How do I gain an FAA A & P certificate?
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How do I gain an FAA A & P certificate?
Evening folks
I am studying for an FAA CPL, but I was hoping to find out if I could complement the licence with an A & P certificate.
I have a small amount of experience helping out with maintanance on aircraft at an M3 facility, but other than that all I can say is that I seem to have a fairly good technical aptitude.
My questions is this (I can hear the comments from the back row of "will he effing get on with it!): How do I go about formally studying for the A & P? Is there anywhere in England that you know of that provides practical training. I honestly know nothing about the licence other than the fact that it will allow me to perform maintanance on light N-reg aircraft. Being FAA, I guess that like the flying licences there will be a single exam involved. Where can one study and take this?
As you can see, I'm "all out to sea" on this topic, so any information would go down like a ladder in a prison.
Have a good weekend, Bill
I am studying for an FAA CPL, but I was hoping to find out if I could complement the licence with an A & P certificate.
I have a small amount of experience helping out with maintanance on aircraft at an M3 facility, but other than that all I can say is that I seem to have a fairly good technical aptitude.
My questions is this (I can hear the comments from the back row of "will he effing get on with it!): How do I go about formally studying for the A & P? Is there anywhere in England that you know of that provides practical training. I honestly know nothing about the licence other than the fact that it will allow me to perform maintanance on light N-reg aircraft. Being FAA, I guess that like the flying licences there will be a single exam involved. Where can one study and take this?
As you can see, I'm "all out to sea" on this topic, so any information would go down like a ladder in a prison.
Have a good weekend, Bill
NAIA in South Carolina do a full time A&P course I think it takes 18mths maybe 2yrs. I don't think that you have enough experience to satisfy the FAA to let you take the written and practical exams. I learnt to fly at NAIA and converted my CAA engineers licence there. Check out their website.
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Unless you have UK CAA LWTR or an acceptable apprenticeship, you will have to provide the FAA with proof of 18 months airframe training, and 18 months powerplant training. Usually they are done concurrently, but it takes about 2 years by the time you factor in the exams - as Jet Fixer has intimated. There is a practical ( hands-on ) plus an oral exam after you have passed the written exams. I don't think there's anybody in the UK that provides the required technical training, and unless times have changed, you'll have to go to Frankfurt to take the exams with the FAA. Your best bet is to apply for a student visa ( good luck ) and come to the US for 2 years to do it here. Your better bet is forget it and spend your time on flying them not fixing them.
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Forgot to mention that I think I read somewhere that the two year A&P course was running about $US 28,000. Dont know whether thats live-in or not, but its another cost factor to consider. Jet Fixer - do you have any more up to date info?
The FAA can answer your question on this site.
There are a variety of ways to achieve this, including attending a full time course or acquiring the necessary experience in conjunction with other activities (including flight training).
The FAA provides a list of schools here. Do a search for A&P schools on the Internet, and you will come up with a bunch of places that provide a complete range of training.
Some of the best programmes (including flight training) are in community colleges, these also offer you the choice to train pretty much were you want. As a non (State) resident, the tuition is often more expensive. Search them out by desired city name and (add) community college.
I know lots of people who have acquired A&P licences as a sideline to their main occupation. They range in capability from the best out there to people I wouldn't let set foot in an aircraft.
Like everything, it is a combination of talent and effort that gets you there.
Couple of examples for you that I am familiar with, that turn out excellent, employable, individuals;
Lane - Eugene, OR.
UAA - Anchorage
And this school can get you through an A&P programme in 12 months.
There are a variety of ways to achieve this, including attending a full time course or acquiring the necessary experience in conjunction with other activities (including flight training).
The FAA provides a list of schools here. Do a search for A&P schools on the Internet, and you will come up with a bunch of places that provide a complete range of training.
Some of the best programmes (including flight training) are in community colleges, these also offer you the choice to train pretty much were you want. As a non (State) resident, the tuition is often more expensive. Search them out by desired city name and (add) community college.
I know lots of people who have acquired A&P licences as a sideline to their main occupation. They range in capability from the best out there to people I wouldn't let set foot in an aircraft.
Like everything, it is a combination of talent and effort that gets you there.
Couple of examples for you that I am familiar with, that turn out excellent, employable, individuals;
Lane - Eugene, OR.
