Possible A&P
 

I was not sure which forum to place this, but since this covered schools, I thought it may work. I am thinking of possibly going for my A&P and was wondering what the general outlook/feelings were with regards to this as a possible career path, or as a way of staying around aircraft while earning my ratings. I would not want to work for a 121 company, rather I would prefer to stay around GA and Corporate aircraft. What is the general range of pay and QOL as an A&P? I thank you all in advance.

I am a cfi/a&p and I would say go for it. It has served me very well because of the unstable pilot world currently. It's a nice feather in the cap.

Good luck

after 10+ years in the industry including 91, 135, 121 pax, 121 cargo and law enforcement I have finally settled back down into my GA roots and I'm getting my A&P. Had the chance years ago but thought I didn't need it. I was wrong. I say get it. Plus there is no medical requirement for the A&P. I'll also add that hungry jobless A&P's are not as common as hungry jobless pilots

I am think about it. I have a community college near by that offers the program. It is between the A&P and Web Design. In either case, I would be getting one of those two before I begin flying. The one thing I like about Web Design, while it may not keep me near airplanes, is the ability to work for myself! That is a huge plus for me at the moment! I also know that there is a lot of room for growth (advancement and financially) in that field. I appreciate the feed back and I hope there is more to come!

If you can, get it!

I use it every day. Either working on an airplane, providing consultations to people (pre-buys, research, mechanical opinions), fixing the airplane that I am flying at that moment, working on the airplanes at the flight school I teach for when my flying is slow that day...

If you ever own an airplane, it's the best way to make it affordable. Sure, part 43 allows for some maintenance but the A&P can do almost anything. Except annuals and 337's (Yeah, yeah we know that's why we have IA's).

Here's the warning/ disclaimer: It's the hardest certificate I have earned yet. Take months/ years to be eligible. Not as easy as attending ATP for three weeks and taking a written, oral and then practical. Three writtens then I had a two day oral and practical.

A different thought...

Evaluate what you want to do in life... Do that and do it well. If you want to fly- focus on that. If you really want to be a web designer- be the best in that field.

I have been an A&P since '86 and an IA since '90,,, built experimentals, restored antique aircraft and have many years maintaining fly by wire heavy turbine aircraft. The A&P license fed my family faithfully for many years. My true desire has always been to fly. I get the most satisfaction in teaching primary and instrument students.. I am also typed in the CRJ and have a dispatchers license. The A&P overall has earned me the most money.
I say do what you desire and concentrate on that because I believe the years of fixing airplanes held me back from what I really wanted to do.

Although I have a multitude of licenses... I do not consider myself an expert in all fields except for one... being a mech. I would rather be at the top as a pilot. Being a mech for many years slowed my earning of ratings and flight experience. So concentrate on what you really want to do and be an expert in that field.

Pay for a GA mech is usually about $20/hr, no benefits. QOL is mediocre and dealing with well to do aircraft owners can be trying. $13/hr w/ benefits for a 121 regional mech working nights (it blows). Actually, I enjoyed working for several major 121 outfits. The highest pay being $46 w/ exceptional benefits. Lots'a fun when they give you a JT8D engine to change and turn you loose to manage yourself.

Again, consider what you want to do and do that!

If you are thinking of paying your way though school and like turning wrenches, consider automotive technology. For the same time and money in school, you can work in any town big or small. You can work bankers hours, you can even work in your own driveway. You don't have to worry about layoffs.
The wages are better, your work is not subject to the FAA. I could go on.

Now if you are earning your A&P though O.J.T. and earning a wage while doing it , and like what A&P's do, thats different. Get your A&P.

I would say do it. I graduated from A&P school in December and now I'm on the job hunt. I will say it's difficult for an entry-level guy to find a job right now, especially the ones that sound the most interesting. I'm like some of you I want to be around GA aircraft. A flight school or a brokerage where I could use my private pilot's license too would be ideal. Those jobs don't seem to exist anywhere in the country right now. It seems like the only one's hiring are the airlines and I've heard the schedule and pay suck for new guys.

There are good things about being a mechanic though. If you want to become a pilot somewhere down the road there's no better way to stay current in the aviation field. Plus in my opinion it would be a huge leg up to have worked on RJs for several years when you find yourself in the pool of guys at airline minimums (especially at your airline). The job can be really fun too, I loved A&P school and I miss it all the time.

There's also a lot you can use an A&P for, not just turning wrenches on planes. There's the world of avionics, which is also really fun and challenging (also where the good $$ is). I also remember hearing about a student from my college who now uses his A&P to work for NASCAR. Basically anything that requires maintenance or a mechanical background, you are in a way qualified for.

I would say in the long run the QOL for an A&P is pretty good. You will eventually move into a position where you're making a decent income. A lot of places have good benefits too. Don't expect to be loaded, but then again you never know. Some websites say A&P's max salary range is around $80K... to me that's doing pretty damn good. So yeah, go out buy some tools and do it. You'll have fun along the way and always have something to fall back on. Your license won't expire until you expire.

A few of the guys in my A&P school that graduated got jobs working at theme parks as lead mechanics, which is the nice thing about it; it's so broad that you can go to different fields.
Another thing, I don't think in interviews for an A&P job you'll be asked "How many hours of riveting and turning wrenches have you done?" A good friend of mine that I work with on the avenger restoration is an A&P/IA and works for US Airways in Baltimore. He has his pilots certificates as well and was about to go fly for an airline, but he decided to stick with fixing the airplanes. While USA was furlouing pilots, they were at least keeping their mechanics. A company can live with fewer pilots, but they don't want to get rid of their mechanics.
The last thing as well, I'm not sure how long it will last, but a lot of the freight companies still have airplanes that require a flight engineer, but you need an A&P for that, that might be another way into a flying position. They have ride-along mechanics that stick with the airplane (at least at Kalitta) and they're barely allowed to get off the airplane to shower, but it's a good lifestyle, watching movies and playing Play Station a while riding on 747 around the world.
All the reasons above, plus I would like to have my own airplane and save money by doing my own maintenance, is why I'm going to go back and finish what I have left to get mine.

Where did you go for A&P school? I'm at AIM, which I know is a mill, but it's the only school that closest.
There's another benefit I forgot to mention. I've been looking on climbto350 for CFI jobs, and a few times a week I see a job open to someone who has both pilot certificates and their A&P, so a lot of the competition from other pilots has been eliminated. Like everyone else, do it!