Best university for AME?

[bala_murali]

HI there guys.I would like to get some guidance of where I could do my aircraft maintenance engineering .I am from India. I have done my bachelor’s degree in the field of Electrical and Electronics and I have worked in dell computer for 2 years as a hardware technician. I am 24 years old right now. I would like to know

• What are the best colleges and universities to do a course aircraft maintenance engineering in Canada?

• I heard that only AME license in UK and USA is globally recognized! Is that true?Is Canadian AME recognized globally??

The colleges i got till now are


Northern Lights college -NLC | Programs & Courses | Program List (http://www.nlc.bc.ca/public.program.php?ProgramActiveList=programdetails&ProgramID=7)


BCIT- http://www.bcit.ca/files/pdf/admissi...ition-intl.pdf



THANKS FOR YOUR TIME . YOUR SUGGESTIONS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED!:O

[bigoil]

try looking on AVCANADA you might have more replies

Northern Lights has a good rep and BCIT is more of a puppy mill in Vancouver,
there is Canador college and Confederation College and SAIT and a few more, go to the TC site and look (Transport Canada)

[bala_murali]

Thanks bigoil. will check the the AVCANADA. And would like to know what you meant by puppy mill (BCIT) ?? LOL.... And also in your opinion which would be a good college or university to join the AME course in Canada. Thanks for your time bigoil?

[bigoil]

puppy mill is a expression we use when something is turned out in great numbers (as in a large litter of puppies)
4 intakes a year of 25 or 30 students, no one fails, take their money, get them through the course, no jobs but don't tell them that.
the AME programe here in Canada is not university by a long shot, more like trade school, you can get in with grade 10 or less
its real slow here now, lots of laid off guys

[777AV8R]

Without a doubt, BCIT and their new aviation campus in Richmond, B.C., is the best in Canada and arguably one of the best in the world. This tech school has been educating well qualified students for many years and have set a very high standard.

The course is not easy and all facets are overseen by very qualified instructors. Graduates from this program have employers standing at the door with jobs in hand.

You won't go wrong applying here however; there could be a wait-list.

Good luck to you.

[blues deville]

Cenntenial College in Toronto also offers a good program and has an excellent reputation with airlines inside and outside of Canada.

Aviation College Courses - Aviation Technology School at Centennial College (http://www.centennialcollege.ca/transportation/aviation)

Good luck!

bd :cool:

[bala_murali]

Wow.. Thats great News 777...Mostly thinking of joining BCIT in their January intake, I also came to know about Red river college through one of the agencies here, Its seems they offer a 29 month OJT program after graduation .. Does this college have a good reputation ??AME Training in Canada - Aviation School, Pilot Training in India, Commercial Pilot Training, Commerical Pilot License, Sunsea, Pilot Training in Australia, Pilot Training in USA, Flight Training, Sunsea Aviation, Best Flying School, Pilot Training i (http://www.sunsea.in/canada_ame_package.asp?s=RRC)
Thank for your time 777

[bala_murali]

hi there Blues . Did check the program in Cenntenial College . It does seem to be very nice. I do have a doubt though . Is there no university or college in canada that offers the degree in Aircraft maintenance engineering .
I also got a email from a consultant here about Red river college .AME Training in Canada - Aviation School, Pilot Training in India, Commercial Pilot Training, Commerical Pilot License, Sunsea, Pilot Training in Australia, Pilot Training in USA, Flight Training, Sunsea Aviation, Best Flying School, Pilot Training i (http://www.sunsea.in/canada_ame_package.asp?s=RRC). Do you have any views on this college ..

[bigoil]

Have you read the posts on Avcanada from employers and their preference of grads?
I love the one where a grad was checking the tire pressure by holding the gauge against the outside of the tire. Of course this has nought to do with the school just someone with no mechanical knowledge.
If you're going for a sought after licence go for the EASA. Way more challengeing than the CAD AME

[bala_murali]

I have applied for both Kingston and Glamorgan universities in UK . But i though considering job opportunities Canada would be a better place. And also work permit in Canada is much easier and they do give for a longer duration (about 30 months )compared to UK.The major difference is ,in UK i get a BSC(HONS) degree while in Canada i would be getting a diploma. i do already have a bachelors degree in electrical and electronics and many people in this forum told me that a degree or diploma does not make any difference in this AME field.So that why thought Canada would be a better place to do my AME.

