g_funk

Hi guys.

I am considering going to the states to get an A&P licence. I am from the UK and wish to emmigrate there if poss. i am close to getting my EASA B1 licence at the moment so will have that to fall on if it doesn't go through. just wandering if any of you guys had any advice on where is best to study/take FAA exams and is it a similar standard to the UK CAA exams.

thanks in advance

g

MrFixer!!!

Hi g-Funk, I got my FAA A & P recently, so hope the info is recent and helpful:

I went to American Airman in Long Island, New York. The guys there are very very switched on, they will guide you all along, I would recommend them highly.

Plan around 10 days for everything.

You said you are just going to get your B1, so I assume you have the required experience already??? Be very careful about the FAA requirements!!! Have you got any experience on N-registered aircraft or do you work on N-reg aircraft?

Be prepared for all the questions you will be asked from the FAA inspector before giving you the Authorisation to appear for written exams.

There is a whole process which in a sequence goes as:

1) Get an experience letter from your company mentioning all the aircraft and the type of experience you have, ( theres lot of info on the net about the acceptable format of experience letters for FAA),

2) Take your experience letter to CAA,UK, and get an authentication Letter from them, basically, endorsing your experience.( they charge a fee for it)

3) select a school in USA and enrol yourself, select the dates and ask them to arrange for the visit to FAA office for getting permission to write the exams.

4) I ordered the exam prep books long before I went, it actually helps if you want to save yourself time to prepare. I knocked everything out in 5 days.

Any other info needed, feel free to pm me and I will try and help,

Good Luck mate!!!

Miles Gustaph

MrFixer offers some very sage advice there, but just to re-emphasis what he has said, the FAA will require a letter saying that you have N registered experience and that it is required for your job.

A lot has changed in the last year, do read the FAA regulations, it's not a quick study holiday like it use to be.

MrFixer!!!

You are absolutely right Miles.......I never understood why people like to think getting FAA is easy......I had a B****dy hard time getting it.....only getting the answers doesnt solve the problem.... also convinsing that FAA examiner......I been Licensed around 7 years now but yeah getting to know about Fabrics,wood,Light aircraft, Piston engines, propellers......that was harddddd, I dont know anything about them....all along worked only on Big Boys jets. Never mind its over and done.....and Miles is absolutely right.......its not a holiday definitely.......be prepared for some hard work!!!!!

TURIN

I know, a mate of mine did it in 3 days!!

MrFixer!!!

Turin, you cannnnnn, if u want you can do it in any time you want......but would be idiotic to rush into it and then failing them......its not wise quoting how long the mate took.......how about going and taking the plunge yourself and then see how long it takes???? and dont forget the FAA Examiners are not just sitting there on the table with a cup of coffee to take your exam anytime and anywhere you want. you take the exam only when they say they can take it!!!! so dont quote on hearsay, and most of the colleges say come prepared to spend atleast 10 days unless you fail any of the tests and can only do them after a month atleast.

the rim

just read all the posts and wow it does look a lot harder then when i did mine twenty years ago but i guess all things change look at the easa lic now thats hard and our aussie one...sorry we have two now easa as well as the old one and you have to pay for doing your basic's as well good luck to all you guys and girls

ASFKAP

No offence intended but remember those 10 day courses are designed for Americans, if you've a B1 you should easily knock out the A+P in 3-5 days without breaking into a sweat.

I did mine with a bunch of Americans who were mostly ex and current military who appeared to have no real experience at all. There was a guy from a GA background who frankly I wouldn't let service my car.

Unfortunatley Its basically just a memory test, you buy the books (or CD) you learn the questions and answers parrot fashion, you pass the exam, simple.
Being a B2 by trade (originally ex CAA Section L not EASA) I knew nothing about piston engine aeroplanes, sheet metal, fabric repairs etc before I went over. I passed the three computer tests with scores of between 95 and 100% in under an hour on the first day. I passed the oral & Practical a couple of days later (as I had to wait for the tester to become available).
Needless to say I still know nothing about piston engines, sheet metal or fabric repairs etc.
When I left the States just over a week later (had a holiday while I was there) I went to say goodbye to 'my classmates', only one of them had sat (and failed) the computer test, the others were still buried in the books trying to work out whether a vortex generator was AC or DC.....
I kid you not.....

Do the preparation before you get there as you won't learn anything on the course (they just get you to 'practise' the test), don't wait until you get to the course to start studying like our American cousins did.
Mind you they weren't paying for them, the GI Bill pays for education for US servicemen. A couple of the guys I met only joined up for the education....

Exup

I have to agree with the above post. I did mine about 10 years ago & I dont think much has changed since then. If you can read the question, remeber the answer, which in the books in had were in bold type you should easily pass. I didnt even bother reading the explanations in the book as so much of it was directed towards General aviation which I do not need. I had finished mine in 5 days but allowed 10 so had a bit of a holiday (company paying). If you have nearly finished your B1 you will P##s it

born1987

is it really so easy guys ?just study question and answer then i think the american planes can crash anywhere and anytime. and what is basic requirement to give faa exam i havent worked on N registered but worked for 1 year on VT registered aircraft can i appear for exam.

smudgethecat

Yes it is that easy almost a joke really you just cannot compare it to a EASA CASA etc level of licence , did mine two years ago, as said it designed for americans to pass so that tells you all you need to know really

Eng AW139

I did mine in 5 days 3 days of writing 1 prep for the oral & pratical.

The oral & pratical was 10 hours in west LA and the inspector put me though the works. That I had found was the hardest part.

