How to Become a Licensed Aircraft Engineer

If you want to know how to become an aircraft engineer in the UK, the answer comes down to three things: the Part-66 module exams for your licence category, practical experience on aircraft, and an application to the CAA for an aircraft maintenance licence (AML). How you get there, through an apprenticeship, a full-time course or self-study while you work, changes how long it takes and what it costs. This hub sets out the routes, the steps in order and the costs, and links to a detailed guide for each step.

Part-66 Prep is an independent study aid, not the CAA, EASA or a training organisation. The rules come from UK Part-66, the retained version of Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 (UK Part-66 on legislation.gov.uk), and the CAA's engineer licensing pages. In the EU the equivalent is the EASA licence, issued by each member state's authority.

The career guides

Guide	What it covers
How to become a B1 engineer	The most common licence, step by step
Part-66 experience requirements	How much experience you need and what counts
Part-66 self-study	Passing the modules while you work
How to apply for a Part-66 licence	The application, evidence and processing
Part-66 licence cost	Exam, licence and course costs by route
Part-66 licence renewal	Keeping the licence valid every five years
EASA and UK licence conversion	Moving between the EASA and UK systems
Part-66 type ratings	Adding aircraft types after the basic licence
Part-66 licence categories	Which category to aim for

Mechanic, technician or licensed engineer?

Job titles vary, but the regulation draws one clear line. Anyone working in an approved maintenance organisation can carry out maintenance tasks under supervision once trained. Only certifying staff can sign the certificate of release to service (CRS) that says the work is done properly and the aircraft is ready to fly. To be certifying staff you need:

1. a Part-66 aircraft maintenance licence in the right category;
2. a type rating for complex aircraft, or the right group rating for simpler ones;
3. a certification authorisation from your employer;
4. recent experience: six months of relevant maintenance in the last two years.

Many people start as mechanics or technicians, often called B1 or B2 mechanics, and complete their modules and experience on the job. The licence is what opens certifying roles and, usually, higher pay.

Key fact: You don't need a licence to start working on aircraft under supervision, and you don't need a degree to get a licence. You need the module passes, the experience for your category and to be at least 18.

Step 1: choose a licence category

The category sets your modules and experience. In short: A for minor line maintenance with fewer modules, B1 for mechanical work on structure, engines and systems, B2 for avionics, B2L for avionics on smaller aircraft by system rating, B3 for light piston aeroplanes and C for releasing an aircraft after base maintenance, usually added later. B1.1 (turbine aeroplanes) and B2 are the most common for airline careers. The licence categories guide explains each, and the B1 engineer guide follows the most popular one in detail.

Step 2: choose your route

Route 1: an apprenticeship

Airlines, maintenance organisations, manufacturers and the armed forces run aircraft engineering apprenticeships. You are employed and paid, you do the Part-147 basic training for a licence category, usually through a partner school, and you build experience on aircraft at the same time. Places are competitive, and entry requirements are set by each employer and training provider, often GCSEs in maths, English and science. This route gives you the reduced experience requirement of an approved course and a job at the end, which is why many people prefer it.

Route 2: a full-time Part-147 course

A Part-147 approved maintenance training organisation runs basic training courses for each category, with module exams along the way. Part-147 sets minimum course lengths, for example 2,400 hours for B1.1 or B2 and 2,000 hours for B1.2. You usually pay the fees yourself, and you then need to find work to build the experience. Completing an approved course cuts the experience needed: one year instead of three for A, B1.2 and B3, two years instead of five for B1.1, B1.3 and B2.

Route 3: self-study while working

If you already work in aircraft maintenance, or can get a job as a mechanic, you can study the modules yourself and sit the exams with the CAA or an exam centre that takes external candidates. It costs least in fees and fits around shifts, but you need the full experience period. The self-study guide shows how to plan it.

Route	Experience needed for B1.1 or B2	Experience for A, B1.2 or B3	Main cost
Apprenticeship (Part-147 training)	2 years	1 year	Usually paid by the employer
Full-time Part-147 course	2 years	1 year	Course fees
Self-study	5 years	3 years	Exam fees and study materials

There is also a "skilled worker" reduction in the rule for people from a relevant technical trade, but the CAA says it currently recognises no course that qualifies, so in practice UK candidates use the figures above. The experience requirements guide covers this in full.

Three example timelines

No authority publishes a typical duration, so these examples use only the minimums in the rules. Real timelines are usually longer.

• An apprentice aiming for B1.1. The Part-147 basic training is done within the apprenticeship, with module exams along the way. After the course, at least two years of experience are needed before the licence, so a realistic plan runs to several years from the first day, then type training for the first aircraft.
• A mechanic self-studying for B1.1. Five years of experience are needed without an approved course. If you start the modules early and pass a few a year, the exams can be finished well within that time, and the experience becomes the limiting factor.
• A light aircraft engineer aiming for B1.2 or B3. Three years of experience without a course, or one year after a Part-147 course, with fewer and shorter papers than B1.1. This is the quickest path to certifying on light aeroplanes.