[bigoil]

first off get the University thing out of your head, the AME is a mechanic and here in Canada a poorly paid one at that. Nothing to do with University and if you tell them you have a degree it may go against you as you will be better educated than the boss and he/she may not like that.(from experience most deffinitely not)

There are 6 or 7 schools churning out grads every year or every 3 months and as you have read many, many lay offs right now so good luck with the job search after graduation. Not to discourage you but have you read the posts on Avcanada and the people looking for work after graduation.

I would guess that was a instructor posting about BCIT because it DOES NOT have a good rep out here in the field.

[bala_murali]

Wow .. Never thought my degree would turn up against me :ouch:..LOL . Taking the degree's and Diplomas out of the way . what are basic the qualification to join as an apprentice to get my AME license in Canada ( Hypothetical question -imagining the is a apprenticeship offer! ) . The degree i did was in Electrical and Electronics .Would i be eligible for a apprenticeship ?? Thanks for your time Bigoil ,,will check out the AVCanada forum too ...

[Flatface]

Please tell us what you see yourself doing for work after you get your AME licence.

You do realize that aviation is a business? The employers would be glad to keep you as an apprentice indefinitely, so they don't have to pay you the full industry standard salary of an AME.

If you get a job as an E licence, you will be stringing wires and repairing damaged connectors. You will be a blue collar worker.

With a degree already, you are already more qualified for a higher paying aviation job than an AME. It is not clear to me what you want to achieve.

[bigoil]

as an apprentice you would wear coveralls and steel toe shoes and be given a grease gun and told to go grease the landing gear of a small twin. so you crawl on your hands and knees to the spot only to find the gun empty, arn't they always
now tell me what is your prefered method of refilling the gun, by the imerse and suck method or do you use the putty knife method.

you;re an auto mechanic only you work on airplanes, simple as that.

if you expect different you're going to be dissapointed

[blues deville]

first off get the University thing out of your head, the AME is a mechanic and here in Canada a poorly paid one at that. Nothing to do with University and if you tell them you have a degree it may go against you as you will be better educated than the boss and he/she may not like that.(from experience most deffinitely not)

Get the university thing out of your head??? I couldn't agree less. Your boss may not like it, but the guy in charge of the department probably will.

Don't ever hide any education.

bd :cool:

[bala_murali]

Point taken BLues... . Tell me one thing guys from your research and experience . Is there anything called as the "BEST place to do AME " in Canada like Harvard for law . Is there any place such that is we graduate from there with a good score ,We are sure to get placed in big companies . Isn't there even one place like that ?? Dont AME recruiters look out for students graduation from good colleges with skill?? Are they so narrow minded that they dont lookout for anything other than experience??

[bala_murali]

Hi there Flats... Many of my buds did advice me to pursue a master degree in the same electrical field that i did in my under graduation in . i don't think i will ever be satisfied with that in my future .I want always wanted to be in the aviation field as an AME in the mechanical stream .I do accept that i did the most idiotic thing by doing a bachelors degree in electrical and electronics. I was virtually forced into that by my parents. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a job i hate even though i pays me well. Lookin for a new start from here on in . How can i go about it ?? :ugh:

[Flatface]

They won't hire you under your qualifications and education. Why? Because you will want to leave the first opportunity once you get the real picture, night shift, work holidays, cold weather, rain snow sleet. They don't want to invest any money in your training if they think you will leave and their money is wasted, they can spend their money on someone else who stays. Once they have you on strength, you find yourself a nice sweetheart, she thinks you are somebody because you are in aviation, you marry her, she wants kids, now you need a house, new car, RRSPs, vacation home...............what does this have to do with anything? You now are in dept up to your eyeballs. She doesn't want you to leave your aviation job because now you have seniority, you are doing so well (read paying off the depts) and she wants security. If you have an education ( bachelor's degree in electrical engineering) you can transfer to the engineering department and all the money they spent on your endorsements is useless to them when you transfer.