BigJoeRice

"Yes it is that easy almost a joke really you just cannot compare it to a EASA CASA etc level of licence"

Then one wonders why you and all the other geniuses who hold the license and thus the FAA system that issued it in such contempt, expend the time and money to acquire it.

smudgethecat

Simple joe, the company i worked for at the time were looking after some N reg aircraft and for legal reasons needed some of us to hold a A@P, however im not claiming to be a genius, im simply saying the A@P is very very easy to obtain compared to other licences

bvcu

Need to put it into context , its a MECHANICS certificate , not an engineers licence. Totally different system to ours . I have both and used A&P on 747 's ,we did the work and any decisions , i.e MEL release involved a phone call to MCC where the equivalent to our LAE made the decision and let you release it. Took a bit of getting used to when you were turning a couple around and one was N reg and the other not !!!! Had to remember to make the phone call !!!

camlobe

Hi g_funk.

Good luck with your B1.

You don't say what your background is in aeroengineering, light or heavy. What would be worthwhile is getting as much experience on as many different types of construction materials (metal, wood and fabric, composite) as possible. Also, try and get some component experience as well e.g. strip and rebuild a magneto (U/S training aid of course), hydraulic actuator/PFCU etc. Expand your technical horizons as much as possible.

The United States Freedom of Information Act has ensured that all the questions asked on the A&P written exams are in the public domain - but there are an awful lot of questions in the data base.

There are some excellent study guides available for the three exams, Airframe, Powerplant and General. These are available in book format, electronic (i.e. CD), and are also downloadable. Their cost is not the usual UK/Euroland silly prices either. Do heavy home-study of the content of these guides before you head Stateside. It will make it so much easier.

As mentioned by my eminent peers above, justification must be demonstrated. As a minimum, your employer must state, on company-headed paper, that the organisation maintains 'N' registered aircraft and that there is a need for you to hold appropriate Certificates to certify those aircraft.

Applications in the UK used to be through the West Drayton FAA office, but I have been led to believe this is/may be closed.

If you are attempting to gain your FAA A&P Certificate with experience based on your (soon to be) B1 licence, the UK CAA will be required to advise the FAA that your B1 licence does exist, and the CAA will charge you for this letter. Contrary to some opinions, you do not need to have an extant licenct to base your application. However, you will need to prove a level and extent of experience that meets the FAA minimum guidlines. The FAA website www.faa.gov contains all relevant information, although navigating through it can be difficult for the newcomer.

If your application is accepted, the next bit of hard work starts. There are a number of 'schools' who can ease your path towards the A&P. The time taken is dependant on your level of experience and your knowledge.

You will sit your written exams (in reality, they are 'click' exams on a PC live linked to the FAA. If you pass, or if you fail, you are told immediately on screen (CAA please take note).

If you are successful, then it is just the practical and the oral left.

The practical is litterally that. You will get dirty hands. Cut, bash, drill and rivet; dismantle and reassemble a component; functionally check resistors and verify their values; dress a propeller or compressor blade; remove a piston engine cylinder and check ring gaps; measure turbine creep; etc, etc and it must all be in accordance with the correct manual which you must locate from the tech library.

Finally, you will have a one-to-one with a guy who will know more than you ever will, so, no bullsh1tting. If you don't know, say so. This person may be a DER or Designated Engineering Representitive. DER's are extremely experienced A&P's with Inspector Authorised ratings who are authorised to act on behalf of the FAA and will have been there, seen it and done it (CAA take note). Because they are from our side of the fence, they can smell a porky pie before you even say it, so be totally honest.

Your Oral exam will drag every last bit of your knowledge and experience out of you. You will be suprised how much you really do know, which is much less than what you don't know. The Oral covers the same three subjects as your 'click' exams.

If you are successful, you will be immediately issued with your Temporary A&P Certificate, the privelages of which you may excercise immediately (CAA take note). Your 'credit card' Certificate will be posted to your home address by the FAA.

Should anyone try and advise you that it is a walk-in-the-park, just ignore them. You will know yourself that you worked hard to gain that little piece of plastic.

Oh, and for TURIN, tell your mate he wasn't trying hard enough. I did mine in late 2006...in one day, and that was at Embery-Riddle College of Aeronautics in Daytona, Florida. I was made to sweat hard all day and the Practical and Oral drew upon every facet of the last 30 years of my experience.

Embery-Riddle were extremely helpfull and receptive and I would recommend you contact them for guidance or help. If you want a contact name, drop me a PM.

I hope the above is of some help, and good luck.

camlobe

146fixer

I did mine a good few years ago to.The writtens were no problem at all.But the practical was a differant matter,13 hours all together.Helicopters,piston engines,gasturbines,wood props,de-icer boots pretty well covered the lot.The examiner was no push over and made it as hard as possable.
Met a few good A & P guys and a few bad B1 and B2 over the years.Worked with some ex section L guys who I wouldnt let fix my wheel barrow let alone a plane.Alot of its got to do with the individuals natural ability and not the exams they take.

toolboxstickers

Is there just one A&P certificate covering everything,so you can`t do, say, exams on just piston engines and metal airframes, as under the CAA and EASA system?

ferrydude

"
I believe you are confusing a DME for a DER. A DME, Designated Mechanic Examiner is the person authorized to administer the oral and practical exams.

A DER holds a university issued engineering degree and is not authorized to administer mechanic examinations

ASFKAP

No, you can do just the airframe or just the powerplant but theres no point, its so basic you might as well do them both together....

They don't call it the A+P (Apply and Pass) for nothing.....