Frequently Asked Questions

Click on a question to get the answer.

Advising

Would counselors or advisors at one of the other campuses be able to help or do you have counselors or advisors specifically for this program located at Rock Creek?

Your best advising would be from one of the AMT instructors or from the advisors here at Rock Creek.

How do I get the AAS degree from PCC?

In addition to all 95 credits of AMT classes, students are required to take 16 credits of general education classes and reach a competency level in math, reading and writing.  For detailed information, please refer to the Comprehensive Degree Requirements in the college catalog or the AAS degree worksheet.  You can also contact Gratia Minor. 

Does PCC train students for large aircraft as well as small aircraft?

We have mostly smaller aircraft and helicopters in our hangars.  We do have a nose-section from a Boeing 727.  We still teach to all of the necessary systems and concepts that apply to large aircraft.  We have many components that come from large aircraft and our texts deal with large aircraft also.  Many commercial airlines hire new mechanics at the main maintenance bases even though they are always recruiting mechanics with experience in large aircraft.  The commercial airlines do not expect graduates from A&P schools to have been taught using large aircraft. 

How is PCC’s program different from other Part 147 AMT programs?

The program content required by the FAA is not divided the same in all AMT schools.  PCC feels that we have divided the content best into 90 hour classes.  We also teach that content mostly one class at a time for 5 hours a day for 18 days.  That allows students to concentrate on a single group of learning outcomes, goals and objectives at a time.

Jobs

Do employers come to PCC to recruit AMT program graduates?

Yes, we have our annual AMT Career Day in October when employers come to talk, recruit and interview.  We also have other times when employers visit our program.  We are currently planning another Career Day in the spring.  Many companies are using email and the internet to recruit now.  We are constantly receiving electronic notice of job opportunities.  They are sent to all students who have requested notice.

Tour

How can I schedule to tour the hangar?

Please contact your AMT Advisor as listed on our web site at http://www.pcc.edu/programs/aviation-maintenance/admission.html.

Advisors are listed in Step 3 of that site.  You can also contact Gratia Minor.  Usually advisors are available in the early afternoon, but arrangements can be made for late afternoons and evenings or maybe even weekends.

How do I get to the hangar to take a tour?

See Rock Creek Campus. There is a campus map and directions links near the top of the page. 

When you visit, you might need to purchase a parking permit.  It is obtained at a pull-over kiosk at the main entrance.  Parking violations are rather costly. 

We are located at the hangar (building 6) located on the far right-hand side of the campus.  This is the North-East corner of the campus.  Our main entrance is located behind the trees that separate our building from the parking lot.  Upon entering the building, you can ask just about anyone for directions to the individual that you are meeting with.  If you arrive after the doors have been locked (about 12:30pm), you may need to call first.

Courses

I am looking for a refresher course for updating my skills and knowledge; would I be able to audit any courses?

You may be able to take any AMT class as a refresher class (i.e. sheet metal or electricity), but we do not offer an audit grade option for any AMT classes.  You will need to meet with the department chair because most classes have prerequisite requirements.

What classes do you have available during the evening? I work full time, during the day. 

We only offer classes from 7am to 12 noon, Monday through Friday.   The only exceptions are our two Practicum classes and the aviation welding class which are scheduled during the early afternoon, and the AMT101 orientation class which is offered on Saturdays. The reason for the 7am to 12 noon class time is that it allows many students the opportunity to work in the afternoons and evenings.

Do you still offer a helicopter maintenance course?

No we don’t.  It was a class that was not required under FAA Part 147 and was cut for budgetary reasons in 2002. 

We have had many students express an interest in the helicopter industry.  PCC is located very close to the 3 largest heavy-helicopter companies in the world.  The industry however has not indicated that additional training beyond our program is necessary for an entry-level technician.  We have attempted to recreate a smaller class on helicopter orientation that would be a one or two credit class, but it has not met with success.  It may still happen in the future.  Because we have 5 helicopters in our training inventory, we can give our students a variety of experiences with the helicopter systems and structures.  We also teach many of the systems and concepts within our regular part 147 program offering.  We can still encourage interested students to put extra emphasis on the helicopters as well as get involved with the local helicopter industry for more experience.

FAA Ratings

Can I get just one license or do I need to get both?

The vast majority of technicians are certificated as FAA mechanics. Under an FAA mechanic’s certificate there are two ratings: Airframe and Powerplant. Although most certificated mechanics hold both ratings and are referred to in the industry as an “A & P,” there are many mechanics certificated only with an airframe (A) rating, or only a powerplant (P) rating.