36 years in the trade, military, manufacturing, flag carrier. I will be working midnight shift again when my cycles starts on Friday night. 18 months to go and I will start collecting my pension, until the company goes belly up and closes down the pension plan. I will be eating dog food from a can after that.

My advice, don't do it. One of my mates, retired now, brought his son to work because he wanted to go into maintenance. We all told him NO, don't do it. Get a nice flying job, clean, shirt and tie, respect, good pay, and finally when you are the senior man on the totem pole, you collect your 6 figure salary and then retire to the islands in the sun.

The son took our advice, he is now a Captain on a regional carrier in the North, he is making more than his father ever made in maintenance, the son is in his mid 20's. Ignore this advice at your own peril.

You want to get dirty and greasy, buy an old car, bike, heck even on old aircraft. Use your spare time to muck about the thing. You can build and fly a homebuilt aircraft and do ALL the maintenance on it. The beauty of it is, you can do it on nice sunny days, in the hangar on raining days, you can work as hard as you like, or can take a break from it as long as you like.

Here is one more tidbit, when I joined my present company, I too had star dust in my eyes, I brought application forms to all my mates from the Air Force. About 20 signed up and were hired. 18 climbed the corporate ladder after getting their AME. All were eventually forced out during the ups and downs of the airline industry. Only one mate and myself remain, we never left the trade and the union, we are the only ones who will have worked long enough to collect our pensions.

Mostly everyone who does survive, leaves at their earliest retirement date, except those who have started second families or started their families late. (read as still carrying big debt load)

All heavy maintenance is going south or to the far east, all that will remain is line maintenance, only until the regs can be changed and the airline managers can do away with those of us that remain.

[bala_murali]

First off all hats off to your persistence and achievement flatface. 36 years in this trade is something great …Bravo.:D :D..And thanks for the marital advice also … Believe me for the confusion that I have in choosing a carrier marriage is the last thing that I want to think off right now... LOL
You told me about your coworker’s son getting into pilots jobs. That would be my dream shot. My plan-A was pilot training. I have done my class 1 medical and I am declared fit. I am new to this “engineering and technician forum “but have spent quite some in the pilots forum and have spoken to some with some pilots face to face also. The general concern is it is difficult to get a job as an AME but it’s almost impossible to get into a pilot’s seat. There we come to my plan-B (My AME). I was always astounded by working of those big Rolls Royce engines. The initial investment for AME also seemed to be much in scope compared to the 70 to 60 grand dollars that I would spend for pilot training at the end of the day without securing a job. And I didn’t have the heart to switch over to another field from aviation and even though I don’t end up as a pilot I would be satisfied and happy working as an AME.
I would like to know …whether getting a job as an AME is difficult ???Or whether the salary of an AME is very low, that building a future on that is an unwise thing to do?
And do tell me one more thing from your vast experience in aviation flatface. .. What job in aviation other than an Air traffic controller (which I hate to do) has a good scope...I just turned 25 years on 11th of July am I too old to change my field and get into a job that I actually like doing ?? Thanks a lot for your time... Did learn a lot from your posts … Cheers

[Flatface]

It is never too late for anything, however, age 25 is late to begin in pilot training, you will need to accumulate as much as 4500 hours before a major Canadian airline will hire you. Keep in mind you are competing for jobs with your peers, if they are your age and have many thousands of hours of pilot in command time, you will be relegated to flying as an instructor at a small flying club or some other aviation job that does not pay as much as major airlines. It all depends what you want.

In the airline I work at, 850 AMEs were laid off recently. Aviation maintenance is being sent to third world countries where they can get the work done for pennies on the dollar. There are still AMEs on the ramp that work the flights between legs and overnight inspections and smaller repairs. Heavy maintenance is finished here as far as I can see. The airline that I work at just sold off it's maintenance branch and now will ask all providers to bid on this work.

