Trade licensing overview · aircraft mechanic (a&p)
How aircraft mechanic (a&p) licensing works — Texas
How this trade is regulated in Texas. federal-license-required The framework below describes the national pathway most aircraft mechanic (a&p)s in Texas follow.
Aircraft mechanics are federally licensed by the FAA, not by states. The Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) certificate is issued under 14 CFR Part 65 and preempts any state mechanic licensing scheme.
Aircraft Mechanic (A&P) wages in Texas · BLS OES A01 2024
Wages are state-level annual figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (A01 2024). Specific aircraft mechanic (a&p) earnings in Texas vary by metro area, employer type, union membership, and years of experience. Verify the current state and metro figures on the BLS OES site (bls.gov/oes).
What this trade actually looks like in Texas
Aircraft mechanics in Texas work in arguably the largest single-state aviation market in the country, anchored by the American Airlines DFW hub and Tulsa-equivalent Alliance MRO at AFW, the Southwest Airlines Dallas Love Field hub, the United Airlines IAH hub, the Bell Textron rotorcraft plants at Fort Worth and Amarillo, the Lockheed Martin F-35 plant at Fort Worth, and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi training and Joint Base San Antonio aviation. The state combines mainline airline base maintenance, OEM rotorcraft and fighter production, and significant defense and contractor depot work.
Where they work
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW American Airlines hub line and base maintenance; Alliance / AFW American Airlines Maintenance Base for widebody and narrowbody heavy maintenance; DAL Southwest Airlines headquarters and base; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics F-35 production at Air Force Plant 4 / Fort Worth; Bell Textron Hurst and Amarillo for V-280, V-22, and 525), Houston (IAH United Airlines hub line and base, HOU Hobby Southwest base, Ellington Field corporate and ANG), San Antonio (SAT VT San Antonio Aerospace MRO, Joint Base San Antonio Lackland and Randolph contractor support, Kelly Field), Austin (AUS regional and corporate), El Paso (Fort Bliss Army aviation), Corpus Christi (NAS Corpus Christi Army Depot and contractor), Amarillo (Bell Textron tiltrotor, Pantex), and Midland-Odessa (oil-and-gas charter).
Pay context
Texas has middle-tier cost of living, with metro Austin and DFW rising sharply and rural Texas substantially lower. Posted A&P wages at American Airlines DFW and AFW base maintenance follow union scales and typically run at or above national median for 49-3011; Bell Textron and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics run defense / OEM scales; smaller GA shops pay less. Texas has no state income tax. Pull the Texas row from the BLS OES 49-3011 table at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes493011.htm for the current annual median figure. See https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tx.htm.
Training pathway
FAA Part 147 AMTS programs include Tarrant County College Northwest (DFW area, large American Airlines pipeline), Aviation Institute of Maintenance Dallas and Houston, Hallmark University in San Antonio, Texas State Technical College (multiple campuses), Lone Star College (Houston area), and Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. American Airlines, Southwest, United, Bell Textron, Lockheed Martin, and the San Antonio MRO cluster all run direct-hire and apprentice pipelines. Military aviation-MOS experience from JBSA, NAS Corpus Christi, NAS Kingsville, Fort Cavazos, and Fort Bliss qualifies under 14 CFR 65.77.
Considerations
If you want depth across airline base maintenance, OEM rotorcraft and fighter production, and large defense MRO, Texas is unmatched. If you cannot tolerate Texas summers in unconditioned hangars, factor that in. No state income tax helps take-home compared to coastal states. State has no separate mechanic license; FAA A&P preempts.
Texas aircraft mechanic (a&p) snapshot
| MSA | Employed | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 7,180 | $88,280 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 3,060 | $80,850 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 1,810 | $74,700 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 680 | $76,270 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 480 | $76,990 |
FEDERAL LICENSE STATUS
The Federal Aviation Administration licenses aircraft mechanics under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 65, Certification: Airmen Other Than Flight Crewmembers (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-65). The Mechanic certificate is issued with Airframe, Powerplant, or both ratings; the combined A&P is the primary credential held by civilian aviation mechanics (https://www.faa.gov/mechanics). State mechanic licenses do not apply to certificated aircraft work. FAA certification preempts state licensing for maintenance performed on type-certificated aircraft (https://www.faa.gov/mechanics/become). A certificated mechanic may exercise privileges anywhere in the United States without state-level registration.
CFR PART 65 REQUIREMENTS
Under 14 CFR §65.77, an applicant must document 18 months of practical experience on the procedures, practices, materials, tools, machine tools, and equipment generally used in airframe OR powerplant work for a single rating, or 30 months of concurrent experience for both ratings (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-65). Alternatively, graduation from an FAA-certificated Part 147 Aviation Maintenance Technician School satisfies the experience requirement (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-H/part-147). Every applicant must pass three FAA written tests, General, Airframe, and Powerplant, followed by an oral and practical examination administered by a Designated Mechanic Examiner (https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing). The written tests are delivered through FAA-authorized testing centers.
PART 147 SCHOOLS
FAA-certificated Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools (AMTS) operate under 14 CFR Part 147 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-H/part-147). The legacy curriculum required 1,900 classroom and shop hours (400 general, 750 airframe, and 750 powerplant), and the 2022 rewrite of Part 147 moved the content to an FAA-approved curriculum model tied to the Airman Certification Standards (https://www.faa.gov/mechanics). Programs typically run 18 to 24 months. Completion substitutes for the 18 or 30 months of documented work experience required under §65.77, and graduates still sit for the three written, oral, and practical exams (https://www.faa.gov/mechanics/become). The DOL RAPIDS apprenticeship finder also lists registered aircraft-mechanic programs by ZIP (https://www.apprenticeship.gov/apprenticeship-job-finder).
IA (INSPECTION AUTHORIZATION)
Inspection Authorization is an advanced endorsement available to A&P mechanics under 14 CFR §65.91 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-65#65.91). To qualify, a mechanic must hold an A&P for at least 3 years, have been actively engaged in maintaining certificated aircraft for the 2 years immediately preceding application, and pass the IA written exam. IA privileges include signing off annual inspections, performing progressive inspections, and approving major repairs and major alterations for return to service using FAA Form 337 (https://www.faa.gov/mechanics). Authorization expires March 31 of each odd-numbered year and is renewed under §65.93 by meeting recent-activity criteria (inspections performed, training completed, or re-examination) every 2 years.
AVIONICS / REPAIRMAN
Avionics technicians who transmit on aircraft radios typically hold the FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL), Element 3, issued by the Federal Communications Commission (https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/commercial-radio-operator-license-program). Avionics work on installed equipment is often performed under an FAA-certificated Repair Station (14 CFR Part 145) rather than by an individual A&P. The Repairman Certificate under 14 CFR §65.101 is an employer-specific alternative: it is issued to an individual recommended by a Part 145 repair station, Part 135 operator, or Part 121 air carrier, and its privileges are limited to the employer that requested the certificate (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-65#65.101). A Repairman Certificate is surrendered when employment ends and is not portable to a new employer. BLS OOH covers aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians under a shared occupation page (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/aircraft-and-avionics-equipment-mechanics-and-technicians.htm).