A&P license
 

Question for all you A&P's out there...

If I wanted to get my A&P license but couldn't go to a full time school due to my schedule what would be the best way to do it in your opinion?

What I'm looking for is something to do in retirement for my own enjoyment. I'd like to buy a small plane and be able to work on it myself and lend a hand in whatever local maintenance shop is around.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

If you don't go through one of the schools, the only other way is to document 3 years of working on aircraft under the tutelage of an a&p.

Is that something that a mechanic at the local airport would be willing to do on a very part-time basis?

Earning your mechanic certificate takes 18 months if you want one rating (airframe, or powerplant), and 30 months if you want both ratings.

According to the FAA, your documented experience must be full time working on aircraft and performing the duties of mechanic:

§65.77 Experience requirements.
Each applicant for a mechanic certificate or rating must present either an appropriate graduation certificate or certificate of completion from a certificated aviation maintenance technician school or documentary evidence, satisfactory to the Administrator, of—

(a) At least 18 months of practical experience with the procedures, practices, materials, tools, machine tools, and equipment generally used in constructing, maintaining, or altering airframes, or powerplants appropriate to the rating sought; or

(b) At least 30 months of practical experience concurrently performing the duties appropriate to both the airframe and powerplant ratings.

The requirement for that experience to be equivalent to full time employment has been established by the FAA Chief Legal Counsel in letters of interpretation.

That's 18 months of experience for the airframe, or 18 months of experience for the powerplant, or 30 months of combined experience for both. Then the three maintenance knowledge exams (General, Airframe, Powerplant), and a practical test after obtaining your FAA authorizations to test.

Did they recently change the required amount of months? Or is my memory just that bad?

If you choose to construct a home built aircraft, you may do so without an A&P certificate. After successful completion to include inspections, Etc, you will likely be eligible for a Repairman's Certificate. This will allow you to maintain the aircraft that you have built, though no other. The OJT route I believe is still viable however will likely eventually go away. You may work right now under the supervision of a certificated A&P or in a certificated repair station/facility. BTW, Myself, and I'm sure other A&P's, have had offers over the years to accept fairly large amounts of money to sign for someone's experience, which were of course declined. I wouldn't suggest trying to go that route either!

The experience requirements for the mechanic certificate may have changed, but has been 18 months/30 months for a long time.

When I did mine, I documented 5 years of experience. I contacted each mechanic and employer and got letters verifying the experience, then made up a series of documents for each employer, showing the work done, registration numbers, etc. I put everything together with a table of contents, and spent about a year doing that. I approached the FAA and was asked who told me to put the packet together like that. No one; I tried to be thorough to ensure success.

The inspector told me that most applicants (at the time) showed up with a hand written note signed by a mechanic. He asked for a copy of my documentation to show others, and I supplied it. Today, I believe the FAA is requiring more documentation.

I spent a year studying for the written tests, then took those, then another year preparing for the practical, and arranged to take that with an examiner at a college that had an aircraft maintenance program. In my case, then about seven years, though of course it could have been done sooner. I had about fifteen years of maintenance experience at the time I finished, although I only documented the previous five. I just wanted to be thorough and ensure everything was in line and complete.

The truth is that I probably wouldn't have done it then, but an employer pushed me to get it, so I did.

If you go the experimental route and seek a repairman certificate, bear in mind that it's good for your aircraft, not something you can apply to other aircraft or for other people. It allows you to perform the condition inspection on your own aircraft.

Thanks everyone,
There's some good advice in there. Seems like it would be a long road getting the experience part-time while balancing the family life at the same time. It sounds like it would be easier to wait until I retire and then go the community college route. It will give me something to do to get me out of the house....

That is the best route...if you will be able to find a school still open. Enrollment is way down.

Yes, because parents and others have discovered it is likely not the best bet for a career either! Lots of certificated A&P's doing other things. The knowledge gained is nice to have in your "tool box" however.