- 1). Be at least 18 years old and complete high school or a General Equivalency Diploma, and have a basic education in advanced math, science, English, technical drawing, chemistry and metal work if such courses are available to you.
- 2). Attend and graduate from a helicopter mechanic school. Look for a school that's approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will prepare you to pass the FAA written, oral and practical exams (see the Resource section). A thorough course completed at a school for aviation and avionics technology includes both general education and aircraft-specific coursework. The National Aviation Academy, for example, teaches a 3,000-hour course that can be completed in 21 months and includes both powerplant and airframe subjects. The FAA exams are administered at the school.
- 3). Apprentice at a helicopter mechanic service that can offer you at least 18 months of practical experience working on power plants or airframes or 30 months experience on both, if you're unable to attend a mechanic school. Sometimes a helicopter service will advertise looking for apprentices and other times you'll have to approach a service in your area and ask if it would consider taking you on. You may be able to apprentice as a mechanic while fulfilling another job function until you're trained to help more in the service section.
- 4). Locate an FAA mechanic examiner and testing site if you don't take the tests required by the FAA at your mechanic school. The FAA website has a search function for finding a qualified examiner. Once you pass the exams, you can apply for your FAA mechanic certifications.
- 5). Apply for a job with a helicopter maintenance service as an FAA certified helicopter mechanic.
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