Best programs to become an aircraft mechanic in Virginia
4 Virginia schools offer programs that train aircraft mechanics and service technicians, graduating 231 people a year. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians in Virginia earn a median of $82,200 across about 2,260 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
You do not need a college degree to become an aircraft mechanic. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job in Virginia are Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician, as well as Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician (IPEDS completions). BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education.
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul aircraft engines and assemblies, such as hydraulic and pneumatic.
2 programs in Virginia that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Virginia (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Virginia page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 47.0607In Virginia → | 200 | 86.6% | 3 | $37,089 | $11,790 |
| 2 | CIP 47.0608In Virginia → | 31 | 13.4% | 3 | $37,089 | $11,790 |
Top 4 schools in Virginia
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 4 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Norfolk Norfolk, VA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 104 | Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician | $44,572 | 79% | $23,346 | — |
| 2 | Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Manassas Manassas, VA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 82 | Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician | $36,285 | 82% | $26,124 | — |
| 3 | Blue Ridge Community College Weyers Cave, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 27 | Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician | $41,801 | 40% | — | — |
| 4 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 18 | Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician | — | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
All 4 schools in Virginia
Every school in Virginia with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Norfolk | Norfolk | Private for-profit | 104 | 1 |
| Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Manassas | Manassas | Private for-profit | 82 | 2 |
| Blue Ridge Community College | Weyers Cave | Public | 27 | 2 |
| Liberty University | Lynchburg | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 1 |
Fields of study in Virginia that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
What aircraft mechanics and service technicians earn in Virginia
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $79,870. Virginia pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Virginia
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians page.
How to become an aircraft mechanic
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Virginia
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0205Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment/Machine Technology/Technician
- 47.0607Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician
- 47.0608Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician
Common questions
Answers for people weighing aircraft mechanics and service technicians programs in Virginia.
What degree do you need to become an aircraft mechanic?+
You do not need a college degree to become an aircraft mechanic. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job in Virginia are Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician, as well as Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician (IPEDS completions). BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education.
Which college majors lead to becoming an aircraft mechanic?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job in Virginia are Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician, as well as Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician (IPEDS completions). In all, 2 feeder programs graduate about 231 people a year in Virginia (IPEDS completions).
How much do aircraft mechanics and service technicians earn in Virginia?+
The median is $82,200 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.9% above the U.S. median of $79,870. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for aircraft mechanics and service technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +4.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 11,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Virginia?+
4 institutions in Virginia reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do aircraft mechanics and service technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Aircraft Mechanic, Aircraft Technician (Aircraft Tech), Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A and P Mechanic), Aircraft Maintenance Technician (Aircraft Maintenance Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 49-3011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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