A&P Exams and school

[bbthefe]

I'm after another string to my bow and want to do the A&P exams (school).

I currently hold a CASA B1 licence and can get a letter from my employer for the FAA requirement.

1. Can you study alone and just do the exams and practical ?
2. I was after a school in LAX but will travel to get it done. Any recommendations welcome.
3. Which books are best ? eg Jeppesen ? or AMT ?

Somebody recommmended a school in Nashville that guarantees a pass after 10 days or they will give additional training for free.

Any advice welcome.:8

[Exup]

I used Bakers in Nashville back in the nineties & found them spot on, they used to do a package which included hotel & transport. All the books were also supplied. The only additional fee was the cash you had to pay the examiner for the practical & oral exam. The course took 2 weeks working Monday to Friday. I found that long enough without any study before I went, just used the books they supplied. Good luck

[easaman]

Here is a detailed A&P Info with books and more! (http://jar66.de/A&P)
Cheers
Easaman

[grounded27]

Best wishes, I think it was king aviation in nashville, does not matter. If you want to get ahead of the curve, the written is Q&A with 3 possible now, I had 4 20 years back. Out of thousands of stupid questions the best process is to blank out the wrong answers and make it a memory issue to read the question and associate the only answer you remember, the correct one. You should not have any problems with the practical given you have experience, the aural should not be an issue but keep in mind the DE can go as long as he has patience to get you your 70%...

[demon_duck]

Try Av-tech Exams in Riverside, not far from LA. Very reasonable. There's a FISDO next door to get your FAA forms signed if you don't already have them.

Airframe and Powerplant AvTech Exams (http://www.avtech-exams.com/)

Good luck!

DD

[bbthefe]

Does anyone have personal experience withAvTech in Riverside California ?
I keep hearing good things about the school in Nashville but LA is way more convenient.
Thanks again

[kenguan]

I went to Avtech at riverside 2 years ago, passed with no problems. But then I already have almost 15 years experience as an EASA B1.1 & B1.2, that helped a lot in terms of written exam and oral & practical exam.

It's located about 2 hrs from LAX. I took shared van, that's why it took 2 hrs, otherwise if you take taxi that will be maybe 1 to 1 1/2 hrs, but cost much more $$$.

Since you have experience, I suggest you take the "home study course" package offered by Avtech. They will send you 3 books which is all the questions you need to memorize.
With the "home study course" package, you only go to Avtech for the oral & practical preparation & then you go there for about 5 working days & they will prepare you for the oral & practical, provided you have passed the written portion.

Only down side is, your oral & practical will NOT be conducted at Avtech Riverside, but can be anywhere from Long Beach or somewhere within an hours journey. Arrangement for the oral & practical will be done by Avtech & subject to availability of the examiner. I spent Monday to Friday at Avtech preparing for the o&p, then Saturday full day was my o&p exam.

If you want more info pls PM me.

[bbthefe]

Has anyone attended or had a report about Crimson Aviation School in Inglewood CA for A&P ?
I'm still looking at best location and also now considering Dallas.
Comments please !:sad:

[bbthefe]

Getting more info on the subject AVTECH School Riverside doesn't sound so great in regard flexibility to do exams even if you are prepared beforehand.
They are now indicating it may take 15 -18 days including prac and oral exams that may take 11 hours !!!! What the ???
Travelling the extra distance to Bakers in Nashville or another couple of schools in Dallas might be worth the extra distance.
Any opinions or others experience ?

[demon_duck]

I finished all the exams by the 4th day but the O&P was unavialable until Friday of the second week. Strange coincidence? So no refund.

BTW My O&P was 12 hours and others were getting two full days after the FAA crackdown.

Good luck

[bbthefe]

A&P Prep School, FAA Mechanic School A&P License Exam, A&P COURSE, FAA a&p license -Aero-Tech A & P School - Texas (http://www.aerotechap.com/)

After more research I'm probably heading off to Houston Texas with this guy @aerotecap.

They sound flexible and focused on getting you passed asap according to your level of skill.

Full report to follow if that helps others.

Thanks for all the advice :ok:

[kenguan]

bbthefe,

Seeing that you are already experienced and hold B1 (I assume that's airframe & turbine engines? If you have piston engines & have a PPL, all the better), I suggest the following:

1. Study for the 3 written exams (General, A/F, P/P) on your own. All you need is the latest ASA Prepware books, it has all the questions and answers (MCQ). Then when you are ready, head off to US and sit for the 3 written exams in 1 go. You should be able to pass them with no problems.

2. Only go to the school for the "Oral & practical" preparation and then the actual oral & pratical exam.

Following the 2 steps above, you save $$$ on the written exam part. You do it at your own time. The written exam takes a lot of memorizing & little bit of understanding.