What is necessary to get the FAA certificate and ratings?

The FAA states in 14CFR part 65 that to become an FAA-certificated mechanic an applicant must:

  1. Be 18 years of age or older.
  2. Be able to read, write, and understand English.
  3. Graduate from an FAA-approved part 147 Aviation Maintenance Technician School. (such as PCC’s AMT program)
  4. Pass a written examination, an oral test, and a practical test for each rating.
  5. Pass all the prescribed tests within 24 months.
Is it necessary to go to an A&P school or can I use my experience to qualify for testing?

You can use experience to qualify for your ratings.  You must present the following evidence to the FAA at a Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).  An individual can work for an FAA Repair Station or Fixed Base Operator (FBO) under the supervision of an A & P mechanic for 18 months, for each individual airframe or powerplant rating, or 30 months for both ratings. The FAA considers a “month of practical experience” to contain at least 160 hours. This practical experience must be documented. Some acceptable forms of documentation are: Pay receipts, a record of work (log book) signed by the supervising mechanic, a notarized statement stating that the applicant has at least the required number of hours for the rating(s) requested from a certificated air carrier, repair station, or a certificated mechanic or repairman who supervised the work.

An individual can join one of the armed services and obtain valuable training and experience in aircraft maintenance. Care must be taken that an individual enters a military occupational specialty (MOS) that is one the FAA credits for practical experience for the mechanics certificate.  Consult with FAA Advisory Circular AC65-30A for the list of acceptable MOS codes.  You must present that military training evidence to the FAA at a Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).

The FAA will not let an individual combine different methods of experience for application for a certificate and rating.  You can, however, use one method for one rating and another method for the other rating.

Do I have to be a US citizen to enter the program or industry?

No, not for PCC or for the FAA!

Financial Aid

I am a Veteran; how do I use my educational benefits?

Please visit the Financial Aid and the Veterans Services websites. PCC has a Veteran’s Services office located at Sylvania campus that serves all of our Veteran students. It is highly advisable to begin the process of collecting veteran’s benefits as soon as possible since it may take several months to get it set up. The first step is to schedule an intake interview with a Veteran’s counselor.

Can you help me get a part-time job?

PCC has employment specialists who can help you with getting part- and full-time work.  We also help students to get employed in the field of their studies.  Portland is a large metropolitan area and job opportunities are better than most areas.

Are there scholarships available?
Yes, there are several Aviation-specific scholarships in addition to many regular scholarships. After you have passed AMT101, you can contact our Learning Skills Specialist. She maintains lists and files of various scholarships. Also see the Scholarships page.

Textbooks

What books do I need and where can I get them?

Go to the AMT Textbook web page.  Print the two PDF files and use the Matrix as your guide for the list of required books for the class.  All of the AMT textbooks are located at the Rock Creek bookstore only.  The complete listing of textbook requirements is located above the textbooks on the shelf in the bookstore.  You must purchase books before the first day of class.  There are student packets required for several classes.  You should check with your instructor if a packet is not available on the bookstore shelf.

Are copies of the textbooks available in the library in case I can’t get to the bookstore by the first day of classes?

There are some AMT textbooks available at the reference desk in the library, but they are not available for checkout.  You will need to purchase books before class begins.  Trying to purchase books on the first day of class is a very time-consuming process because of all of the other students purchasing books during the first week of classes.

Tools

Can I bring in my tools early, before my first class actually begins?

No.  You will need to wait until the term has started to locate the place to put your box and then bring it in.

What if I can get a really great deal on a large cabinet?  Can I bring it in anyway?

No.  Do to the limited storage space in the hangar, you will need to keep your large cabinet at home and bring in a toolbox that will meet our size limits.  See the Tools and Supplies web page.

Registration

Could you let me know what I have to do to get the ball rolling and, if possible, start AMT classes this next term?

First step is to apply for admission to PCC following a few easy steps.

  1. Go to the Admissions website.  PCC is very well set up to conduct all the admission and registration processes online, even tuition payments.
  2. Follow all the instructions including the online orientation and within a day or so, you should receive email confirmation that your application has been accepted.

