Originally Posted by 4020Driver

I’m not an airline pilot, but I can help with questions concerning the process of getting an A&P. Part 65 covers certification of airmen other than pilots. In Part 65, it states that an individual must have 30 months of full-time experience to qualify for the A&P. FSDOs generally assume a 40 hour work week when taking about 30 months of full time experience, which is about 5000 hours of hands on experience.

In the past, all that was needed was a letter from another A&P saying that you worked under him or her for the 30 months required by Part 65. Unfortunately, there were quite a few instances of that 30 months being “pencil whipped” for someone to qualify. Now FSDOs Have cracked down on this and want to see considerable documentation. A couple of examples are signed off work orders in a repair station environment or a logbook documenting the 30 months of full time work, which as I said before equates to about 5000 hours of hands on time. When I was Chief Inspector at a repair station, our FSDO wanted to see employment history and work orders that were signed by the applicant covering every system on the aircraft.


After gaining the above experience, you then go to the FSDO with your letter stating that you worked for 30 months under an A&P and the supporting documentation. The FSDO interviews you and, if successful, approves you to take the three written tests and then three oral and three practical tests (the orals and practicals generally are all completed at the same time). The orals and practicals are administered by a Designated Mechanic Examiner. You’ll have $1500-$3000 invested in the written, orals and practicals.

The other option is going to a part 147 school, which are generally full time 18 month to 2 year programs. The school signs you off and you then take the written s, orals and practicals.

A person can also opt to get a light sport repairmen certificate and use the experience (again, 30months full-time) working on light sport aircraft to get the A & P. Generally FSDOs do not count the building of an experimental aircraft toward the experience requirement for the A&P.

If you were in the military, and were involved with aviation maintenance, the FAA website has a listing of all of the MOSs that would qualify you for the airframe, power plant, or both.

I will say that there is a lot of variability in the various FSDOs on what they want to see before they let you sit for the A and P, it’d be a good idea to have a conversation with them to see what they like to make the process a bit smoother.

Another thing to keep in mind are the possible liability implications. Generally every mechanic that returned an aircraft to service is sued if the unthinkable happens. If the aircraft is sold or even if you lend it out a friend, the door is open. As a possible legacy pilot you’d be a prime target, because, well, you’ll have some net worth. If you feel that you’d like to midigate some of that risk, there is liability insurance available specifically for aviation maintenance , generally the limits are low and the cost is high, probably too high for someone conducting maintenance as only a hobby.

Hopefully this helps make the process a bit more visible to you and give you an idea of the time commitment involved. If you have any questions, please let me know!