Aircraft Engineering Apprentice advice

[KAR92]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so please be gentle :).

I have always dreamed of being an aircraft engineer and I was waiting for an opportunity in the RAF from the ages of 17-19 whilst in employment and trying to help bring some money into my household. Unfortunately when an opening did appear I was offered Gen Tech Mech instead and this was not what my heart wanted so I had to face facts and start looking on civvy street. If I'm honest I have met many ex servicemen since then and they have all told me that this was the right decision due to the sorry state of our Air Force because of the continued budget cuts.

I started looking immediately and applied for a few apprenticeships, I passed the aptitude test of one but just missed out on a practical exam. I persevered and got accepted for a 2 year scheme at the age of 20 and 3 months. I began my apprenticeship at the back end of 2012 and started an 8 month intensive course at a Part 147 training school that covered the A licence modules, 3 months of workshop training and a further 3 months on a training aircraft performing mock maintenance procedures. I am now working for the company that employed me and I am looking forward to the next 6 months which will be a full time hangar placement.

Basically I am slightly worried about how much experience I am actually going to gain and I am getting slightly paranoid about being under experienced at the end of the apprenticeship, armed with an A Licence and having just turned 22 . I've been told that contracting will help me gain more experience after the apprenticeship and I am trying to get some advice on what I can do to be the best I can be at the career I have always wanted. I have got this idea in my head that due to my age I am "behind the curve" so to speak and I need to gain as much experience to catch up with where I think I should be. I have been told that the days of 16 year old apprentices are definitely dying out and companies prefer slightly older individuals nowadays because of the extra maturity they have.

All I want is to gain as much experience as possible and be as competent as I can be as quickly as possible, so I am asking for any advice that can help me please. The company I am working within don't carry out any major skin or structural repairs themselves so I will have trouble gaining workshop experience past the 3 months I have received in my training. This is one of the reasons I am worried about being under experienced, should I find some other avenue to improve my hand skills outside of work possibly; such as a metal working course at a local college? I have recently purchased my own car and I am desperate to get stuck in and start maintaining that myself to get as much experience with basic hand tools as possible. If anyone can suggest some ideas to maximise my learning I am all ears.

Thank you for reading through my life story and hopefully helping me out :).

[emergency000]

Welcome to the forum!

Before all the grumpy old farts rip you a new one, I'll jump in :P

I started my apprenticeship at age 23 and 1 month. The apprenticeship was 4 years, although I completed it in 3 1/2. So you see, I'm a freshly minted AME, no where near getting a license of any category, at age 26. So trust me, to come out of an apprenticeship at age 22 WITH Cat A license in hand is going to stand you in better stead than I am. If you're "behind the curve" at age 22, then I must have dropped off the curve and am lying on the verge somewhere!

In regards to getting experience, everywhere you go will be different. Aircraft, paperwork, procedures, etc. So every time you start with a new company, you'll be starting from day 1 again.

My best advice is: don't stress yourself out. You're not going to be a perfect, know-everything AME from day 1 on the job. I've worked with LAMEs who started their apprenticeships in 1969 who still find themselves scratching their heads over an aircraft defect. Just apply yourself, keep your mouth shut (except to ask questions), eyes and ears open. You don't want to be "that guy", fresh out of trade school and ready to show the 'old buggers how it's done". Show up on time, go home on time, do your work diligently and within the scope of the approved data and, if certifying, within the scope of your license category. Try to learn something new each day: your learning doesn't stop when you leave trade school, it STARTS.

I can't speak for the UK as I'm in Australia, but over here structures AMEs are a separate trade stream to mech (in the airlines, anyway). In GA, it might be different. I'd advise against spending your hard earned on a metalworking course as working with aircraft metals and alloys is quite different to working with other types of sheet metal (although similarities obviously exist). As a Cat A AME, you won't be certifying any structural work, so don't sweat it. Stay in the industry long enough and you'll learn it.

