FAA Mechanic Airman Certification Standards
About the Mechanic ACS
The FAA Mechanic Airman Certification Standards (ACS) define the minimum knowledge, risk management, and skill requirements for FAA-certificated mechanics. The ACS serves as the foundation of FAA mechanic certification. The standard defines what mechanic applicants must:
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Know — foundational technical knowledge
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Consider — safety and risk management elements
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Do — observable, measurable skill tasks
Since its initial publication in March 2022—alongside the modernization of 14 CFR part 147—the Mechanic ACS has served as the backbone of mechanic certification. It establishes a performance-based framework designed to better connect education, real-world maintenance practices, and FAA testing. The ACS applies to all mechanic applicants, whether certification is earned through documented experience or graduation from an FAA-certificated aviation maintenance technician school. It functions as the single, unified standard that drives:
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Mechanic training programs
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FAA knowledge (written), oral, and practical tests
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FAA handbooks and testing resources
By design, the ACS ensures that training and testing remain fully aligned. What instructors teach, what students learn, and what examiners evaluate are built from the same standard.
All certificated Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools operating under 14 CFR part 147 are required to align their curriculum with the Mechanic ACS (see §147.17(a)(1)). ATEC provides curriculum alignment templates and tools to assist schools in demonstrating compliance with part 147 through proper integration of the ACS.
Mechanic ACS Revision Initiative
ATEC’s Role in the FAA-Industry Working Group
For more than a decade, ATEC representatives were heavily involved on the FAA-industry working group responsible for developing and recommending revisions to the Mechanic ACS, which are intended to be reviewed regularly to ensure certification standards keep pace with evolving industry needs. The working group was disbanded following the agency's decommissioning of the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) and its associated working groups in summer 2025. While awaiting the FAA’s recommissioning of ARAC, and its associated working groups, ATEC continues to support the effort through an internal ATEC working group, collaborating with industry stakeholders to advance recommendations for future ACS updates.
Since last summer, the ATEC ACS Working Group has been working to develope recommended updates to the Mechanic ACS to ensure it reflects:
- Current maintenance practices
- Emerging technologies
- Real-world safety considerations
- The needs of employers and the aviation workforce
This initiative is a community-driven effort, pursued in collaboration with other industry stakeholders and working groups, designed to support the FAA’s ongoing ACS revision process. Any proposed changes must ultimately undergo FAA review and adoption through the formal rulemaking process.
About the ATEC Working Group
ATEC’s working group is comprised of volunteer subject matter experts representing industry, educators, and FAA designated mechanic examiners. The group meets regularly to propose targeted improvements informed by:
- Feedback from ATEC member educators and examiners
- Input from Airlines for America’s Maintenance Training Network
- A NASA-funded research study examining the skills and knowledge today’s mechanics need
Areas of Focus in the Proposed Revision
The working group’s recommendations focus on improving clarity, usability, and consistency. Areas under consideration include:
- Clearer, Measurable Knowledge Elements. Using more precise action verbs to reduce ambiguity for instructors, students, and examiners.
- Stronger Risk Management Integration. Creating more consistent safety language to better identify hazards and support performance-based assessment.
- Improved Organization of Skill Tasks. Reducing duplication and placing tasks in the most logical, systems-based sections.
- Cross-Referencing of Knowledge, Risk, and Skill. Ensuring each skill is fully supported by related knowledge and risk management elements.
- A Proposed “Competency Domains” Framework. Establishing a shared performance philosophy across the ACS to improve interpretation, consistency, and implementation nationwide of competency-based programs.
Community Review & Participation
Working documents are available for community review and feedback upon request. The proposal will also be featured at the upcoming ATEC Annual Conference.
Stakeholders are encouraged to provide comments and recommendations for revision. Those interested in reviewing draft materials, participating in the process, or submitting feedback are invited to contact ATEC Executive Director Crystal Maguire.