Airworthy PrepAn A&P mechanic is a person who holds an FAA mechanic certificate with both an Airframe rating and a Powerplant rating, which is what “A&P” stands for. Those are the only two ratings the FAA issues to mechanics, and together they let you maintain, alter and approve for return to service airframes, engines and propellers, within some important limits (14 CFR part 65, subpart D, sections 65.73, 65.81, 65.85 and 65.87). This guide explains what each rating allows, what an A&P mechanic cannot do, where Inspection Authorization fits in, and which tests you take to get the certificate, as of October 2026.
What does A&P stand for?
A&P stands for Airframe and Powerplant. The rule is short: “The following ratings are issued under this subpart: (1) Airframe. (2) Powerplant” (14 CFR 65.73(a)). You can hold one rating or both. “A&P license” and “A&P certificate” are everyday names for a mechanic certificate that carries both.
The names have changed before. A mechanic certificate with an aircraft rating, an aircraft engine rating, or both, issued before and valid on June 15, 1952, is treated as equal to an airframe or powerplant rating and can be exchanged for one (14 CFR 65.73(b)). The FAA’s Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook, General (FAA-H-8083-30B) puts it this way: an old A & E certificate may be exchanged for an A&P (ch. 13, p. 13-3).
What can an A&P mechanic do?
The general privilege is in 14 CFR 65.81(a): a certificated mechanic “may perform or supervise the maintenance, preventive maintenance or alteration of an aircraft or appliance, or a part thereof, for which that person is rated.” Each rating then adds the right to sign the aircraft back into service after certain work.
| Privilege | Airframe rating | Powerplant rating |
|---|---|---|
| Perform or supervise maintenance, preventive maintenance and alterations | Yes, on what you are rated for (65.81(a)) | Yes, on what you are rated for (65.81(a)) |
| Approve for return to service after you performed, supervised or inspected the work | An airframe, or any related part or appliance, excluding major repairs and major alterations (65.85(a)) | A powerplant or propeller, or any related part or appliance, excluding major repairs and major alterations (65.87(a)) |
| 100-hour inspection required by part 91, and approve for return to service | On an airframe or related part or appliance (65.85(a)) | On a powerplant or propeller, or any part of it (65.87(a)) |
| Light-sport exception | May approve an airframe after a major repair or alteration you performed and inspected, on a light-sport category aircraft, for products not produced under an FAA approval, if authorized by and done under instructions from the manufacturer or a person acceptable to the FAA (65.85(b)) | The same, for a powerplant or propeller (65.87(b)) |
Two points stand out. First, propellers sit on the Powerplant side. The rule names them in the Powerplant privileges (65.87), the ACS places Propellers in the Powerplant section (FAA-S-ACS-1, contents, p. v), and the handbook notes that basic propeller installation and maintenance is tested for the Powerplant rating (FAA-H-8083-30B, ch. 13, p. 13-3). Second, an A&P mechanic can do the 100-hour inspection but not the annual inspection. The handbook says a 100-hour inspection can be done by an A&P, “whereas an annual inspection must be conducted by a certified A&P maintenance technician with inspection authorization (IA)” (FAA-H-8083-30B, ch. 10, p. 10-5).
What an A&P mechanic cannot do
The limits are written into the same rules. A certificated mechanic may not:
- Make major repairs to, or major alterations of, propellers. These are excluded from the general privilege (14 CFR 65.81(a)).
- Repair or alter instruments. The rule excludes “any repair to, or alteration of, instruments” (65.81(a)). The handbook gives an example: an airframe mechanic may perform the inspection and test of the static pressure system, but calibration and maintenance of the related instruments is prohibited by 65.81 and is allowed instead for repair stations holding an instrument rating (FAA-H-8083-30B, ch. 2, p. 2-22).
- Approve major repairs or major alterations for return to service. The return-to-service privileges in 65.85(a) and 65.87(a) exclude major repairs and major alterations, apart from the light-sport exception above. The handbook explains that the mechanic may do the work for a major repair or alteration and should start the FAA Form 337, but the return to service is done by an A&P holding an Inspection Authorization (FAA-H-8083-30B, ch. 13, p. 13-4). For how that form works, see the Form 337 guide.
- Supervise or sign off work they have never done. A mechanic may not supervise the work, or approve it for return to service, unless they have satisfactorily done that work before. If they have not, they can show the ability by doing it to the FAA’s satisfaction, or under the direct supervision of a certificated and appropriately rated mechanic, or a certificated repairman, who has done that specific operation before (65.81(a)).
- Work without understanding the current data. A mechanic may not exercise the privileges unless they understand the manufacturer’s current instructions and the maintenance manuals for the specific operation (65.81(b)).
- Use the certificate without recent experience. Within the preceding 24 months, the mechanic must have spent at least 6 months serving as a mechanic, technically supervising other mechanics, supervising maintenance or alteration in an executive capacity, or a mix of these, or the FAA must have found them able to do the work (65.83).
You must also keep the certificate within the immediate area where you normally work and show it when the FAA, the NTSB, or a federal, state or local law enforcement officer asks (65.89).
Inspection Authorization: the next step for an A&P
Inspection Authorization (IA) is not a third rating. It is an extra authorization that an experienced A&P can apply for, and it adds two privileges an A&P alone does not have.
Who can apply (14 CFR 65.91(c)). You must:
- hold a currently effective mechanic certificate with both an airframe rating and a powerplant rating, each in effect for a total of at least 3 years;
- have been actively engaged in maintaining aircraft for at least the 2 years before you apply;
- have a fixed base of operations where you can be reached in person or by telephone during a normal working week;
- have the equipment, facilities and inspection data needed to properly inspect airframes, powerplants, propellers and related parts or appliances;
- pass a written test on inspecting to safety standards for returning aircraft to service after major repairs and major alterations, and after annual and progressive inspections.
