Best Companies for an A&P

[Flyingtower]

I was interested in knowing what the general consensus was on best workplaces for A&Ps. I realize that airline pilots seem to have general favorites and a number of certain other companies are avoided (please refer to all the Colgan-bashing in the forums). Is there a similar consensus among A&Ps? Are there certain companies that are just plain BETTER to work for and others you should run away from?

[PacMan4x4]

If I had my choice of companies to wrench at it woud be Fed Ex or UPS....pay and bennies--folks tend to hang around those companies for a long time and its hard to get on with them. I'm not sure about corporate jobs, but someone will chime in I'm sure.

Pac Man

[CcrlR737AMT]

Originally Posted by PacMan4x4

If I had my choice of companies to wrench at it woud be Fed Ex or UPS....pay and bennies--folks tend to hang around those companies for a long time and its hard to get on with them. I'm not sure about corporate jobs, but someone will chime in I'm sure.

Pac Man

The small private jets have their own maintenance or they take it to an FBO or other facilities for maintenance. It all depends on the airport. Southwest Airlines is a pretty good company but you have to go to a training session that lasts for a couple of months there in Dallas. After that, you may have a choice to work at any of their facilities. The freighters are great too, but they may be a little hard to get into. check some aviation related job websites for other companies.

[Flyingtower]

Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate it.

[kfn091]

Stay away from Colgan Air. You will do great anywhere else! Just a heads up. It isn't worth the aggravation!. I can see they are not a loved company from other posters either!

[cj4pilot]

I worked at a Cessna Citation Service Center for 3 years and thought it was great for the most part. Great benefits and training, put pay was a little low compared to the rest of the industry.

[TexasFlyer]

I'm your gateway into several companies I'm affiliated with across the country since I am either part of their executive hiring or working closely with the investor.

That said, I tend to work at a higher level than staff level A&P positions since I am usually seeking out DOMs, GMs, etc. for our locations across the US. But if someone has the background that one of my affiliated companies could use, I do know the right people to get you in front of the proper hiring manager if business aviation is the niche your in.

Oh, and who do I hire at our FBOs and Repair Stations and Part91/135 Operations?
* A&P with 5 years in general aviation aircraft, of which 3 to all five years of the experience must be on business jets (sorry, won't look at airline/ wide body experience).
* Avionics Techs with 4 plus years current in general aviation in both troubleshooting and installs.
* Directors of Maintenance, Avionics Managers, Service Center General Managers, and FBO Managers with a solid, stable, proven career path within the general and business aviation niche.

Cheers!

[Polarbear]

Honestly, I have very few complaints about my time with Horizon Air. They are a pretty good company if you are just starting out. If I had stayed a mechanic I would have been there for many years.If pay and benefits are your main concern Fedex and UPS are the places to be. However, like Pacman said, They are very hard to get on with. I have heard from sources that UPS will be starting their junior mechanic program again for employees. Having a part-time job there may help on that end (Unlike pilots, UPS has a history of hiring mechanics from within). So that is one idea.Personally I'd rather talk to or fly the planes than work on them. I do not miss Skydrol, Mobil Jet II, Jet A, or any of the other nasty materials you have to work with one bit. It was fun, but honestly if I have the choice, I will never go back. You are not paid enough to deal with the things you have to deal with.

[bunghole]

Originally Posted by Polarbear

Honestly, I have very few complaints about my time with Horizon Air. They are a pretty good company if you are just starting out. If I had stayed a mechanic I would have been there for many years.If pay and benefits are your main concern Fedex and UPS are the places to be. However, like Pacman said, They are very hard to get on with. I have heard from sources that UPS will be starting their junior mechanic program again for employees. Having a part-time job there may help on that end (Unlike pilots, UPS has a history of hiring mechanics from within). So that is one idea.Personally I'd rather talk to or fly the planes than work on them. I do not miss Skydrol, Mobil Jet II, Jet A, or any of the other nasty materials you have to work with one bit. It was fun, but honestly if I have the choice, I will never go back. You are not paid enough to deal with the things you have to deal with.

Thats an interesting overview. It wasnt too long ago you mentioned in another thread how you thought the pay was fair after my comments about how pathetic starting pay is for A&Ps. Are ya sure you dont wanna play with some more 'blue-water'?