Hovis.......From my own experience, I believe it to be the other way round. An A+P technician who is fleet qualified on type and holding certain other company approvals, can perform any tasks from taxiing an A/C, full power runs, RII inspections, upgrading an autoland status, troubleshooting an autopilot problem, signing an airworthiness release, raise/clear MEL's etc, etc..... All of this is covered by just one licence.
You are expected to use your own knowledge and training to accomplish these and many other tasks safely and I.A.W. the approved documents. You certainly do not take orders about what you can and cannot do from the other end of a telephone line. If however, there is a problem that you require help with, then obviously you would ask for help. But to say that under the US system the A+P mechanic working at an outstation is some kind of no-brained robot that cannot think for themselves is completely inaccurate.
Perhaps an A+P technician is paid more, but maybe they might deserve it based on the level of responsibility they hold.
Last edited by fescalised portion; 14th Jan 2005 at 20:56.