A & P Training
gadg...@my-dejanews.com
Hi Folks,
I just finished up my PP-ASEL in May, and have developed a keen interest in
the mechanical side of aircraft. I was thinking about going to night school
to become and A & P, or and IA, just for the heck of it, but the requirments
are very vague to me. Some schools are 15 months, others claim to prepare
you with video tapes.
Whats up with that, huh?
Any clarification would be very helpful!
Thanks!
sj
REMOVEg...@mindspring.comREMOVE
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
crooser
Hey SJ:
Being a much older A&P here, I don't know what the exact requirements
are anymore--nor do I wish to look them up at this time. :)) But if you
have absolutely no aircraft maintenance experience--then a school would
be best for you.
I believe those video courses are designed for those who have hands-on
aircraft maintenance experience, and the videos are a cram course to
take the WRITTEN for the A&P ticket. It used to be, that you were
required to have 36 months hands-on experience with aircraft
maintenance, and an A&P could sign you off to be ABLE to TAKE the FAA
test.
If you don't have the experience, then you would need to go to either a
commercial school or a state-funded one. Some VERY good commercial
schools are: Spartan School of Aeronautics, Embry-Riddle, and PIA in
Pennsylvania. I know Spartan and Embry-Riddle both have web sites. Do a
web search on them and you will be able to get more up to date info from
those sites.
I can tell you the commercial schools are not cheap--but worth the
investment, if you can afford them. The courses run about 17 months of
full-time schooling for about 12 to 15 thousand dollars for the entire
tuition. (Just taking a rough guess). This does not cover the cost of
your tools, housing, etc. These schools ONLY offer the instruction. You
would still need to take the written, oral, and practical for your A&P
ticket.
Well, this was just a quickly-written note. I hope it helps some.
Regards,
Hank
David B. Schober
FAR 65 covers the requirements for A&P applicants. Basically, you can qualify in
one of 2 ways to take the required written, oral and practical tests for the
A&P.
The first and most common would be to complete a course of instruction at a FAR
147 Aviation Maintenance School. FAR 147 specifies that any certified school
will have a minimum of 1900 hours of instruction. This is a combination of
lecture and hands on training. There are no provisions for correspondence
courses. All training must be on site. Most schools have programs in excess of
the 1900. Ours is about 2300 hours.
The other method is to work as an apprentice for someone. To qualify based on
practical work experience you must document a combined total of 30 months
experience (based on 40 hours a week). You can get just an airframe or
powerplant with 18 months but the combined requires 30 months. Most of the
programs you see in TAP and other publications for "get your A&P in two weeks"
are prep courses designed to get you ready to take the test. You still need the
work experience or education to qualify to take the test.
You can't get an IA unless you have held an A&P for at least 3 years. Within
that 3 years, you must have actively used your A&P (worked as a mechanic or in a
supervisory position over mechanics) for the preceding 2 years before you apply.
All of the above is subject to change. The FAA is working on a proposal to
consolidate FAR 65 and 147 into FAR 66. This has been in the works for a couple
years and still hasn't made it to an NPRM but it will come eventually.
Hope this helps.
gadg...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> I just finished up my PP-ASEL in May, and have developed a keen interest in
> the mechanical side of aircraft. I was thinking about going to night school
> to become and A & P, or and IA, just for the heck of it, but the requirments
> are very vague to me. Some schools are 15 months, others claim to prepare
> you with video tapes.
>
> Whats up with that, huh?
>
> Any clarification would be very helpful!
>
> Thanks!
>
> sj
>
> REMOVEg...@mindspring.comREMOVE
>
> -----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
--
*****************************************************************************
David B.Schober, CPE
Instructor, Aviation Maintenance
Fairmont State College
National Aerospace Education Center
Rt. 3 Box 13
Bridgeport, WV 26330-9503
(304) 842-8300
When once you have tasted flight, you will always walk with your eyes
turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always be.
--Leonardo da Vinci
highflyer
Getting an A&P License is not a trivial undertaking. It is actually
more work and more difficult than getting a commercial pilots license,
IMHO. I have both. A&P and Commercial Pilots License that is. :-)
The easiest way is to attend an approved school. Your final exams
at the completion of the schooling IS the testing required for your
A&P license. If you cannot attend a school, it is still possible
to gain the required practical experience as an apprentice.
The apprentice options requires 30 months work as an A&P apprentice
under the supervision of a licensed A&P. The current recommendation
is that you maintain a "Mechanics LogBook" rather like a "Pilot's
Logbook" where you detail all of the time spent and work performed
as an apprentice. In addition you will require a letter from your
mentor with confirmation of your apprenticeship and stating that you
meet the thirty month requirement. If you do not work full time
as an A&P apprentice for the two and a half years required, you can
substitute 5000 logged hours of apprentice work in most FSDO's.
Five thousand hours is merely 30 months of forty hour weeks.
After you have completed the apprenticeship, you take your logs and
letters to your local FSDO. If they accept that as completion of the
experience requirement from the FAR's, they will give you two copies
of the test request sheet. With these test sheets, signed by the
representative at your FSDO, you are allowed to take the written
exams. There are three of them that you must take and pass. These
exams are what they prepare you for, in those two week schools.
Before you can enroll in the two week schools you MUST have the
forms completed from your FSDO authorizing you to take the exams.
After you pass the three written exams, A General Exam, a Powerplant
Exam, and an Airframe Exam, you are ready to take the Oral and
PRactical exams. These correspond to the Orals and Checkride for
a Pilot's license. According to the FAA Guidelines for giving the
O&P's it should require about 24 hours of testing time to complete
the exams. My O&P's took me three days, full time, and I didn't
flunk and have to retake any of them! They covered everything from
fluffing up the nose strut on a Cessna 150, to rebuilding the fuel
control system on a large fan jet engine from a Boeing 737. Because
my apprenticeship was primarily with piston engines, I got a LOT of
jet engine stuff on my O&P's. :-)
When you have completed all of these requirements you are issued a
brand new A&P Mechanics license.
Like I say, the easiest way is to do a school. Expect to spend at
least 2 years in the school earning your license.
Q Salt
highflyer <high...@alt.net> wrote in article <35894E...@alt.net>...
> Getting an A&P License is not a trivial undertaking. It is actually
> more work and more difficult than getting a commercial pilots license,
> IMHO. I have both. A&P and Commercial Pilots License that is. :-)
One other alternative you can consider is building an airplane. You can get
an airframe licence from the FAA if you build a type that covers most of
the disciplines involved (like a Pitts).
Q