Most of all: have fun! It's a good job and a good industry (if slightly more cut throat than others). And there's no point doing a job you hate, after all.

Once again, welcome to the forum :)

Cheers,
John

[munster]

Everything comes to those who wait KAR92. I started my four year apprenticeship in the 80's. After those four years I was very green. Enjoy your work, record everything in your log book and don't worry about aspects you may not be doing with your current employer. There are a great many engineers with decades of experience who'd have no idea how to rivet.
Don't be too keen to join the conny circuit. Take it easy and enjoy the learning!

[Bye]

hi, have to echo what the others have said, take your time.

also think about the company that has given you a break and how you can re pay them with some loyalty, only think about moving on when you feel you are not learning anything new, not getting opportunities or simply hate working there.

much better to have a few years at the same company on your CV as it shows you are reliable, committed etc.

the most important thing for me is a loyal honest worker, all the other bits can be sorted, but the essence of the man cannot.

if you are looking for something to fill your time go to evening school to learn something as a back up plan such as plumbing, you never know when you might need it and it will help with your general skills.

or contact some British superbike teams, they are allways looking for volunteer techies to work at the weekend races, they usually pay food and travel expenses only, but you do get in free and get to pose about the pit lane amongst the brolley dolleys. i Know of 3 teams that are looking and pay wages as well as expenses.

but mainly stick at it while you enjoy it, absorb everything and the experience will come with time only.

all the best

GB

[faz1989]

Whats going to happen to you after your 6 months working in the hangar?

[KAR92]

Hi everyone.

Thank you all so much for all of your advice, it has had a real impact on my confidence and helped to cut down my paranoia of not being as experienced as I feel I should be. I must admit I had stressed myself out a little but now I've relaxed and I'm loving my night shifts even more. I'm having fun too, I helped with an engine change last night (only my 2nd so far) and it was brilliant. I learnt a lot but mainly just enjoyed myself and worked hard. So thank you all again :).

Faz1989, after the 6 months I move onto the Line until November which is the end of the apprenticeship. I've already had 2 months there before moving into the hangar and if I'm honest it felt like I was wasting my time and all the engineers I was working with thought the same thing. In fact when I was on the Line I got on really well with my shift leader and he chucked me in the hangar a few times so I was quite lucky then. When I do go back on the Line I am going to try and sneak into the hangar on my nights again :).

If the company does offer me a job at the end of the apprenticeship I will take it because I am very grateful they gave me the opportunity, but because their scope of work is quite basic I can see myself not learning much past a few months. Its at this point I will consider moving on, the way the other engineers described contracting made me quite envious; good pay (which doesn't matter to me that much if I'm honest, I'm just happy to work on aircraft), travelling, great learning experiences and the fact the majority of guys out there are happy to share their knowledge and experience with the new boy. This is why I was considering contracting, it sounded like exactly what I need.

Once again thank you all for your advice, it has really helped out a keen green apprentice ;).

[KAR92]

Bye,

I love the idea of jumping in with a British superbike team, or any automotive team for that matter, it sounds like a great opportunity to develop my hand skills and the fact that they pay travel expenses sounds fantastic! Could you perhaps point me in the right direction please, I'm not entirely sure where to look?

[Bye]

the best thing to do is go to the MCE BSB website, write down the team names and go to their websites and send them a quick email, be clear you are not looking for full time jobs as they won't have any, they come from getting in the door and getting known as being good and reliable, then you get asked.

so drop em an email, say you'll work for beer and peanuts for experience, if you get a chance go along and don't get in the way or act out place and you'll be fine.

or go to a race meeting and ask about the smaller teams in the paddock and the support race teams.

but a speculative email is best to be honest, remember you are offering to help out in return for experience and expect to start off on stuff like tyres, and work your way up the trust level, now is a good time as teams are preparing for the coming season with testing in about 5 weeks in Spain to kick this year off and the budgets are still tight.

if you do get in you must be committed to seeing it thru the season.

hope this helps, give it a go, nowt to lose.

GB