Part 66 feasibility
Hi all
Long time lurker, first time poster so please go easy on me!
I'm mid-30's, financially stable, PPL holder. I own my own business and as such can be flexible on my working hours. I am hoping, come Spring, to set one day each week aside to do some kind of 'self improvement'. Having a strong interest in all things engineering, studying to get a part 66 licence jumped out at me as something I would like to do.
I have an engineering background including an electronic engineering apprenticeship from a regonised, although unrelated, employer. I am therefore hoping I can qualify as a 'skilled worker' and cut down the experience requirements somewhat. I have plenty of automotive-based mechanical experience to the level that I can confidently strip a car to it's component parts and rebuild. If I went down the mechanical (as opposed to avionics) route I would be specifically interested in small aircraft of the type I am likely to fly as a PPL, however I also have a fair knowledge of electronics and so the thought of specialising in avionics also seems appealing.
I don't want to spend huge amounts of money on this, if I did I would probably look at a CPL I guess, maybe an FI rating, but reasonable expenses are fine. I also reiterate what I said above about having a business so I can't just take time off to do a full time course.
I have done a fair bit of reading on the subject and it looks like I could self study the modules required for a B2 and/or B3 license. However, a couple of things I have not been able to determine:
1. Can the X years experience be gained part time? If so, does the time period stay the same or is it a case of 'x years at 5 days per week', aka if I'm only doing 1 day per week the time period would be five times as long?
2. Is it realistic to expect that if I walked in to a maintenance company and asked for 1 day per week unpaid work towards a license they would be willing to help me? Is this the sort of thing they are asked for regularly, a bit like CPL pilots pretty much work for free for flying schools to build hours?
3. The modules for B2 and B3 are almost the same (1-10 for both then either 2 or 3 more depending on which licence). Assuming I was to pass all the relevant modules, could I apply for both licenses using the same practical experience years (I know that B3 requires less years) or must they run concurrently?
...and finally:
4. Is this whole idea realistic or am I kidding myself to think I could achieve a license this way?
Thanks!