Arizona punches well above its weight when it comes to aviation maintenance training.
The state’s combination of year-round flying weather, a concentrated aerospace industry, and multiple FAA-approved programs makes it a legitimate destination for anyone pursuing an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate, not just people who already live here.
This guide covers the Arizona aircraft mechanic schools currently listed in the AMT Registry, a national directory of FAA-certified Aviation Maintenance Technician programs.
Each entry links to both the school’s program page and its AMT Registry listing, where you can dig into cost, schedule, and credential details side by side.
Quick Comparison
| School | Location | Credential | Length | Approx. Cost | GI Bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aviation Institute of Maintenance | Phoenix | Certificate | 21 months | $53,022 | Yes |
| Pima Community College | Tucson | AAS Degree | 22 months | ~$13,179 | Yes |
| Chandler-Gilbert Community College | Chandler | AAS / Certificate | ~30 months | Varies | Yes |
| American Leadership Academy Applied Technologies | Mesa | Certificate (HS) | 4 years | Free | No |
1. Aviation Institute of Maintenance — Phoenix
School Website | AMT Registry Listing
Address: 4025 South 32nd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85040 Program Length: 21 months | Cost: $53,022 | GI Bill: Yes Ratings: Airframe & Powerplant | Credential: Certificate | Schedule: Day & Evening
AIM is not trying to be a traditional college. It’s a trade school with one job: prepare students to pass FAA certification exams and enter the workforce as aircraft mechanics.
The Phoenix campus does that through an approximately 91-week program that keeps students in the shop more than the classroom. Training works through all three FAA subject areas: General, Airframe, and Powerplant.
The curriculum covers aircraft structures, powerplants, hydraulics, electrical systems, flight control systems, and the documentation habits that are non-negotiable in a regulated maintenance environment. Day and evening schedules mean students aren’t forced to choose between training and existing work or family obligations.
The sticker price of $53,022 is the sharpest drawback. AIM accepts Pell Grants, federal loans, and GI Bill benefits though, which changes the math considerably for veterans and lower-income students.
ACCSC accreditation means the school’s federal aid eligibility is legitimate, not a red flag. If your goal is A&P certification on a defined timeline without the elective coursework and semester structure of a community college, this program delivers exactly that.
Best for: Adults who want a direct line to A&P certification, especially veterans using GI Bill benefits who can offset much of the tuition cost.
2. Pima Community College — Tucson
School Website | AMT Registry Listing
Address: 7211 S Park Ave, Tucson, AZ 85709 Program Length: 22 months | Cost: ~$13,179 (in-state AAS) | GI Bill: Yes Ratings: Airframe & Powerplant | Credential: Associate of Applied Science | Schedule: Confirm with school
Pima sits next to Tucson International Airport, and that’s not a coincidence. It’s a deliberate feature of the program.
Students train in hangars on transport-category aircraft, the same types maintained by the MRO operators and defense contractors concentrated in Tucson’s aviation sector. There’s a real difference between training on a Cessna in a classroom and logging hours on wide-body equipment in an active facility.
The program is FAA Part 147 approved and leads to either an Associate of Applied Science degree in Aviation Technology or standalone Airframe and Powerplant certificates. For in-state residents, the AAS runs roughly $13,179, a fraction of what private aviation schools charge for comparable outcomes.
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, multiple major MRO facilities, and various regional carriers all maintain operations in Tucson and hire locally. Pima has a long enough track record in the area that its graduates are known quantities to those employers.
GI Bill benefits are accepted and financial aid is available. The cost-to-credential ratio here is hard to beat anywhere in the state.
Best for: Students in the Tucson area, particularly anyone targeting the local MRO or military contracting sectors, who want a degree-level credential without private school tuition.
3. Chandler-Gilbert Community College — Chandler
School Website | AMT Registry Listing
Address: 2626 E Pecos Road (Williams Campus), Chandler, AZ 85225 Program Length: ~30 months | Cost: Varies, confirm with school | GI Bill: Yes Ratings: Airframe & Powerplant | Credential: AAS Degree and Certificates Clock Hours: 1,900+ | Schedule: Confirm with school
CGCC’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program is the only FAA-certified AMT program in the East Valley. It runs out of the Williams Campus at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, where Boeing and Gulfstream both have nearby operations.
The program logs over 1,900 clock hours and covers the full A&P spectrum: composite structures, weight and balance, turbine engine troubleshooting, avionics, FAA regulations, and more. Students can pursue the full Associate in Applied Science degree or earn Airframe and Powerplant certificates embedded within it, and either path makes them eligible to sit for the FAA exams.
Class sizes run small, which matters more in a technical program than most people realize. There’s a real difference between a lab session where an instructor can work through a hydraulics problem with you individually versus one where they’re managing twenty students at once.
CGCC also hosts the annual Greater Southwest Aviation Maintenance Technician Symposium, an industry event that draws regional employers and working professionals. Being able to attend that as a student, before you’re on the job market, is a networking advantage that most programs simply don’t offer.
Best for: East Valley residents who want a community college price point, a degree-level credential, and direct exposure to Phoenix’s aerospace industry before they graduate.
4. American Leadership Academy Applied Technologies — Mesa
School Website | AMT Registry Listing
Address: 7729 E Pecos Rd, Mesa, AZ 85212 Program Length: 4 years (high school) | Cost: Free (public charter) | GI Bill: No Ratings: Airframe & Powerplant | Credential: Certificate | Schedule: Day
ALA Applied Technologies is a tuition-free public charter high school, not a post-secondary institution. It belongs on this list because in early 2025, its Aviation Maintenance program was officially awarded FAA Part 147 certification, making it the first high school in Arizona and one of only three in the country to hold that designation.
That certification followed a December 2024 FAA performance assessment where the program received zero findings. It means the program meets the same federal standards as college-level AMT schools, not a junior version of them.
Students in the four-year AMT track work with actual aircraft components and industry tools under instructors with professional aviation backgrounds. A fuselage on-site gives students hands-on structural experience that many post-secondary programs don’t offer until well into the curriculum.
ALA also runs an Aviation Transportation track for students interested in piloting, air traffic control, or drone operations. Those students have a dual enrollment pathway to earn college credit through Utah State University.
The program is free, which for a high school student serious about an aviation career is not a minor detail. It’s four years of FAA-aligned technical training at zero tuition cost, before they’ve spent a dollar on post-secondary education.
Best for: High school students in the Mesa and East Valley area who know they want to go into aircraft maintenance and want to begin that training now, at no cost.
The Arizona Aviation Job Market
Phoenix Sky Harbor, Tucson International, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, and the military installations at Luke and Davis-Monthan collectively generate a steady need for licensed mechanics. Add the major aerospace manufacturers and MRO operators throughout the Phoenix metro and Tucson, and Arizona consistently has more open aircraft mechanic positions than it has certified technicians to fill them.
Entry-level A&P mechanics in the state typically start somewhere between $45,000 and $55,000 annually. That number climbs into the $70,000 to $90,000 range and beyond for technicians with both ratings, specialized experience, or positions at commercial airlines and large MRO operations.
A large portion of the current mechanic workforce is approaching retirement, and the training pipeline has historically underproduced relative to industry demand. Getting certified in the next few years puts you in a favorable position in a market that isn’t going to get less competitive.
More Arizona Programs
The four schools covered here are the Arizona programs currently listed in the AMT Registry. The full directory covers FAA-approved AMT schools nationwide and is searchable by state, credential type, GI Bill approval, and other factors that matter when you’re comparing programs.
