Fruitloop, yes you are right about the instructor bit. I believe the only exception is if you have been licenced for 10 years prior to becoming an instructor. I have been aware of this requirement for some time, and have taken steps to cover it. I spend waaaay too much time away from my desk (means more work at home in the evening
), and swing spanners as a contractor who operates a fleet of helicopters nearby. I'm also responsible for all E,I & R work on our company aircraft. So I think I've got it covered!
The over-riding factor with A licences is that without a company authorisation, an A licence holder can do nothing. I know you'll say that an unscrupulous operator will simply authorise everything, but the Part 145 AMO does have a Responsible (hopefully) Manager, who is meant to manage these things.
I'm still waiting to receive my draft Part 66 licence, has anybody got theirs yet? I'm interested to see what sort of exclusions are common.
Spanner