Originally Posted by
Tranwell
If you don't do the exams, you won't get a licence anyway. Get them done, and if your experience is not sufficient, do more. You are going to have to work as a full time mechanic anyway - that is the only way you'll get the right level of experience. A couple of jobs every few months over 10 years is not enough. If you're unsure, ask the licenced guys you've been working with.... If they are stamping the book, they'll know what range of stuff you have in there and whether it is enough... the stack of paper you need to send should be about an inch high... .
and don't forget to get experience on composite, wood, tube/fabric and metal aircraft otherwise you'll' end up with a restricted licence....
That's great feedback, thank you.
Sure thing re: exams - the thing that I find weird is that the experience appears to just depend upon the mood of the Licensing officer on the day, (unless I'm missing something). It would be great if there was a checklist of experience you could compare your logbook to. Exams are the easy bit to quantify: pass or fail.
Engineers I've asked are always positive about the amount and range of tasks I've been involved in but that doesn't mean it will be acceptable to the authority of course.