Engine Overhaul Mechanics
 

Have any of you worked for an overhaul shop? I'm graduating in December with a BS degree and an A&P and I would love to hear about this job from someone in the field. Ups, downs, pay and the like.

Thanks!

Jones, sorry.. it's not that I lost interest in the other thread, it's just this night shift stuff takes some getting used to! The last job I had before going to work at a regional was overhauling piston engines at a little shop near Atlanta.

It's challenging work, in that an O-320 is not an O-320 (every single engine that came in was a little different) and that two identical parts can have different part numbers. It was rewarding, though, when a customer showed up for lunch while out flying his freshly overhauled engine.

I overhauled an engine for an airplane I was part owner in. It still cost a ton of money, though..

If you're going to go this route to make your airplane ownership idea a reality, work there a while, find an engine model you like and can find cheap parts for before choosing a plane.

Some engines that seem like they should be dirt cheap (Lycoming O-235 series) are deceptively expensive. I spent $1400 a cylinder on it, and that was before Superior went under and left Lycoming as a monopoly.

No worries man, I understand work is a little more important than a forum discussion. I guess I wouldn't be saving as much as I thought going this route, but anything helps. I had one class on recip overhaul in my school and i enjoyed it. We had crap for tools and engines that have been worked over for 30 years, but I learned a lot. I think it could be fun.. for awhile.

Thanks!

Well.. you could cheap out... really.. but after seeing other "cheaped out" engines coming into the shop, I wasn't gonna hang my butt in the breeze behind it.

FWIW, the owner just called to let me know it's still got 78/80 compression. That made my day.