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Aviation Maintenance Degrees for Futureproof Managers
Vaughn College is well known for its Aviation Training Institute (ATI), led by Vice President of Training Domenic Proscia. For the last 19 years, he has provided academic and administrative leadership and support across all aviation programs at Vaughn, with a strategic focus on building a transformational teaching and learning environment that engages faculty and students alike.
Proscia has built a level of aviation maintenance training at Vaughn that allows students to cross-train with other disciplines, such as engineering. This practice is not typically accessible to students at other colleges. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for high-paying, in-demand careers with the tools, modern technology, knowledge and hands-on experience needed to succeed in a variety of maintenance-related careers. Graduates go on to work in the utility, transportation and aviation arenas at organizations such as the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Consolidated Edison, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and major airlines that include Atlas Air (cargo), American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Program at a Glance
Degree and credential levels offered :
Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) | Certificate—Airframe and Powerplant (A&P)
Sample programs :
Aviation Maintenance (AOS) | Aviation Maintenance—Airframe and Powerplant Certificate
Employer partners :
American Airlines | Atlas Air | Butler Aerospace and Defense | Cessna | Con Edison | Delta Air Lines (Delta TechOps partner institution) | Endeavor Air | Federal Aviation Administration | Fedex | JetBlue Airways (JetBlue University – Tech Ops partner institution) | Long Island Rail Road | Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) | Northrop Grumman | Port Authority of New York and New Jersey | Sikorsky Aircraft
Sample careers graduates pursue :
Aircraft mechanic | Aviation maintenance technician | Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging and systems assembler
Industries: Aerospace and defense | Cargo and logistics | Energy and power generation
Example salary ranges :
Aircraft mechanic and service technician: $58,000 – $123,000 (NYC median annual $104,000)
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging and systems assembler: $40,000 – $93,000 (NYC median annual $76,000)
(Source: Lightcast Career Prospects widget; regional Lightcast data—figures may vary by experience and role)
Location and facilities :
Aviation Training Institute (ATI) at 86-01 23rd Avenue, Flushing, New York 11369, adjacent to LaGuardia Airport | Vaughn’s hangar fleet is used for hands-on maintenance training in the ATI program and includes several twin- and single-engine aircraft and jet engine test cells; the hangar also contains engine laboratories and houses an array of advanced system training boards.
Accreditations and authorizations :
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved curriculum (preparation for A&P certificate)
Why Vaughn for Aviation Maintenance?
Boeing’s Pilot and Technician Outlook 2026-2045 projects a global demand for 728,000 new aviation maintenance technicians over the next 20 years. Vaughn’s Aviation Training Institute prepares graduates to step directly into that demand, with training built around the tools, technology and hands-on experience expected by today’s employers.
Department Faculty
Meet the Department Chair
Domenic Proscia has been with Vaughn College in Flushing, New York since 1997. Over the last 28 years, he has been responsible for providing academic and administrative leadership and support in all aviation programs at Vaughn College. Proscia is vice president of training for the College. His strategic objective is to provide a transformational teaching and learning environment, and to create a unique Vaughn academic experience that engages faculty and students.
During his tenure with Vaughn, Proscia held positions from maintenance instructor to management professor; he was chair of the aviation department where he developed new partnerships and collaborations, and he now serves as vice president of training. He has created a level of aviation training at Vaughn that allows students to cross train in areas not typically accessible to them. He helped develop and currently manages both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) part 65 aircraft dispatch program and the approved FAA part 141 ground school. Proscia is responsible for Vaughn’s Aviation Training Institute and its approved FAA part 147 program where he also serves as FAA liaison. As chair of the aviation department, he restructured simulator training creating Vaughn’s first “million dollar” lab housing five state of the art simulators including jet transition training. He has helped bring Vaughn’s air traffic controller program to the next level by acquiring state of the art tower and radar simulation labs now in use by students across 11 different academic programs. He also manages international programs at Vaughn College, and played a vital role in Vaughn’s India initiative, paving the way for the only foreign program receiving accreditation in India through a collaborative effort in 2007; his current international efforts have expanded into China, running collaborative programs with institutions seeking aviation programs. Proscia has served as a member on the Board of Directors of the Aviation Technician Education Council and has completed service as Aviation Maintenance Committee Chair for the University Aviation Association.
Proscia has his FAA A&P certification, holds an associate degree from the College of Aeronautics in New York, a bachelor’s degree from the Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey, and a master’s degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
Meet Other ATI Faculty Members
8th Best Regional College in New York State
95%
OF VAUGHN GRADUATES
71% in their field—are employed or continue their education within one year*
Why Choose Vaughn for Aviation Maintenance
Instructors with Industry Experience
Instructors are currently or have been employed in the aviation industry, bringing real-world, up-to-date maintenance experience into the classroom.
Employer Connections
Direct connections to top employers, including Cessna and JetBlue.
State-of-the-Art Training Facilities
Hands-on training facilities equipped with current maintenance technology.