If you fail that test, you must wait at least 90 days before applying to retest (65.91). The handbook adds that, unlike the A&P tests, extra training does not shorten this wait (FAA-H-8083-30B, ch. 13, p. 13-5).
The IA test is listed in the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (revised September 25, 2026) as test code IAR: 50 questions, 3 hours, a passing score of 70, and a listed minimum age of 21. It is available only at testing centers authorized to give it, and your authorization is FAA Form 8610-1, Mechanic’s Application for Inspection Authorization, endorsed by an FAA inspector (testing matrix, p. 9).
What an IA can do (14 CFR 65.95(a)):
- inspect and approve for return to service any aircraft or related part or appliance after a major repair or major alteration, if the work was done in accordance with technical data approved by the FAA (except aircraft maintained under a continuous airworthiness program under part 121);
- perform an annual inspection, or perform or supervise a progressive inspection.
How long it lasts. Every IA expires on March 31 of each odd-numbered year, and you can use it only while you hold a currently effective mechanic certificate with both ratings currently effective (65.92(a)). To renew, you present evidence at the Flight Standards office during March of each odd-numbered year that you still meet the first four eligibility rules, and you show one of five activities in each year of the 2-year period: annual inspections (at least one for each 90 days you held the authority), major repairs or alterations (at least two for each 90 days), at least one progressive inspection, a refresher course of at least 8 hours acceptable to the FAA, or an oral test by an FAA inspector (65.93(a)).
How to become an A&P mechanic
The eligibility rules are short (14 CFR 65.71(a)). You must:
- be at least 18 years old;
- be able to read, write, speak and understand English (an applicant employed outside the United States by a U.S. air carrier who does not meet this can have the certificate endorsed “Valid only outside the United States”);
- pass all the required tests within a period of 24 months;
- meet the rules for the rating you want.
For experience, you show either an authenticated document from a certificated aviation maintenance technician school, or documentary evidence of at least 18 months of practical experience appropriate to one rating, or at least 30 months of practical experience doing airframe and powerplant work at the same time (14 CFR 65.77).
The school route runs under 14 CFR part 147, which sets the rules for aviation maintenance technician school certificates (147.1). Each school must give every graduate an authenticated document showing the graduation date and the curriculum completed (147.21). Schools can also let students test early: a student who finishes the general portion of the curriculum may take the General written test before graduating (65.75(c), 147.31), and a student making satisfactory progress may take the oral and practical tests during the final subjects of training (65.80).
Already hold one rating? To add the other, you meet the experience rule for it and pass its written, oral and practical tests within 24 calendar months (65.71(b)). You do not retake General: when the Added Rating box is marked on Form 8610-2, the General test is not required (testing matrix, p. 6).
Each route, with the paperwork and the step-by-step process, is covered in how to get your A&P license.
The A&P license tests
Every applicant passes a written test for the rating sought, which covers the subject areas in the Aviation Mechanic Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-1 (14 CFR 65.75(a)), and then an oral test and a practical test (65.79). The minimum passing grade for each test is 70 percent (65.17(b)). Outside the school exception above, you must pass each written test before applying for the oral and practical tests (65.75(b)).
As of October 2026, the written tests look like this (testing matrix, p. 6):
| Written test | FAA code | Questions | Time | Passing score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | AMG | 60 | 2 hours | 70% |
| Airframe | AMA | 100 | 2 hours | 70% |
| Powerplant | AMP | 100 | 2 hours | 70% |
The ACS, which the FAA publishes to set out the knowledge, risk management and proficiency standards for the mechanic certificate (FAA-S-ACS-1, foreword, p. ii), has 12 General subjects, 15 Airframe subjects and 13 Powerplant subjects (contents, pp. iv-v). For why counts posted online differ, see how many questions are on the A&P written test.
The oral test asks about the subjects tied to the ACS codes on your written test reports, plus extra questions picked at random by the FAA’s Mechanic Test Generator, and you may not use reference material. The practical test is a set of hands-on projects with questions about them, and there you may use references (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 1, p. A-1). The A&P oral and practical test guide explains how the examiner runs both.
Common questions
What does A&P stand for?
Airframe and Powerplant, the two ratings the FAA issues on a mechanic certificate (14 CFR 65.73(a)). An “airframe and powerplant mechanic” holds both.
Is an A&P license the same as an A&P mechanic certificate?
Yes. The official document is a mechanic certificate, and “A&P” describes its two ratings (14 CFR 65.73). The FAA handbook uses “A&P certificate” too (FAA-H-8083-30B, ch. 13, p. 13-4).
Can an A&P mechanic do an annual inspection?
Not without an Inspection Authorization. An A&P can perform 100-hour inspections (65.85(a), 65.87(a)); the annual inspection is an IA privilege (65.95(a)(2)).
Does an A&P certificate expire?
No. A mechanic certificate stays in effect until it is surrendered, suspended or revoked (14 CFR 65.15(a)), but you cannot use it without the recent experience in 65.83. An IA, on the other hand, expires on March 31 of each odd-numbered year unless renewed (65.92(a)).
What is the difference between an A&P and an IA?
An A&P is the mechanic certificate with both ratings. An IA is an extra authorization that an A&P can apply for after holding both ratings for at least 3 years and meeting the other rules in 65.91, which adds annual inspections and approving major repairs and alterations (65.91, 65.95). To see what each written test covers, start with the A&P course page.