There are some prerequisites for registering into AMT classes. They are:

  1. You will need to complete AMT 101.  It is a prerequisite. A prerequisite class is a class that you must take before you can take certain other classes. If you are not able to take AMT101 before you move to Portland, you need to let your AMT advisor know.  We may still be able to get you into AMT classes and take the AMT101 class later.  It will depend on the class loading.
  2. You need to show math competency in the form of a transcript showing college level math completion or placement into at least Math 60 through COMPASS or ASSET placement testing.  The instructions for this process are very well laid out on the AMT admissions page and the College Placement website.
  3. Placement into or above RD 90 and WR 90.
Which AMT classes would I register into first?

The first classes in our program sequence (after AMT101) are usually AMT105, AMT106 and AMT107.

Military

Can I use my military experience toward the PCC certificate of completion?

Yes you can, but firstly, you may not need to attend PCC to qualify for your certificate and ratings.  See “Is it necessary to go to an A&P school or can I use my experience to qualify?” under the “FAA Ratings” section of this FAQ.

The FAA will not let an individual combine different methods of experience for application for a certificate and rating.  You can, however, use one method for one rating (i.e. airframe) and another method for the other rating (i.e. powerplant).  PCC offers a certificate of completion for either airframe or powerplant or both.

If you do not have the right military training for an FAA approval, you might be able to use your documented military training to “challenge” AMT classes within our program.  You cannot use your military experience or training to eliminate or by-pass classes in our program if you want a certificate of completion. 

This process requires that a student meeting the requirements of 14 CFR § 147.31(c)(1) [a military technical school] may, at the discretion of the Department Chair and/or Division Dean, receive credit for prior instruction, provided the student shows that the content of that instruction is equal to the content of the course for which credit is sought in PCC's AMT Department.  Testing will be in accordance with PCC Course Challenge Policy and required as per 14 CFR § 147.31(c)(2)(i), and conducted in accordance with the COURSE CHALLENGE For AMT (Appendix F), paragraphs 2 thru 5 as follows.

APPENDIX F.  Course Challenge for amt 14 CFR §147.31(c) prescribes rules for crediting a student with instruction or previous experience.  The Department Chair will oversee the course challenge process.  (Paragraph 1 does not apply to this process.)

  1. When eligibility has been established by the Department Chair and approved by the Division Dean, the student will meet with the Division Dean to determine if an acceptable method of payment for the credit hours can be processed as requested.
  2. The student and Division Dean will make the appropriate arrangements with the instructor normally assigned to teach the course involved for testing.  If that instructor is not available, the Division Dean may arrange with another instructor on staff to conduct the tests.

  3. Testing may be conducted outside of normal teaching hours and pass/fail results will be forwarded to the Department Chair.  Testing could include the quiz and/or test series normally used in the class, the final exam for the class, the FAA written (multiple choice) test for each subject, four oral questions for each subject, and at least one practical demonstration project for each subject.

    The minimum acceptable standard for a passing grade is a combined 70% for all written testing, a correct answer for at least three of the four oral questions asked for each subject, and satisfactory completion of each practical demonstration.  For classes AMT 216 and AMT 225 (Practicum) the written scores may not be less than 95% for each section of the exam and no less than 80% for any one subject.  Oral questioning will be a minimum of four questions per test subject and one practical demonstration per subject.

  4. A Grade Report sheet will be placed in the student’s record and appropriate information sent to PCC Student Records indicating the results of the testing.

Transfers

Can I transfer to PCC from another Part 147 “A&P” school?

Yes, even if you are in the middle of a sequence of classes for a rating.  We will need to evaluate the precise content of each completed class to determine that it satisfies the content of our PCC AMT classes.  We have a matrix developed to assist with that process.  It is always easier if you can acquire the details of the content of each specific class before we meet.  It is usually possible to get those details later and we might be able to get you started into classes that we are sure will be needed for completion.

Sometimes, there are smaller parts of a class that were not completed at your previous school.  That content can often be conducted through an AMT228 Shop Practice class or even with just meeting with an instructor in the afternoon.

It is often much easier to complete a sequence of classes before transferring (i.e. General, Airframe or Powerplant).  That way, we know that the total amount of content has been offered and we will not need to look so deeply at the details of each class.  You should contact us before transferring so we can give you some guidance in this area. 

Can I transfer “general education” credits from another institution?

Yes, in most cases.  You will need to meet with an academic advisor or Gratia Minor.  Students need to bring to the meeting an unofficial transcript and course descriptions.

Program Costs

How much does the program cost?

About $6900 for PCC tuition!