For step 2, I find that it is a must to attend the O&P prep. This is because the school will have all the practical stuff that you must do during the actual O&P exam. The school will guide you.

That's my experience when I went to Avtech. In the 5 days of O&P preparation, all that AVtech taught was in the O&P exam.

And yes, the O&P can take 2 days. I did mine in 1 day (started about 9am, finished just before 5pm with lots of break in between plus 1 hour lunch break, which the examiner took me out for a treat. I did very well & fast in the oral part. The examiner says it normally takes 3 hours to finish the oral part, I finished it in just under an hour.
The practical part of course takes time... plus my riveting and use of a multimeter sucks...

[bbthefe]

I'm using the A&P software by Dauntless Aviation and must say it's the best study aid I have ever used !!! Seriously. A small investment for all 3 subjects of around $150. It's great.
ps I'm not getting a comission :{

[Long Bay Mauler]

Using the software is the best way before the exams. You used to be able to complete the 3 exams online through an American testing facility in North Ryde a number of years ago, but I am not sure if that is still an option.

Another place you could look at is American Airman in Long Island, New York. I think it different owners to when I did mine, but its certainly another option,as they cater for International students.

Becoming an A&P Mechanic | International Students | American Airman NY (http://www.americanairman.com/international.html)

PM if you want more info.

[bbthefe]

Thanks LBM. Not sure about Ryde anymore.
I just had some info about Long Beach Aero School being an exam centre ? More investigation needed. FAA FISDO OFFICE no problem but finding an approved FAA examiner for practical and oral is still difficult to locate.
Any further update welcome.

[bbthefe]

Oral and Practical exams ???- I get mixed information about time taken to get through the oral and prac , anything from 5 hours to 2days !
Any info or personal experience welcome.
Thanks

[kenguan]

Oral & practical for me took the 1 whole day (started about 0830, finished just before 1700hrs, with 5-10 minutes break every hour or so, and 1 hour lunch break.)

I have a friend who did his O&P the week after me, same DME, and took him 2 days!

[gooner14]

bbthefe

stumbled upon this thread. so how did you go with the a&p? I am considering doing it this year. Heard good stuff about Bakers in Nashville.

[bbthefe]

I didn't make it after Texas was hit with storms and tornado's when I wanted to go :ugh:
but I ended finishing my A320 PCT so that was a good thing.

A friend did Bakers and said it was excellent. Good luck.

[JRBarrett]

Over the past 8 years, our company has sent three apprentices to Bakers in Nashville for the A&P, and three experienced A&Ps for the IA rating, and all did very well. Bakers is an excellent school. The facility is immediately adjacent to the BNA airport, there are many good hotels close by with very reasonable rates for extended stays, and if you like good barbeque, you can eat like a king in Nashville!

Another plus is the abundance of DMEs in the area for the O&P exams. Bakers will schedule you with one of them when you are ready for the O&P.

[gooner14]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I guess Bakers it is then

[3 Phase]

I went to Bakers a few years ago and I would also highly recommend them for the A&P. I have heard there has been a change of instructors since but colleagues who have recently been would also recommend it. They seem to have a good structure there with very good pass rates.

Of course it helps that you can also have a lot of fun in Nashville. :ok:

[Oldgrumpy]

Hi!
I am looking in getting my EASA B1 license transferred (enhanced) while living in LAX.
The job market for non A&P license holders in the US is very difficult and I need a quick fix for this problem.
I have the study guide books at home and started studying but I have a few question:
I have a green card and have about 8 years in EASA B1 experience.
Unfortunately the last two years I have been behind a desk and not on the aircraft. Can I still take the tests and get the license, or must i prove practical work first??
Can you please give me pointers on how to meet the requirements to take the test in Riverside with AVTech and then get FAA O&P testing done.

I appreciate any help you guys can give me. I am currently on the job market and don't feel like freelancing in Africa to make ends meet anymore…been there way too many times…

Thanks
Oldgrumpy

[40 beers]

My 2 cents - From a OZ LAME who did my A&P at DSA Addison airport TX many years ago and I can highly recommend. Get the ASA study guides, highlight answers only and read through twice, then do practice exams on computer at school, should be less than week to pass all three. Practical consisted of being 'walked' through day prior, ie 'if I asked you to time this mag you would do like so, if I asked you to buzz out a wire what would look for?' if you come from a normal aircraft maintenance background will be no problem.


Did my IA one week course at Bakers Nashville and as previous posts said great school with a good pass rate. Other than FAR brain overload somewhere around Tuesday night which requires live music and beer to overcome, if you can't pass a Bakers course please choose a different career path..

[bbthefe]

40 beers - good advice !

[bbthefe]

Bakers looks like the go but FAA changing A&P process in October 2015.
If I can't get there this November it looks like Jan/Feb.
Any updates ?