GTA Academy · Aircraft Appearance Certification

Start free. Certify at three levels. Get put to work.

Level 1 Foundations is free. Level 2 is the complete professional program and the working certification. Level 3 is hands-on with a GTA instructor on real aircraft. Then GTA Pro lists you, routes requests in your region, and helps you build the company. No other academy stays with you past the certificate.

Apply · Level 1 is free Student sign inApproved by a person · certificates earned, never given

The path

Foundations free. Professional certification. Hands-on on real aircraft. Then work.

No other academy gives the foundation away, certifies you, trains your hands, and then stays with you. The platform is the difference: the account that holds your certificates holds your listing, your leads and your business tools.

Step 1

Foundations

Week 1, free. The environment, the aircraft, the classes, the protocol, the ramp. The Level 1 exam and certificate.

Step 2

Professional

Weeks 2 to 4, $900. Exterior, interior, the launch, the final exam, the practical and the capstone. The Level 2 certificate.

Step 3

Hands-on

In person on real aircraft with a GTA instructor, $1,900. The Level 3 certificate.

Step 4

Work and build

GTA Pro lists you and routes requests in your region; the platform helps you set up the company and find opportunities in other states.

Level 1 · Foundations · Free

Foundations — Level 1

The foundation every aircraft appearance professional stands on: how aviation is organized and who buys the work, every surface of the aircraft, the GTA class system, the pre-job protocol, ramp safety and security, and why the Standard exists. Seven units, the Level 1 exam and a field assignment.

Seven written units with a knowledge check on each
The Level 1 Foundations Exam, timed, pass mark 80 percent
Field Assignment 1, reviewed by an instructor
The AI tutor on every lesson
The Level 1 digital certificate with a public verification page

Online, self-paced, unlocked as you progress · One week at 8 to 12 hours

Freeno card, no fee

Level 1 shows you understand the aviation environment and the Standard. It is the foundation, not a working certification: aircraft work begins at Level 2.

Apply, free

Level 2 · Professional · $900

Aircraft Appearance Professional Program — Level 2

The complete knowledge of the trade: exterior systems, interior systems and the professional launch. Thirty-two units, two knowledge gates, two field assignments, the 60-question final exam, a documented practical and a capstone launch plan. The CAAP Level 2 credential.

Weeks 2, 3 and 4 as full written manuals, not slides
Wet wash, dry wash, boots, windows, brightwork limits, gear wells, the release walk
Flight deck, cabin surfaces, galley, lavatory, carpet and odor, the interior QC pass
Positioning, scope, getting hired, the first engagement, building the company, the ten documents, the 90-day plan
The ten engagement forms and twelve field cards
The Level 2 digital certificate, valid 24 months, with public verification

Online, self-paced, unlocked as you progress · Three weeks at 8 to 12 hours per week · Requires: The Level 1 Foundations credential

$900program fee, paid once

Level 2 is the working certification: trained and assessed to the GTA Standard for exterior and interior appearance care within the Green scope.

Enroll from your Academy after Level 1

Level 3 · Hands-on · $1,900

Hands-On Training — Level 3

The hands that match the knowledge: supervised wash, boot, window, gear-well and interior work on aircraft, brightwork finishing, the start of paint-protection skills, the Cover Ledger under an instructor's eye, and the Level 3 assessment.

Supervised exterior and interior work on real aircraft
Brightwork finishing and the start of paint-protection skills
Your own documented practice hours with an instructor as witness
The Level 3 practical assessment
A person schedules your sessions with you after enrollment
The Level 3 digital certificate with public verification

In person with a GTA instructor, on real aircraft · Scheduled sessions after Level 2 certification · Requires: An active CAAP Level 2 credential

$1,900program fee, paid once

Level 3 shows the holder performed the work on aircraft under a GTA instructor and passed the hands-on assessment.

Enroll from your Academy after Level 2

Three digital certificates

Each level has its own certificate, numbered and verifiable by anyone.

CAAP is a professional certification issued by Global Ties Aviation through GTA Academy. It is not an FAA certificate, a mechanic or repairman certificate, a maintenance authorization, or any government credential. It shows the holder was trained and assessed to the GTA Standard for aircraft appearance care.

Level 1

CAAP Foundations · Level 1

Level 1 shows you understand the aviation environment and the Standard. It is the foundation, not a working certification: aircraft work begins at Level 2.

Level 2

CAAP · Certified Aircraft Appearance Professional · Level 2

Level 2 is the working certification: trained and assessed to the GTA Standard for exterior and interior appearance care within the Green scope.

Level 3

CAAP Hands-On · Level 3

Level 3 shows the holder performed the work on aircraft under a GTA instructor and passed the hands-on assessment.

A credential number in the form CAAP-L2-2026-0001, never reused, with a public page at /verify/<number>
A PNG you can save, share or print, and a printable certificate page
Level 2 and Level 3 are valid 24 months and renewed by continuing education and a signed code-of-conduct attestation
A person issues every certificate; nothing is issued automatically

Curriculum

Four weeks, 41 units, unlocked in order.

Each lesson opens when the one before it is complete. Each knowledge gate opens when the week is done. The next week opens when the gate is passed and the field assignment is in. Level 2 opens when Level 1 is finished and enrolled. The order is the method.

Week 1 · Level 1 · free

Foundations

Level 1 · The aviation environment, the aircraft, and the professional

How aviation is organized and who buys appearance work, every surface of the aircraft and how it is damaged, the GTA class system, the pre-job protocol, ramp safety and security, and why the Standard exists.