One final opportunity you have not mentioned in your search is the military. You will be paid to fly from day one and it will be the most interesting and exciting flying you could ever do. Airline flying is not very exciting and is very routine.

[bala_murali]

The age limit for getting into the Indian airforce as a pilot is 22. I am well above that age limit. For the technical line also for my Degree in Electrical and electronics would lead me to to a desk working with electronics equipments alone . The main thing i like in AME is the mechanical part of it .. The engines mainly . Military will never let go through a mechanical line considering my electrical and electronics degree qualification .And also it would take another year to write the exam,selection test and other criterion . And by chance if i don get though the whole year is wasted. I dont think military would be a good option for me right now.
Let me know one things if you were in my shoes and given 2 option either to go for a AME course or master in Aviation management! considering the aviation sector after 2 years( that would be the time taken to finish the course ) what option would you take. Remember a pilot is what you want to end up as .( option of flight training is denied because of the huge cost involved in it ) . would love to know your reply :8. thanks for your time .

[Flatface]

As you have already traveled down the path to a university education, and you have achieved some success there, I would suggest you continue on that path.

The vice president of maintenance in the airline I work for, has a masters in aviation maintenance and management. In that position he can pretty well do anything he pleases. He could spend a day on the floor in coveralls with us blue collar workers and do an engine change or anything else that he wants.

He is pulling in a good 6 figure salary, he can afford to buy and operate his own aircraft. Perhaps that is how you can achieve your dream?

Good luck with your choice.

[bala_murali]

hi there flatface .

Thanks for your reply flatface. From your point of view considering job opportunities ,do AME"S freshers have a better shot or people in management line have a better shot . Thanks for your opinions .It helps alot.:O

[Flatface]

Your question is unclear. If you want to know where the managers come from, I can only reply about the company I work for.

It seems virtually all low level managers come from the AME ranks, the upper levels, executive class, come from the outside.

I am speaking of the maintenance department only.

Of the 20 or so colleagues that joined this company from the military about 30 years ago, only two survived to today. Both myself and another AME remain, we continue in are original jobs and are in the union. All the others went into management, left the union, and none have survived to today. Some left of their own free will, others were terminated or downsized over the years.

Only you can choose which path to take, I can only relay my direct experience in this one company.

[bala_murali]

HI there Flatface

Sorry. Let me rephrase the question, In your opinion ,considering the aviation job market in 2 years ( the time is finish my course ) who would be having a better prospect at job opportunities :

a person who has finished his masters in aviation management
a person who has finished a diploma or a Bachelors degree in aircraft maintenance

I did discuss with my friends and well wishers. they think it would be completely stupid to do a Diploma course after finishing my bachelors degree in engineering.
we arrived at some logical conclusion during the discussion ,


AGE DIFFERENCE :

either i do the diploma or the masters course it is going to take 2 years .when i come out of the course i would be 27 years old. If i do my diploma i would be competing with 18 - 20 year old kids for a job as an AME .i still do have an upper hand with a degree but still age difference would be huge.:uhoh:



COMPETITION


The number of freshers in diploma AME on an average would be definitely more than freshers in Master of aviation management. So i would be in competition with less number of people who on an average belong to my own age group. :hmm:

would like to know your view on this . These are conclusion arrived from pure logic . Do correct if i am wrong. Thanks a million for sharing your experience.:ok::ok::ok:

[Flatface]

When I was discussing age difference and competition, I was referring to a flying jobs, not maintenance jobs. Age is not much of a barrier for an AME to get hired, the guy I work with everyday was hired at age 50. A new hire AME will get entry level pay, an experienced AME with relevant endorsements will get much better pay, maybe twice as much.

In two years, I believe the job opportunities will be greater for you if you have a master's degree in aviation. Not only will the job opportunities be better, you will start at much higher salary, two or three times more pay. In two years, there will be 50 to 100 applicants for every AME job (my opinion), while there may only be 5 to 10 applicants (again my opinion) with a master's degree for a management job. Traditionally, AMEs are hired in groups, 10 or 20 at a time. Managers with master's degrees are hired only once in a while, one at a time. Keep in mind, no one can tell what will happen in the future.

