pool with greater force than it has in any previous year.”

The GAO’s recommendation that students at non-certificated schools be allowed to take the general test is, in part, intended to remove barriers to aviation maintenance careers and to help students become more aware of career opportunities. Indeed, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 required the FAA to assign a task to an aviation rulemaking advisory committee, which was supposed to establish the Airman Knowledge Testing Working Group by May 2025. The group’s mandate would specifically address the GAO recommendation about taking the general written test. However, according to the GAO, a presidential executive order terminated members of advisory committees that were deemed unnecessary, including the one mandated in the reauthorization act.

“Convening a group of industry stakeholders and aviation experts to conduct an assessment, through the advisory committee or other mechanism, could help FAA obtain a range of perspectives on the potential benefits and drawbacks of allowing graduates of uncertificated schools to take the test,” the GAO said. “Through this assessment, FAA could also determine whether expanding access to the test could help address future workforce demand.”