Originally Posted by
Chimichurri
Now that I'm at AA, and will soon be based where I live, I'm interested in returning to school to finish my A&P. I'm on short call reserve and really don't get called that often so I feel like I should be doing something productive with my time while waiting for the phone to ring. I was going to school for it, finished the general, but have the airframe and powerplant to finish. Has anyone in a similar situation done something like this? Many years ago, I purchased an antique Cessna that I would like to fly one day, I have dreams of taking my young kids up in it.
Have you looked into the apprenticeship route? I haven’t done it myself (but as an aircraft owner would love to have my A&P some day). My understanding is that you can work under the supervision of an A&P, log the time, and when you have enough (not sure of the requirement), you can take the practical and get the certificate that way. I’ve got a buddy who did it that way. “Supervised” doesn’t have to be direct and in person, so if you can find a mechanic that is okay with inspecting your work and “supervising” via phone call, photos, face time, in person, or some combination thereof, you could work toward completion of you A&P on your own time while wrenching on your own airplane on reserve days.