Yea!!! A Maint Forum...

[PoeMan]

As the newest Mechanic in the country (ok, well that was yesterday)...

I officially leave this post...



Nothing important, just looked sad having only one post in our forum

[USMCmech]

Remeber your A (&P?) cert is just another liscense to learn.

Congratulations.

[Polarbear]

well, besides the 3 of us are there any other mechanics on this board?

[MQAAord]

I'm trying to get my dad to sign up. He's an A&P IA who teaches the AMT program at a school in Wisconsin.

[S.T.Aviator]

I got to tell ya, after taking this AME program , I have the utmost
respect for mechanics. In the U.K. they are addresed as engineers and in Canada they are called Aircraft Maintenance Engineers. Quite deserving if you ask me.

[PoeMan]

Originally Posted by S.T.Aviator

In the U.K. they are addresed as engineers and in Canada they are called Aircraft Maintenance Engineers. Quite deserving if you ask me.

Absolutely!

I love the conotation people hear when you saw "mechanic". You say engineer and you get respect, you say mechanic and they think grease monkey. (I'm guilty of it too, until now)

[AZBigDog]

Originally Posted by PoeMan

Absolutely!

I love the conotation people hear when you saw "mechanic". You say engineer and you get respect, you say mechanic and they think grease monkey. (I'm guilty of it too, until now)

I done did da aeroplane fixin school, too.

[PoeMan]

Originally Posted by AZBigDog

I done did da aeroplane fixin school, too.

Freakin' Hilarious!

[lnewby]

Congrats Poeman, a couple of days late.

[camech]

Originally Posted by Polarbear

well, besides the 3 of us are there any other mechanics on this board?

Yeah me. I just joined the forum. I came over from AOPA's forum - there's alot of good advise over there. I'm wandering around new neighborhoods so to speak. I work primarily in flight schools doing maintenance on your typical old flight school aircraft.

So then there were six.

[HH-60CC]

Helicopter crew chief on the Air Force side of the house. Too bad my skills don't automatically transfer over to A&P, it would make an easier transition on the outside.

[USMCmech]

Originally Posted by HH-60CC

Helicopter crew chief on the Air Force side of the house. Too bad my skills don't automatically transfer over to A&P, it would make an easier transition on the outside.

Have you checked? Most crew cheif MOSs from the Marines were qualified for both A&P tests. You should only have to do some slef study and take the tests.

Go to the FAA website and check around.

[HH-60CC]

Originally Posted by USMCmech

Have you checked? Most crew cheif MOSs from the Marines were qualified for both A&P tests. You should only have to do some slef study and take the tests.

Go to the FAA website and check around.

I found a PDF file here: http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/e...a/2_022_00.pdf

"B. Experience gained from the military, work as an
airframe or powerplant mechanic or work on an
experimental amateur-built aircraft will be evaluated
on its own merits to determine whether it fulfills the
experience requirements. When evaluating military
experience, inspectors are not to accept Military
Occupational Specialty (MOS) or Air Force Specialty
Codes (AFSC) “carte blanche” as qualifications to
accepting experience of § 65.77. Even though the
MOS suggest authorization for either the airframe,
powerplant, or both the A&P certificates, the inspector
will only endorse FAA Form 8610-2, Airman
Certificate and/or Rating Application, after ensuring,
by a thorough interview and detailed review of
records, that the person qualifies under § 65.77.

Sec. 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.

There's more to it, but rather than quote the entire pdf file, I suggest reading it. I found this on the FAA website as well:

You can join one of the armed services and get training and experience in aircraft maintenance. Make sure you are in a military occupational specialty for which FAA gives credit. You can get a current list of acceptable specialties from the local FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).

I did a little research, couldn't find a site that lists air force AFSC's that could transfer over to FAA certified training.

