A&P requirements - college or university level?

[Jason D.]

Hi all!

This is important to me and sorry for so many "confusing questions"
herein...learning the aviation-speaking pe se!

I wish to hear the reality and how it's like out there on all levels
related to aviation stuff especially on working and upkeeping, taking
care of the aviation technologies looks very good to me and I expand
on this following:

Considering this: my education change from Electromechanical
Technology discovering this major was good for electronics and
mechanicals but I lean more to "hands on" skills and pretty good
understanding, pretty good learner if shown and explained very
clearly. (eg: one note somewhere in the gas welding quote: "within 10
sec to melt a pool of molten metal.."). Also I have done well in most
of electronics but not yet covered the remaining stuff when I pulled
out. Now reconsidering the new career future after saw the light.
Consider this: Electronics is getting low skills especially for
production personnels and cost is dropping hurting both sides (really,
one of my strong part also.) and more programming (not my very strong
part) and repair field is getting too bloody bad, designing is medium
to strong part especially with mechanicals and structual stuff,
repairing, using tool is my very best area. Working with math after
understanding it first and watch out gotchas is good. Designing
digital and analog takes much math but I get by ok on this. Machine
shop I get better with practice and do very well because of this
abilities I have. I did work repairing and rebuilding both watches
and clocks.

What exactly what is duties that A&P has to do?

What else in this selection of this aviation field AND what they offer
in career-wise? (Military is out due to my one eye and being deaf.
But other than that I can do well.)

I'm digging up mostly "Technology - Aviation" info right now and looks
good so far off the www on at least 5 colleges, Centennial, Canadore,
Confederation, Sault and Seneca, all canadian colleges in Ontario
offering different areas: Aircraft Structual Repair, Aviation
Engineering Techinician/Technology, Aviation Flight Technology (sounds
like controls, mechanicals, interments (sp?) ), Aviation Techinician.

This choice looks best for all of my abilities and choice of career,
and adove of all, enjoyed the flight, (flying!). I got the taste of
homebuilding as a helper and experience when my former step-father
built the plan-built Osprey-2 and flies his Canokee single engine (sp?
4 seater, what's it's HP rating? In that plane which does fit into
Osprey-2 also.

Thanks! And drop packages of papers saying: Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year to all! :)
Jason D.

PS: not yet dug into the university level yet and I'm doing all the
info gathering by webpages first then deeper inquires next.

[John R. Johnson]

In the US the government publishs a set of four books that I recommend
to anyone who is interested in building airplanes. These are the official
books for the A&P Mechanics preparation in the states. These are:

Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics General Handbook
Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics Airframe Handbook
Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics Powerplant Handbook
AC43-13 1A & 2A Alterations and Repair of Aircraft Structures

These four books really cover what an A&P does. There detail is good.
If you understand what is in these books, you should be able to pass
the written part of the A&P mechanics examinations. There is one
written exam in the states for each Handbook. Of course, there is also
what amounts to a three year experience requirement and about 15 to 20
hours of oral and practical exams also.

John
A&P 471385230

[Paul Stevens]

There is another option to the three year experience requirement, an
FAA approved part 147 tech school. The shortest time for completion
(that I have seen) of one of these programs was around a year, so it
still takes a while.

There are differences in the Canadian system. From what I have been
told, the Canadian system requires more formal training and completing
approved courses for specific engines or airframes before being allowed
to work on them. For instance, a canadian mechanic who had completed
a course on maintenance of single engine Cessnas could not work on a
Piper cub. A mechanic who had studied 4 cylinder Lycomings could not
work on 4 cylinder Continentals (unless he had had that course as well).
The Canadian system requires more formal training, especially if you
want to work on several different types of aircraft, but I don't think
they bother with an equivalent to the FAA's IA rating (I could be wrong
on that).

P.S.