Skills employers look for

Licensed or not, aircraft maintenance rewards a particular set of habits. Employers and training schools commonly look for:

• Mechanical or electrical aptitude and comfort with tools, measurement and hands-on work.
• Attention to detail and honesty. A missed step or an unsigned task can reach the air; you must be willing to say a job isn't finished.
• Reading technical documents accurately, in English, because maintenance data and procedures are usually written in it.
• Basic maths and physics, which Modules 1 to 3 build on.
• Teamwork and communication, especially at shift handover.
• Willingness to work shifts, nights, weekends and outdoors on the line in all weathers.

Module 9 (human factors) exists because these habits matter for safety; the exam tests the theory behind them.

Step 3: pass the module exams

Each category sits its own set of modules, 11 to 13 papers depending on the category. The exams are three-option multiple choice with a 75% pass mark, with essays in Module 7 (and, under UK rules, in Modules 9 and 10). Every pass counts towards a licence application for 10 years, so you can spread them out. The Part-66 exams guide explains booking, resits and attempt limits, and the modules guide lists every paper.

How to prepare for the modules

Whatever your route, the same habits work. Read the syllabus for your category so you know the knowledge level of each topic, learn from notes before you test yourself, and sit full papers at the real size and time before you book. Our free tier gives every category a diagnostic, and every module a 20-question quick practice and a full timed paper 1, so you can measure yourself before spending £60 on an exam attempt.

Step 4: build and record your experience

Experience must be practical maintenance on operating aircraft, cover a representative range of tasks for your category, include at least one recent year on that category and fall within the 10 years before you apply. UK applicants record it in a CAP 741 logbook, the CAA's aircraft maintenance engineer's logbook, now in version 4 (October 2026), with entries signed by supervisors. Start your logbook from your first day on aircraft: reconstructing years of tasks later is hard, and gaps are a common reason applications are sent back.

Step 5: apply for your licence

When you have all the module passes and the experience, you apply to the CAA for a UK licence through its online services, with your certificates of recognition and logbook evidence; EASA licences are applied for from the member state authority on EASA Form 19. As of October 2026 the CAA's target for an initial licence is 31 working days, and the grant fee is £455 per category. The licence application guide walks through the evidence and the common reasons for rejection. The licence is valid for five years and is then renewed; see licence renewal.

Step 6: type ratings and your first authorisation

To certify on airliners, business jets and multi-engine helicopters you need a type rating for each type, gained through approved type training and, for your first type, on-the-job training. Your employer then issues a certification authorisation for the work you may sign for. The type ratings guide explains how ratings are added.

What it costs

Costs depend heavily on your route. As of October 2026, UK CAA charges include £60 per module exam attempt at a CAA venue, £455 per licence category at grant and at each five-year renewal, and £183 for each type rating added. Passing all 13 B1.1 modules first time at the CAA comes to £780 in exam fees. Part-147 course fees are the largest single cost on the full-time route and vary by school; apprentices usually don't pay them. Type courses are usually paid by employers. The licence cost guide adds it all up.

Pay and job prospects

Pay for aircraft engineers varies with the employer, the region, your licence category and type ratings, and shift and overtime patterns. Licensed engineers with type ratings on in-demand aircraft typically earn more than unlicensed mechanics, but we don't quote figures: we know of no current official statistic for licensed aircraft engineers specifically, and job-board averages mix very different roles. Look at real adverts from the employers you would like to join for current rates and conditions.

Exam tip: The licence is a long project, so early wins matter. Many people start with the shorter papers, such as Module 8 or Module 9, once they have the basics of Modules 1 to 3.

Working in the UK or the EU

Since 1 January 2021 the UK has its own Part-66 licence, issued by the CAA. A UK licence doesn't give EASA privileges, and an EASA licence is not accepted for certifying UK-registered aircraft in a UK organisation. If you might work in Ireland or elsewhere in the EU, you need an EASA licence from a member state authority; some engineers hold both. The licence conversion guide explains moving between the two, and the EASA Part-66 FAQs cover the EU side.

Your study plan

1. Choose a category with the licence categories guide and a route from the table above.
2. Take the free 20-question diagnostic for your category, such as the B1.1 diagnostic, to see how far you are from exam standard.
3. Start a logbook as soon as you work on aircraft.
4. Work through Modules 1 to 3 first, using each module's free notes, quick practice and paper 1.
5. Book each module when you score 85% on three different papers, and keep every certificate for your application.