[PacMan4x4]

HH-60CC.....good to see you are interested in getting your A&P. Here's one of the inherent probs with dealing with the FAA...what's good at one FSDO, isn't good at another. The best thing you can do is to chat with the FSDO you are going to be near and find out their opinion on your AFSC as a crew chief. You will be able to walk in and get the endorsement for the airframe, it's the powerplant side of it you could have probs with. Here's what I did, as I'm a propulsion fella by trade...I was automatically given the powerplant endorsement, but basically had to prove work history for the airframe side of it. I made up a letter with some specific things I had accomplished under supervision of other folks who held A&P's already. I listed things like replacing landing gear components, rigging flight controls, minor sheetmetal, replacing windows, ....and the list goes on and on. I just showed that I had exposure to airframe component/systems. After typing up the letter I had the A&P's sign it. I also had crew chief 623's that I had signed off. I didn't run into any probs with getting airframe authorization. I've helped an Electro-Environmental fella and Hydraulics fella with obtaining their powerplant. I helped them with a letter for justification. I loaded them up with things like fan blade replacement, turbine replacement, bearing installation, lots of troubleshooting and system components replacement, blade blending, engine mount replacement, borescoping, engine trimming, etc...etc....Again, the best thing to do is contact the maintenance inspectors at a FSDO you are gonna try to get your authorization from. Hope this helps.

[PacMan4x4]

POE.....Congrats on your accomplishment. Welcome to the maintenance world.

Pac Man

[HH-60CC]

Pacman, thanks that's some great advice. I'm not too privey on the way the Air Force does business on how they train crew chiefs on fixed wing aircraft (My tech school was on an Army base, UH-60 school, in fact, all but 1 of our instructors was Army), but in our school we learned EVERY system in that aircraft; engines, e&e, comm/nav, etc. But thanks to the Air Force I never got to put those skills to good use...So bye bye potential 18th months on-the-job qualification for all those systems, except engines, we assist the engine troops all the time, a buddy of mine even let me in on a tear down/rebuild of a T-700, I got the 623's to prove it . I may not too far off than what I previously thought. I'll defintely have to dig deeper once I rotate back to the big BX

[AZBigDog]

Originally Posted by HH-60CC

Helicopter crew chief on the Air Force side of the house. Too bad my skills don't automatically transfer over to A&P, it would make an easier transition on the outside.

I personally know plenty of people that got their A&P certificates and were able to test for it based solely on their military experience.

Shouldn't be an issue.

[PacMan4x4]

HH-60....I don't suspect you'll have any probs with the airframe aspect--you'll be a shoe in by virtue of your AFSC. The best thing for you to do is keep good records of training of everything you do on propulsion systems. You may even see if the ol' boys at the Aero Club will take some time to show you how to do things like timing magnetos, compression checks, cylinder replacements, prop replacements, and other applicable engine system components...etc. When you then hit the 30 months of time (OJT) required for the full A&P you can present your training to a FSDO and have them give you the endorsements. I don't forsee you having any probs. Remember this, if you don't remember anything at all.....the FAA is just another government agency and they are looking for certain things/requirements with your paperwork. If you present yourself with a well filled out application, proof of training, proof of required time, they will be checking off the blocks as completed. It's really nothing magical....there will be a guy/gal sitting across from you with a checksheet marking the requirements as they find them in your package....and walla...you've got your endorsements :-) Best of luck to ya.

[HH-60CC]

Originally Posted by PacMan4x4

You may even see if the ol' boys at the Aero Club will take some time to show you how to do things like timing magnetos, compression checks, cylinder replacements, prop replacements, and other applicable engine system components...etc. When you then hit the 30 months of time (OJT) required for the full A&P you can present your training to a FSDO and have them give you the endorsements.

It's a good thing I volunteered as a crew chief on one of the cessnas, I try to get in on the 100hr inspections and annuals as much as I can to learn fixed winged a/c (my office is right next to the hangar where they house the cessnas).

I should have already fullfilled the 30 month for helicopters (been doing it for 5 years, although I took a special job about a year ago at our maint operations center). Either way, I should be good go. Thanks for the info everyone.

[Polarbear]

If you have been doing repairs on all parts of the helicopter you should qualify for both. There is not a seperate license for helicopters and airplanes. We had a guy at my school last year who came out of the Coast gaurd working on helicopters only and the only reason he came into our program was for the associates degree. He was eligible to take all the tests and get all his licences from day 1. That being said, what companies will require I am not sure.....