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Credentials that raise your pay

• General Radiotelephone Operator License

  Issued by the Federal Communications Commission, held for life, and needed to work on aircraft radio transmitters. A standard line in job postings.

• Certified Aircraft Electronics Technician

  Run by the Aircraft Electronics Association, the trade body for avionics shops.

• Airframe and Powerplant mechanic certificate

  The broad Federal Aviation Administration mechanic certificate. Holding it alongside avionics skills makes you very hard to replace.

• Manufacturer training

  Garmin, Honeywell and Collins run courses on their own equipment, and shops pay for them.