I believe that airlines will prefer to hire AMEs that have type endorsements relevant to the job being offered, if the airline is flying B737, and you show up with A320 endorsement, the man with B737 qualifications will be hired, regardless of experience. The reason? It is the cost of sending you on course to get the endorsement. Years ago when I was on the B747 course, we had someone who paid for a seat on the course, he paid $41,000 CDN for the training, the rest of us were paid our salary to attend and we had all our expenses paid too.

The number one priority in business today seems to be cost control. They also have to meet regulatory requirements, ie: they have to have qualified and trained people on staff and able to cover all flights, day, night, weekends, and holidays.

This is all irrelevant if you hate your job and dread getting up each morning to go to work.

[AME Training]

Good Day,

AME Training:
There are approximately 14 colleges and institutions with Transport Canada approved AME basic training programs in Canada. These Approved Training Organizations (ATOs)can be found in Transport Canada Airworthiness Notice C002: Airworthiness Notice - C002, Edition 10 - 27 October 2005 - Airworthiness Notices - Policy Development - Aircraft Maintenance and Manufacturing - Aircraft - Air Transportation - Transport Canada (http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/standards/maintenance-aarpc-ans-c002-2643.htm)
AN C002 has fairly comprehensive information about AME training and is a good reference document. The ATOs are listed in Appendix "B" .
Canadian AME training is well regulated and meets most countries' aviation regulatory standards. Having said that, to my knowledge, Canada does not have reciprocal agreements with other countries that guarantee compliance with foriegn training standards. Therefore, each country's aviation regulatory agency would decide, on an individual basis, whether approved Canadian training would meet their standards. I have met with representatives from the Indian aviation regulatory agency (DGCA), and they suggested that the Canadian standards would meet their requirements.

Best program:
You were interested in the "best" program. All the institutions delivering TC approved AME Basic training are Audited by a national TC audit team to the standards in Chapter 566 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations on an ongoing basis. The credentials from any of the ATOs have the same value and all the Approved programs in Canada are very good. Any suggestion of 1 being better that the other is based on individual or employer opinions, and that varies all over the country.

I would suggest that you chosse a program based on your preference for location, cost, or other personal preferences.

Appprenticeship: Stevenson Campus at Red River College offers an AME diploma course and the only Approved AME "M" apprenticeship program in Canada. Apprenticeship is not a great fit for International applicants because the applicant must be employed as an apprentice aircraft mechanic with a Canadian employer to get into the program.

Electrical/electronics degree: I believe that an electronics degree from a reputable university would be a major assett in both AME training and future employment in the industry. There is pressure from the industry, AME associations, and Colleges to incorporate more electrical content into AME training. The College of the North Atlantic in Gander, have an approved 2 year program that includes content for both the AME "M" and "E" (avionics) licenses.
This degree should also be a great assett if you decide to pursue Pilot Training.

The Aviation Industry/employment: Globally the demand for both AMEs and Pilots is strong. I have been to India a few times and worked with a college in Chandagarh on an joint AME training program. It is my understanding that the Indian air carriers need many more AMEs.
In Canada employment opportunities for graduates of the programs have been very good to date. This may change if the economy gets worse, but so far prospects are good.
Aviation is a challenging and rewarding industry with worldwide opportunities.
The pay is good and working conditions are usually quite good.
Everyone I know in the industry likes it and finds it interesting, and often exciting. Many students from India train in Canada as AMEs and any that I have dealt with, say that they love the training and the work.

Pilot training:
You mentioned that your ultimate desire would be to become a pilot.
There is a big demand for pilots globally and it is expected to increase rapidly. Most large air carriers want applicants to have a degree or diploma. You have that, and I believe that an Electronics degree would be well received. The actual flight training can be accomplishesd at any flight training unit, and there are many in Canada. It can be done at your own pace, or as funds are available. It is always good to have "back up" skills such as your electronics skills and/or AME certification, because flying certification is dependant on medical fitness as determined annually by an Aviation Medical Examiner.