Week 1 Overview and Study Guide
How Aviation Works for the Appearance Professional
Aircraft Anatomy for Appearance Work
GTA Appearance Classes and Sizing the Job
The Pre-Job Protocol
The Ramp: Safety, Security and Conduct
Consequences: Why the Standard Exists
Level 1 Foundations Exam
Field Assignment 1

Week 2 · Level 2

Exterior Systems

Level 2 · Wash, protect, inspect and release

Assessment and setup, the wet wash and the dry wash, de-ice boots, cross-contamination control, windows, brightwork and the limits of the certification, gear wells and the belly, and the four-pass release walk.

Week 2 Overview and Study Guide
Exterior Assessment and Setup
The Wet Wash
The Dry Wash and Waterless Methods
De-Ice Boots and Leading Edges
Cross-Contamination Control
Windows and Transparencies
Brightwork, Paint Protection and Knowing Your Limits
Gear Wells, Nacelles, Exhaust and Belly
Final Exterior Quality Control and Release
Week 2 Knowledge Gate
Field Assignment 2: Exterior Readiness Scenarios

Week 3 · Level 2

Interior Systems

Level 2 · Flight deck, cabin, galley, lavatory, soft goods

Contamination categories and preparation, the flight deck never-touch list, cabin surfaces by material, the galley and food-contact rules, the lavatory always last, carpet and odor handled honestly, and the passenger-seat QC pass.

Week 3 Overview and Study Guide
Interior Assessment, Preparation and Contamination Categories
The Flight Deck
Cabin Surfaces
Galley and Food-Contact Surfaces
The Lavatory: Always Last
Carpet, Fabric, Odor and Air
Final Interior Quality Control and Close-Out
Week 3 Knowledge Gate
Field Assignment 3: Interior Readiness

Week 4 · Level 2

The Professional Launch

Level 2 · Credential, scope, first client, company, documents, 90 days

Positioning the credential honestly, the scope matrix and practice log, getting hired and shadowing, the first engagement end to end, building the company with the Quote Builder, the ten documents, the 90-day plan, then the final exam, the practical and the capstone.

Week 4 Overview and Study Guide
Your Credential and Your Positioning
Scope, Practice and Proof
Getting Hired and Shadowing
The First Engagement
Building the Company
The Documentation System
The 90-Day Launch Plan
Level 2 Final Certification Exam
Practical Assessment and Capstone

The GTA Standard

Verify. Protect. Document. Deliver.

Every lesson ends by applying the four disciplines to the task at hand. It is a working method, not a slogan, and it is what an FBO manager is looking for when they decide whether to let you near an aircraft.

Verify

Scope, authorization, aircraft type, surface, product and conditions are confirmed before anything touches the aircraft.

Protect

The aircraft, the people, the client's confidentiality and your own liability come before speed.

Document

Condition before, actions during, outcome after. If it is not written and photographed, it did not happen.

Deliver

The same result every time, walked through with the client, signed off and followed up.

Who gets in

Free is the beginning, not the goal.

The application asks about your background, your twelve-month goal, the hours you can give, and whether you would invest in your own development and in your business if the platform helped you build it. A person at Global Ties Aviation reads every application and decides. People who want a free certificate and nothing more are not who this is for.

Start the application

A technician in a high-visibility vest standing clear of a business jet with its beacon on

After certification

GTA Pro puts the credential to work.

A verified listing with the CAAP badge, appearance-service requests in your region routed to you as they arrive, the Quote Builder, the document vault, clinics and the graduate community. No volume is promised; the requests come as they come, and a person confirms every match.

GTA Pro

$99per month

Listed, routed, equipped.

Verified professional listing with the CAAP badge
Appearance-service requests in your region routed to you as they arrive
The GTA Quote Builder and the document vault with all ten templates
Monthly clinics and continuing-education credit toward renewal
The graduate community and the Work Network

GTA Pro Plus

$199per month

Priority, presence, a plan.

Everything in GTA Pro
Priority routing on requests in your region
A public profile page and marketing assets in the GTA style
A quarterly business review with a person
Discount on Level 3 hands-on training

Membership is requested from your portal account and activated by a person. Full platform economics on /platform.

The platform behind it

Opportunities in other states. A company of your own.

Graduates join the Work Network, where owners, fleets and FBOs post appearance work across the country and verified specialists take it. After the full program, the Launch track helps set up the business: the forms, the quote builder, the first client, the recurring schedule.

See the Work Network The Launch track

A technician at a hangar door at sunrise with a business jet and an equipment van behind

Questions

Straight answers.

What is free and what costs money?

Level 1 Foundations (Week 1, the Level 1 exam, the field assignment and the Level 1 certificate) is free. Level 2, the complete professional program across Weeks 2 to 4 with the final exam, the practical, the capstone and the working certification, is $900. Level 3 hands-on training with a GTA instructor on real aircraft is $1,900. GTA Pro membership is separate and optional.

Is CAAP an FAA license?

Can I skip ahead?

No. Each lesson opens when the one before it is complete, each knowledge gate opens when the week's lessons are done, and the next week opens when the gate is passed and the field assignment is in. Level 2 opens when Level 1 is complete and the program is enrolled. The order is the method.

Who gets in?

People who will do the work. You create an account and answer a short pre-qualification: your background, your twelve-month goal, the hours you can give, and whether you would invest in your own development and in your business if the platform helped you build it. A person at Global Ties Aviation reads every application and decides.

What does the AI do?

The tutor answers questions about the lesson you are on and never hands out gate or exam answers. Short-answer questions are graded against the instructor key, and an instructor can override any grade. A person issues every certificate.

What do the certificates look like?

Each level has its own digital certificate carrying the Global Ties Aviation badge, your name, the credential number, the issue and expiry dates and the verification address. Anyone can check a number on the public verification page. Level 2 and Level 3 are valid 24 months and renewed by continuing education and a code-of-conduct attestation.

Apply · Level 1 is free Student sign in