How To Start An Aircraft Maintenance Business

Note: This article is written for Certified A&P's who don't have a lot of capital/cash on hand. In addition, we have not been paid by any 3rd party references in this article.

Michael Sawyer A&P/IA

July 14, 2025

See my story on how I got started with my first aircraft maintenance business

Starting an aircraft maintenance business can be an easy or challenging process. It ultimately depends on many factors: Time dedication, work ethic, current obligations, and level of passion.

In this article we dive deep into what it actually takes to get an aircraft maintenance business started. Use the quick jump menu bellow to jump to a topic, or simply read through to get a total understanding.

Certifications
Start Up Cost
Location Selection
Insurance
Getting Customers
Making The Jump
FAQ

What Certifications Are Required To Start An Aircraft Maintenance Business?

This is a broad question, and we’ll cover the typical licenses, permits, and accounts you’ll need to start an aircraft maintenance business. This article is written for People Who Already Have A FAA Airframe & Powerplant License. If you’d like to learn more about how to get an Airframe & Powerplant License visit the FAA website.

Limited Liability Business License

Once you have the A&P license the certifications you will need are business related. We recommend starting as an LLC or a limited Liability Company. This makes your business official. Register your business through your secretary of states website. To learn more about the business structure of an LLC visit

IRS EIN Number

You won’t get far with a legitimate business until you register with the Internal Revenue Service. An EIN or Employer Identification Number is required and is free to obtain. Simply go to the EIN register page. You’ll want to have your business registered prior to applying for the EIN.

Sales Tax Permit

A sales tax permit may or may not be required for your aircraft maintenance business depending on where you locate your headquarters. Sales tax permits are free to obtain. To find out if you need a sales tax permit simply do a google search or contact the department of revenue for your state.

Business Bank Accounts

This is often an overlooked step in the proper set up of your aircraft maintenance business. Getting designated business bank account that are separate from your personal account are required to help establish you business a legitimate.

In the event of a legal issue (rare but can happen) a court can examine your businesses legitimacy. If you have separate business bank accounts it further protects your personal liability.

What Are The Start Up Costs Of Starting Aircraft Maintenance Company?

Start up cost for an aircraft maintenance company can vary. If your goal is to start with as little cash as possible start with piston aircraft services first. It cost less to obtain the tooling, insurance, manuals, and equipment needed to service these type of aircraft. To get access to a large number of piston aircraft manuals for a low monthly cost consider subscribing to Grease Pilot’s Mechanic Portal

What Tooling Needed To Start An Aircraft Maintenance Business?

To service piston aircraft you’ll need a decent set of mechanic hand tools. The good news is most mechanics already have the bulk of these hand tools at their disposal.

What Aircraft Manual Library Needed To Start An Aircraft Maintenance Company?

To service piston aircraft you’ll need a decent set of mechanic hand tools. The good news is most mechanics already have the bulk of these hand tools at their disposal. Some of the common tools you’ll need include:

1/4 Drive Ratchet With Extension
1/4 Drive Socket Set
3/8 Drive Ratchet With Extensions
3/8 Drive Socket Set
Standard Wrench Set
Pliers & Dikes
Punches & Picks

NOTE: American Made Aircraft Use Standard Tooling

Some of the specialty tooling you’ll need include the following:

PRO TIP: If your short on cash hold off on purchasing specialty tooling until you land your first job. The only order the tools you need for the particular job. This allows you to build your tooling up as you go. In addition, it allows you to pay for the tooling with the profits from the job.

How Do I Choose A Location For Your Aircraft Maintenance Business?

Location is key when starting an aircraft maintenance business. As the old business saying goes “location, location, location” is true especially with an aircraft maintenance business. Below we’ll discuss some of the key points when selecting a location for your aircraft maintenance business.

Mobile Service VS Leasing Hangar Space

Mobile Service: If your just starting out and do not have that much money to invest. We highly recommend starting with a mobile service. Simply because it cost lest money. Location plays a big role in how fast your aircraft maintenance company will grow. Customers want convivence, and it doesn’t get much more convenient then coming to the customers location to perform the work.

Leasing Hangar Space: Leasing hangar space is the ultimate goal. The smart way to build an aircraft maintenance business is to start with mobile maintenance then once your customer base is built lease hangar space. The only exception to this rule is if you negotiate (we have in the past) a good deal with a local airport on hangar space. It’s not uncommon to get free rent for 6 months at an airport that NEEDS an aircraft maintenance provider.

How Do I Estimate Number Of Potential Aircraft Maintenance Customers?

Estimating the number of potential customers before establishing a mobile service area or selecting a hangar space is key. This process is fairly simple.

#1 Select the center point of your service area (Your home address)

#2 Look up the county for this center point and the surrounding county’s (ones that boarder or touch the center county)

#3 Go to the FAA Aircraft Registry and input each county

#4 Count the number of piston aircraft for each county.

This will provide you with a number of potential customers. Use this same tool to send out mailers to your potential customers.

Aircraft Maintenance Insurance

Aircraft maintenance insurance is not required to start an aircraft maintenance business, but we highly recommend obtaining insurance. This is usually the highest starting expense when opening an aircraft maintenance business. Don’t worry their are way’s to lower the initial cost of insurance that we will describe in detail below.

How Much Is Aircraft Maintenance Business Insurance?

Aircraft Maintenance Insurance has many factors that will effect the yearly premium cost. Below we will describe the types of coverages and estimated costs (2025).

It should be noted that typically all the following coverages are combined in one policy (all premiums added together for one yearly premium). In our how to start an aircraft maintenance course we provide a solution to tackle the high cost of aviation maintenance insurance.

Airport Premises Liability

This is the legal responsibility of an aircraft maintenance company for injuries or damages occurring on airport property due to unsafe conditions or negligent action. How much dollar value you obtain for coverage will dictate the yearly premium amount for this type of insurance. Here is an example:

Each Person $ 1,000,000 | Each Occurrence $ 1,000,000 | Aggregate$ 2,000,000
Premium Amount: $1750.00 – $3,000.00