Originally Posted by
Kengineer-130
Kel, as said the B1 automatically gives you an A license, you are covering approx 80% of the B course doing the A course, and you get NO credit towards your B1 for doing so!
I would say that this is an oversimplification.
The Cat A syllabus may include 80% of the items covered in the Cat B syllabus. I don't know; I would have guessed a slightly lower figure but I've never counted it.
But the real difference is that many of those items are examined/asssessed at level 2 (sometimes level 3, I think) for Cat B, and at level 1 for Cat A. Level 2 is much more demanding than Level 1, and Level 3 is a whole lot more demanding.
That's why the minimum hours for an approved Cat B Basic course is 2,400, and for a Cat A Basic course 800, including Practical and OJT. It's also why there are no credits to Cat B for completing Cat A exams.
But I agree that the Cat B is the way to go for a Service-leaver; doing Cat A is throwing away the training and experience you have under your belt, if you are in an aircraft technical trade. Cat A is for line mechanics on low pay; if that's what you want to be and stay then it's for you.