Power Armor Training (Fallout 3)

Power Armor Training is a Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas perk. You must have this perk before you can operate or wear a suit of Power Armor or a Power Helmet. The perk can be gained in different ways in the two games.

Through the main storyline
After gaining permission from Elder Lyons, speak to Paladin Gunny in the courtyard of the Citadel. (Brotherhood members refer to it as the "bailey", which means the same thing.) There is no charge or other requirement for training - the screen simply fades to black as Gunny begins teaching you. Once that's done, you may use any kind of Power Armor, including the Enclaves' and the Outcasts' varieties.

If you do not ask for training on your own, you will get it automatically at the end of The American Dream when you become an honorary member of Lyons' Pride.

Through Operation: Anchorage
You automatically gain this perk when you finish the Anchorage Reclamation simulation in the Operation: Anchorage add-on.

Fallout: New Vegas
You can obtain the perk after completing the Eyesight to the Blind quest for the Brotherhood of Steel. Please note that this quest will not become available until the lockdown at the Hidden Valley bunker has lifted. Wait a few days in the game and reenter the base, then go see Elder McNamara (or Hardin, if you helped him become Elder) and tell him you want to join the Brotherhood. The other option for training is the For Auld Lang Syne quest for Arcade Gannon. If you help Hardin in the quest for the Brotherhood of Steel, Still in the Dark you can overthrow McNamara, wait three days and then speak to Hardin about gaining entry to the Brotherhood. He will send you on a quest to destroy everyone employed by the Silver Rush

Console command
Through normal gameplay, training is required to wear power armor of any variety. However, the skill can be unlocked via the console in the PC version by typing. An alternate way to do this is to type in the console.