Question for A&P's / IA's
What would be a sensible way for a private aircraft owner (with another day job) to gain technical experience in the GA field?
We are the "Owner" part of "Owner assisted maintenance" -- we assist a qualified technician in doing maintenance on our own aircraft (a complex single) -- but if it is possible to gain an FAA-A&P qualification ourselves as well. Not in order to undercut the people who have done excellent work for us, but to be able to deal with any technical problems on long journeys and play an active part in the preventative maintenance process.
In addition to the practical side, what study material would you recommend?