The FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License — GROL, also coded PG — is the paper U.S. avionics shops still ask about when the work touches transmitters. It is not an A&P. It is not a substitute for an A&P. It is a hiring filter on a lot of benches. You earn it by passing Element 1 (basic radio law and operating practice) and Element 3 (general radiotelephone). It is issued for the holder’s lifetime. That last sentence is why people still sit it even when the shop is vague about whether they “really” need it.
People search “FCC avionics license” because the FAA mechanic certificate does not automatically make you the radio person. The FAA become-a-mechanic page will get you airframe and powerplant. The FCC commercial radio operator program is a different agency, a different test, and a different wall. If you want the bench, read the current element list and ask the shop what they actually hang next to the coffee. Then read avionics technician salary so you know whether the paper is attached to a raise.
What GROL actually is
GROL is a commercial radio operator license. The FCC’s types-of-licenses page lists it as the General Radiotelephone Operator License (PG). You need it to operate certain compulsory-equipped ship and aircraft radio stations, and — more relevant to this desk — shops use it as proof you can be the person who works on transmitters without the HR department inventing a test. Elements 1 and 3 are the current pair for GROL. A ship radar endorsement is a different element and a different conversation. Do not buy a bundle you will not use.
Lifetime means lifetime. You do not renew GROL the way you renew Inspection Authorization every odd March. You also do not get it by holding an A&P. The two certificates sit on two walls. A lot of older AMTs still talk as if “the FCC license” were one thing. Ask whether they mean GROL, a restricted radiotelephone, or a story from a shop that closed in 1998.
| Paper | Who issues it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| A&P (mechanic certificate) | FAA | Airframe and powerplant work, return to service in that system |
| GROL / PG | FCC | Elements 1 and 3; transmitters; a common avionics hiring filter |
| IA | FAA, on top of A&P | Annuals and certain majors in GA — not radios |
| Part 147 diploma | The school, toward FAA tests | Not a substitute for GROL |
GROL vs A&P: stop treating them as a pair
An A&P lets you maintain the airplane in the FAA’s world. GROL lets a shop put you in front of a transmitter in the FCC’s world. Plenty of line A&Ps never need GROL. Plenty of bench techs never hold an A&P. The people who hold both are bidding a line that uses both, or they got tired of being the person who had to wait for “the radio guy.” That is a person, not a BLS row. The May 2025 median for avionics technicians is $82,280. The mechanic median is $79,870. Neither number is “A&P plus radios.”
If a posting says “A&P required” and the work is a line with a radio rack, they want the mechanic certificate and they may still want GROL. If a posting says “FCC GROL required” and never mentions A&P, believe it. Ask which tests they want to see on day one. Then look at the Pay desk for the occupation that matches the work, not the occupation that matches your hoodie.
Who actually needs it
- Avionics shops that work transmitters and still screen HR with GROL.
- Line jobs that include radio and transponder work where the operator’s manual or the shop’s quality system names the license.
- People who want to stop being the A&P who waits for the bench.
- Not: every Part 147 graduate who liked wiring labs.
- Not: IA applicants. Wrong agency, wrong test, wrong March.
Ask the posting. Ask the lead on the tour. Do not ask a forum thread from 2014. Rules and shop habits both move. The FCC GROL types page is the document you should be able to open in the interview. If the interviewer cannot tell GROL from a restricted permit, you are in a shop that uses “FCC” as folklore. Decide if that is the bench you want.
How you actually sit it
You sit Element 1 and Element 3 at a COLEM — a commercial operator license examination manager — not at a DME and not at a FSDO. Pass both, apply through the FCC’s system, and you hold PG for life. We will not invent a 2026 exam fee or a school’s “GROL weekend” sticker. Those change. Confirm the current COLEM list and the current question-pool language on the FCC side, not on a blog that last updated in 2019.
- Confirm the shop wants GROL / PG, not a different commercial operator license.
- Study Elements 1 and 3 from a current pool. Law and operating practice, then general radiotelephone.
- Sit the elements at a COLEM. Keep the pass documents.
- File with the FCC for the license. Lifetime, once it is granted.
- Put it on the wall next to the A&P only if you actually hold an A&P.
Does GROL raise pay?
GROL raises pay when the shop cannot hire the bench without it. It does not raise pay because you laminated it. Avionics 10th percentile still sits under $49,410. The 90th sits over $113,680. GROL is one of the filters that decides which half of that spread you are even allowed to interview for. It is not a $15,000 line item on every offer. Compare it to starting pay if you are new, and to the avionics median if you are already on a bench.
Some people collect GROL the same year they finish 147 because the extra test is cheap compared with another semester. That can be rational. It can also be a certificate you never use while you work nights on landing gear. Collect paper the cork board names. The AMT pay scale still will not have a GROL step unless the contract says so.
Mistakes that waste a Saturday
If you already hold an A&P and you are chasing a line that never opens a transmitter, spend the Saturday on the bid instead. If you are sitting in a 147 wiring lab and every shop on the tour asked about PG, sit Elements 1 and 3 before you graduate. The license is lifetime. The window where a shop will wait for you is not. Pair this page with avionics technician salary so you know whether the bench in your city is real, and with the BLS Handbook so you do not confuse a family median with a radio job.
The classic mistake is treating GROL as an FAA rating. It will not help you sign an annual. It will not shorten how long it takes to become an A&P. The second mistake is paying a school for a “bundle” that includes an element you will never use. The third is showing up to a line interview with GROL and no A&P when the card said A&P required. Read the card.
A fourth mistake is assuming a Canadian radio certificate or a Transport Canada AME license is the same conversation. It is not. This desk is U.S. FCC plus U.S. FAA. If you are crossing a border with paper, ask the shop and the agency, not a Facebook group.
Do I need GROL if I have A&P?+
For airframe and engines, no. For a lot of avionics transmitter work and some shops’ HR screens, yes. Ask the job posting, not a forum from 2014. See the FCC program page.
Which FCC elements make GROL?+
Element 1 and Element 3. That pair is GROL / PG. Lifetime once granted. Other elements are other licenses or endorsements.
Does GROL expire?+
No. It is a lifetime license. IA expires on a March cycle. A&P has its own rules. Do not mix the calendars.
Will GROL get me the avionics median of $82,280?+
No paper gets you a median by itself. GROL is a filter. The avionics salary desk is the wage photograph.
Can I skip A&P and only hold GROL?+
Yes, if the shop is a bench that never needs an FAA mechanic certificate. Many line jobs will not let you. Read the posting twice.
Sources (verified)
FCC element lists and FAA mechanic rules both move. Confirm the live FCC and FAA pages before you sit a test. Aviation Titans is independent editorial, not a COLEM or a school.