Below is a summary of the current costs for the Aviation Maintenance Technology program at PCC (subject to change). To qualify for resident tuition, you must be an American citizen or immigrant with a permanent resident status in Oregon or the bordering states of Idaho, California, Nevada and Washington. Our total program cost to the student (not including tools) is about one-third that of equivalent programs offered at the many private aviation maintenance schools around the country. In some cases even less.

There are 93 credits required for our full 23-month AMT program certificate of completion. There are 21 classes of 4 credits, AMT101 is 1 credit, Aircraft Welding (WLD210) is 2 credits, and the three practicum classes (AMT108, 216, and 225) are 2 credits.

You would normally take 3 courses each term, except summers are shortened to 2 courses only. The three Practicum classes would add another 2 credits per term when they are required and the Aircraft Welding class would add another 2 credits.

PCC tuition and some of the fees can be calculated for the current term at the Tuition and Fees website.

Approximate costs are:

  • Total Cost of PCC tuition and PCC fees is approximately $8500
    • Tuition – approximately $6900
    • Student Activity Fee and Technology Fees – approximately $730
    • Lab Fees – approximately $575
    • Parking Fee – for 8 terms is approximately $320
  • Supplies - approximately $300
  • Books - approximately $600
  • Tools - approximately $1000 to $1500
  • FAA testing fees after completion, total cost approximately $1000:
    • FAA written tests, 3 at approximately $90 each
    • Oral and Practical tests, 5 sections at approximately $150 each
    • Two tests and 3 sections are applicable to the first rating, one test and two sections are applicable to the second rating.

Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Math

Should I consider Math Competency before I enter the program?

Yes.  Math is both a program prerequisite and a program graduation requirement.  Math competency should be considered prior to program entry.  Program entry would require that you place into math 60 or higher.

AMT math competency for graduation purposes is met by either:

  1. Your successful completion of PCC math 60, which may be taken concurrently with the first 6 AMT classes (two terms), or
  2. Your successful completion (70% minimum) of the AMT Department Math Competency Test.  This test requires department approval and may not be repeated within the same term.  The AMT Math Test requires either:
    1. Your placement into higher than Math 60, or
    2. Your previous completion of a higher than Math 60 course. 
What is the AMT department math competency test?

It is a test that the FAA will accept in lieu of PCC’s Math 60.  Because math is a required subject within the approved curriculum of a Part 147 school, we must show that a student who graduates has satisfactorily mastered that subject.  We previously taught the math component within our AMT classes, but some years ago it was moved out and replaced by PCC’s Math 60.  (Not all colleges’ math 60 classes have the same content)  Shortly afterward, we petitioned the FAA to accept an alternate method for those who already had a documented math competency above math 60.  The FAA approved the AMT test because the FAA requires that there be a locally controlled method to verify and document competency.

What should I do if I have taken Math 60 at PCC?

If you passed the class, you are done with the AMT math competency requirement.  That does not mean that you are done with the AAS degree math requirement.

What should I do if I have already taken a Math 60 at another college?

You should bring your transcript to an academic advisor.  They can make an entry into the college computer that will indicate placement into a higher that math 60 class.  With that entry, AMT can issue you a permission slip to take the AMT department math competency test.

What should I do if I placed into a higher than Math 60 class?

With that placement evidence in the college computer, AMT can issue you a permission slip to take the AMT department math competency test.

What should I do if I have already taken a higher than Math 60 class at another college?

You could either; 1. Bring your transcript to academic advising for placement into higher math classes, or 2. Send your transcript directly to an AMT advisor for issuance of the AMT department math competency test permission slip. 

When can (or should) I take the AMT department math competency test?

It can be taken before you enter the program.  If that is not best for you, you can take it after you start the AMT classes.  Since it is a class prerequisite, you will have to get an override in order to register into the AMT classes.  The override will only be made if all of the other prerequisites have been met.  This prerequisite override can only be made by an AMT faculty.

Where do I go to take the AMT department math competency test?

It is taken at the Rock Creek testing center in building 9.  With your permission slip, you will be allowed to take the test.  You will need to make an appointment because there are times when they have scheduled tests and the room is full.  There is no fee for the test, it is free.  It is not a timed test.  There are 30 questions that are very similar to the FAA’s 60 possible written test questions in the mathematics subject group.  The test is not made up of the easiest questions.  You will also not be able to use a calculator.  That means that you may have to work out some problems long-hand.  You may also want to think about the logic of analyzing the answers as to their reasonable correctness.