Exams are similar to boarding passes. You cannot move forward without them.
Students who complete the Aviation Maintenance program at Canadian Valley Technology Center are on a virtual autopilot with a collective federal exam success rate that checks in at 13th best in the country (among 198 schools).
Passage of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airframe and Powerplant (or A&P) exams permit persons to work as aircraft maintenance technicians on U.S.-registered aircraft anywhere, from Boise City to Broken Bow and from Buenos Aires to Brisbane.
CV Tech’s exam applicants earned a pass rate of 97.3 percent. That’s considerably better than the average pass rate among the state’s seven aviation maintenance schools of 85 percent.
Sarah Goff, 20, of Mustang, is among former CV Tech students who recently passed the A&P exams. She started her career right away at Leading Edge Aviation, a mobile aviation maintenance shop. It is based at C.E. Page Airport, a public-use airport located southwest of Yukon.
Goff said she sort of lucked into aviation maintenance. Since age 13, she wanted to become a pilot. She took flight lessons, but that dream was grounded by lack of funds.
Then, on a tip from her mother, a closely related career possibility emerged. CV Tech’s Aviation Maintenance program stuck out like a beacon on a dimly lit runway for the once-aspiring aviator. Instead of studying aerodynamics and basic aircraft maneuvers, Goff began learning about airframe structure, reciprocating engines, basic electricity and propeller systems.
“I grew to really enjoy working on planes,” Goff said. “Being in the program made me more interested in becoming a mechanic and learning the functions and basics of airplanes.
“I wasn’t aware of the high pass rate until after I had started the program. Once I did learn about it, it gave me confidence knowing that I was going to receive good instruction to help me pass my exams.”
Making A Connection
What began as a detour from the pilot’s seat has turned into a shared flight path for Goff. She recently married her sweetheart, Andrew, whom she met in class at CV Tech. He has begun a career at the FAA Logistics Center in Oklahoma City.
“I am very excited, it’s rare and interesting to be working with your spouse in the same industry,” she said. “It’s cool to see where different paths and choices can take you in aviation.”
Frequent Flyers
More than 6,200 registered civilian aircraft statewide collectively amass 1.3 million takeoffs and landings at 108 airports each year, according to information supplied by the stage agency known as Oklahoma Aerospace & Aeronautics.
Median pay nationwide for aircraft maintenance technicians is $38 per hour or more than $79,000 per year, according to information supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job outlook through 2034 is projected to be 5 percent, which is faster than average.
Aerospace employs more than 200,000 people annually in Oklahoma. It is the state’s No. 2 industry (behind energy) and generates an estimated $44 billion in annual economic impact, according to the publicly funded Oklahoma.gov website.
Enrollment for CV Tech’s adult-only Aviation Maintenance program at the El Reno Campus is underway for an August 2026 start date. Applications are also being accepted for the school’s high school structural maintenance program. For more information, visit www.cvtech.edu.