I believe that this information is fairly accurate and hope it has been of some help.
Please feel free to contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Thank you,
Dennis Doersam
Director,
Red River College/Stevenson Aviation Campus
[email protected]

[GGIPunjab]

1 Acadia University
2 Carleton University
3 Concordia University
4 Dalhousie University
5 Lakehead University
6 Laurentian University
7 Queen's University
8 The Royal Military College of Canada
are some of the best colleges in canada for engineering.

........................

[ashish12774]

Hi
This is to inform you that i am planning to do AME course from Canada in Category 'M' but i am in dilemma that which college is best for this course so i have two choices either i can go for BCIT or Red River College so which one is best out of these two colleges so do reply me as soon as possible.

Thanks & Regards
Ashish Ahuja (India)

[ashish12774]

Hi
This is ashish ahuja from India planning to come to Canada for AME course in category m so could you please tell me which college is good for this course either BCIT or Red River college .so i am not able to decide that in which college i should go . so please help me out ,moreover i have already completed this course from India and i have bamel (basic aircraft maintenance engineering licence) in jet engine and heavier air frame but still i am job less because scope is bad in India so is it a right decision to do this course once again from Canada although its just a diploma not a degree and is there any further opportunities after doing this course like degree/ management. so could you please suggest me that which course is good for me after going through my profile as far as career and job opportunities are concerned.

Thanks & Regards
Ashish Ahuja

[MLHeliwrench]

The diploma is just a piece of paper. It does not get you a job anywhere.

Go to a school where it is cheaper to live or any other reason.

Maybe you would be interested in BCIT because there are lots of Indian immigrants around Vancouver so you could easily find a social scene with some people with similar backgrounds.

It is you that gets hired, not the degree. Be prepared to be out there with many many other people with the same diploma going after the same jobs.

Also be prepared to be competing with locals who were born in Canada and can work here without dealing with Visas and other issues foreigners have to deal with.

I would be prepared to move anywhere in the country. A lot of grads do one loop around the city there school was is and declare there are no jobs.

[Sad11]

U said age 25 is late what about 39?I want to start and i am 39,any chances?

[Flatface]

No it is not too late, unless you expect to make it to the left seat on a B777 maximizing your income.

Think of your aviation career as climbing several ladders. Your first job, you will start at the bottom of the first ladder, the lowest rung. Everyone who started at that airline before you, is higher up the ladder, everyone who started at that airline after you is below you on the same ladder.

As you climb that ladder, you get better and better jobs and pay. Eventually you will be high enough on the ladder (seniority list) to move to the left seat. Eventually you will be high enough on the seniority list to move to the bigger aircraft (make more money)

The only way for you to climb the ladder is when someone above you, retires or leaves for other reasons.

If you decide to move to another airline (more chances of flying heavier equipment) you start the process all over again. You must start at the bottom of that company's list and begin the climb to the best jobs and pay.

Also entry level jobs are notoriously poorly paid, and each time to move to another airline, you start at the bottom of the pay scale. At y our age you may have responsibilities that do not permit you to reduce your family's income by starting over at the airlines.

The problem with starting at 39, and with the mandatory age 60 retirement (at my former airline) there is not enough time to climb the seniority list to make the big dollars.

If this is not your ambition ( to make it into the left seat of the biggest aircraft in the fleet and earn the biggest salary) then by all means, you can start at any age.

The younger you are, the better your chances of making it to the top of the seniority list earning the best salary and bidding the best routes.

This is an oversimplification of the process but gives a new entrant some idea what you will face.

For AME, the situation is completely different. Seniority applies too. You are still young enough at 39 to be attractive to companies and can earn a living wage.

I retired recently and sent out several resumes with not a single response. With 38 years experience in the trade, and 8 different endorsements, my age seems to be an impediment to even getting an interview.

Good luck.