High FAA Exam Pass Rates
Students consistently perform well on FAA certification exams.
Delta Air Lines Partners with Vaughn
Vaughn College is partnered with several world-class airports and airlines—conveniently located nearby—to create an unsurpassed environment for learning, gaining experience and making valuable industry connections.
Because of Vaughn’s years of success in helping graduates gain prestigious positions at airports and airlines of all sizes, Delta Air Lines has partnered with Vaughn to enhance the College’s aviation maintenance training program. Students in the Aviation Training Institute are exposed to the essential elements, methods, technology and research that lead the field today. It is worth noting that graduates often land their dream jobs in their field of interest rather quickly.
Where an Aviation Maintenance Career Can Take You
A Vaughn ATI credential opens doors across aviation, transit and utility maintenance—from the hangar floor to the rail yard. Here’s how the program maps to real career paths.
Aviation Maintenance Technician (A&P Certificate)
- Career titles: aircraft mechanic, aviation maintenance technician, MRO technician
- Employer partners: Delta Air Lines, Endeavor Air, Atlas Air, American Airlines, Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), JetBlue, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Con Edison, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
- Pathway: Complete your bachelor of science degree in aviation maintenance or aviation maintenance management for managerial roles.
- New York median salary: $104,000*
*Career and salary information based on Lightcast Data, jobs based within a 100-mile radius of Queens, NY.
Latest Aviation Maintenance Updates and Insights from Vaughn College
Aviation Training Institute FAQs
The FAA issues a single mechanic certificate with an Airframe (A) rating, a Powerplant (P) rating, or both (A&P) ratings to qualified applicants.
- Work in hangars, out on the field on the “flight lines” where aircraft park, or in repair stations.
- Use of hand and power tools as well as sophisticated test equipment.
- Maintenance is performed around the clock, seven days a week.
- New mechanics and technicians should expect to work nights and weekends.
- The noise level both indoors and on the flight line could be very high.
- Work will at times require physical activity, from climbing ladders to crawling.
- Working under deadlines to make sure airplanes are ready to fly.
The requirements are prescribed by Federal Aviation Regulations, Part 65, Certification: Airmen Other Than Flight Crew Members.
An applicant must be:
- At least 18 years old;
- Able to read, write, speak and understand the English language (with certain exceptions permitted)
- Able to meet the experience, knowledge and skill requirements for at least one rating; and
- Able to pass all the prescribed tests within a 24-month period.
No, although some employers may require a minimum of a high school education. Students who do not hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent can apply to this program at Vaughn. Students can apply beginning in the spring, summer or fall semester.
No.
No, although some employers may have already established physical requirements for employment as an aviation mechanic in their organizations.
There is no difference. The FAA mechanic certificate is frequently referred to as a license.
No. Possession of an FAA mechanic certificate for employment by an air carrier is not a requirement of the Federal Aviation Regulations. It is often used by the air carriers, however, as one of several hiring requirements. Without a certificate, you cannot approve equipment for return to service and must work under supervision of a certified mechanic.
Yes. You can obtain the necessary experience and skill by obtaining employment with any facility engaged in the construction, maintenance and/or alteration of aircraft, powerplants and/or appliances.
Yes, providing the experience on airframes, powerplants or both under Federal Aviation Regulations, Part 65, Certification; Airmen Other Than Flight Crew Members.
No.
No, although graduation from the appropriate course of a certificated aviation maintenance technician (mechanic) school is one way to meet the experience requirement.
Yes, the minimum passing grades for all Aviation Training Institute courses will be “70” (“C”).
Absences in lectures must be made up by written summary documents. All work must be completed to assure compliance with the ACS standards within 21 days of absence. Absences in labs must be made up by competency-based assessment of missed lab work. Students will have 21 calendar days to satisfactorily complete missed projects. Students may make up projects by attending other lab sections (provided there is capacity) directly with the primary lab instructor, a makeup instructor or with an available ATI instructor. Students who miss more than 15 percent of laboratory time will result in the necessity to retake the class.
Yes.
Written test questions are of the objective, multiple-choice type. Sample questions will be found in the current issue of Advisory Circular 65-2, Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics Certification Guide.
Any PSI testing center nationwide. Vaughn College has an authorized testing center on campus.
Oral and practical tests are administered by FAA Designated Mechanic Examiners.
A Designated Mechanic Examiners list may be obtained from the appropriate FAA district office listed in Appendix 1 and in the current issue of Advisory Circular 183-32, FAA Designated Maintenance Technician Examiner Directory. For student convenience, Vaughn has three examiners available.
Written test fees are paid directly to test centers. Oral and practical fees are included as seminar fees. If you therefore satisfactorily complete the program with us, we can transfer the seminar fee to pay for your oral and practical exams—if taken at Vaughn within one year of program completion. This results in taking your O/P exams with us at no additional costs to you. If you desire, you may test anywhere in the country with any DME/Test Center at your own expense.
The mechanic certificate is valid until surrendered, suspended or revoked.