What Happened?

High school students learning to fix aircraft face a federal rule that blocks them from taking a key licensing test, even after completing a full training program. A report released this month by Congress' investigative arm (GAO report) found the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not acted on a law passed two years ago that required the agency to study whether to change that rule.

The report comes as the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 11,300 aircraft mechanic job openings per year through 2034. Nearly 100 aviation maintenance programs serve high school students across the country. However, at least 43 of those high schools are not FAA-certified, which puts their graduates at a disadvantage.

Why Does It Matter To Me?

If your child attends one of the roughly 43 high schools that offer aviation maintenance training but are not FAA-certified, they generally cannot take the first in a series of federal tests required to become a licensed aircraft mechanic, unless they first gain work experience or take additional courses elsewhere. That extra step costs time and money.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that students most often cited limited awareness of aircraft maintenance careers among incoming high school students as a barrier. Other obstacles include the cost of attending an FAA-certified school, the cost of the federal mechanic tests themselves, limited access to test examiners, transportation challenges, and a shortage of instructors and resources.

Schools also had little data on what their graduates actually went on to do, making it hard to know how many students are affected.

Both Sides, Now

Supporters of expanding test access argue that letting students from uncertificated schools take the general written knowledge test after completing a full curriculum would open a clearer path into a career field facing real workforce shortages. Some stakeholders told GAO that internships and industry partnerships could also help, and that requiring students to repeat coursework at a certified school after already finishing a program is a costly and unnecessary hurdle.

The FAA has not publicly opposed expanding access. The agency's delay stems from a separate issue: an executive order by President Trump directed the Department of Transportation to terminate all members of the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee, the body Congress told the FAA to use to conduct the required review. That committee was dissolved before the FAA could form the working group the law required.

Congress set the deadline for May 2025. The FAA missed it. The Department of Transportation said it agrees with the GAO's recommendation and will provide a detailed response within 180 days of the report's Sept. 1 release.

What Happens Next?

The GAO recommended the FAA form a group of industry experts to assess whether high school students who complete an aviation maintenance program at an uncertificated school should be allowed to take the general written knowledge test. The GAO said the group could work through the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee or another mechanism.

The Department of Transportation's 180-day response window runs through late February 2026. The GAO's recommendation remains open, meaning the agency has not yet confirmed the FAA has taken sufficient action. Until the FAA completes that assessment and acts on its findings, the rule stays as it is.

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