UAA - Anchorage
And this school can get you through an A&P programme in 12 months.
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"They range in capability from the best out there to people I wouldn't let set foot in an aircraft."
Indeed, Cyclic....my ex-employer was FAA A & P;
He once asked me what a "Spar" was.....
He didn't realise that PR1422 was two-part and needed activator as well.....
and didn't agree that LRU's with 'O' rings inside needed to have a shelf-life!!!!!
But that said, he was the professional one; or so he told me!!!
Indeed, Cyclic....my ex-employer was FAA A & P;
He once asked me what a "Spar" was.....
He didn't realise that PR1422 was two-part and needed activator as well.....
and didn't agree that LRU's with 'O' rings inside needed to have a shelf-life!!!!!
But that said, he was the professional one; or so he told me!!!
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Thanks guys for taking the time to answer my questions. I must say that I'm impressed with the help. It's rare to find on Wanabees any thread that doesn't have someone flaming someone else, or catty remarks about spelling when one asks perhaps, stupid questions.
I must say that my limited time of working at the M3 facility means that I will either have to attend a full time course or go back to helping with the maintance guys for another 18 months. I don't know if they even have any work available come to that. The full time course seems to be as expensive as my CPL training.
No, I have thought about this and I think that I will look into concentrating on that side of things when (one day) I finish my CPL training. I can't afford the amounts required for both. Much better to concentrate on getting the flying out of the way first and then seeing if I can enrole on an engineering course at a later date, as I think it'll be a few years yet before the Pilot job market picks up again. I am sure that to hold an A & P will complement flying though as the kind of flying I would like to do (small aircraft in dusty backwaters) means that the ability to maintain your own aircraft would be desirable
Thanks for your suggestions and input, Bill
I must say that my limited time of working at the M3 facility means that I will either have to attend a full time course or go back to helping with the maintance guys for another 18 months. I don't know if they even have any work available come to that. The full time course seems to be as expensive as my CPL training.
No, I have thought about this and I think that I will look into concentrating on that side of things when (one day) I finish my CPL training. I can't afford the amounts required for both. Much better to concentrate on getting the flying out of the way first and then seeing if I can enrole on an engineering course at a later date, as I think it'll be a few years yet before the Pilot job market picks up again. I am sure that to hold an A & P will complement flying though as the kind of flying I would like to do (small aircraft in dusty backwaters) means that the ability to maintain your own aircraft would be desirable
Thanks for your suggestions and input, Bill
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regs for A&P
Part 65D of the 14CFR (aka FARs) discusses this:
There are 2 fundamental ways to get the A&P:
(1) School:
go to a school certified under part 147. Minimum hours for the A&P is 1900 hours classroom and lab. Note that only
FAA approved schools count--foreign schools only help with respect to part (2).
(2) Experience:
30 months of experience. Most FSDOs seem to interpret this as 30 months full time or the equivalent hours.
After getting (1) or (2), go to the local FSDO and get permission to take the tests, take the 3 knowledge tests
(General, airframe, powerplant), the oral and practical.
I computed how long it would take to do (2) and I'm in the middle of (1) [part time, at night]
-low_and_slow, CFI
*it is possible to get only an airframe or powerplant certificate [1150 hours for option (1) or 18 months for (2)]
forgot to add--you can get both in about 16 months or so by going 10 hours a day [day and night school]. Local cost is low here since it is through a "community college" [ie. state funded junior college], but would be higher for non-resident [I pay about US $700 + books, exams and tools for the entire program]
There are 2 fundamental ways to get the A&P:
(1) School:
go to a school certified under part 147. Minimum hours for the A&P is 1900 hours classroom and lab. Note that only
FAA approved schools count--foreign schools only help with respect to part (2).
(2) Experience:
30 months of experience. Most FSDOs seem to interpret this as 30 months full time or the equivalent hours.
After getting (1) or (2), go to the local FSDO and get permission to take the tests, take the 3 knowledge tests
(General, airframe, powerplant), the oral and practical.
I computed how long it would take to do (2) and I'm in the middle of (1) [part time, at night]
-low_and_slow, CFI
*it is possible to get only an airframe or powerplant certificate [1150 hours for option (1) or 18 months for (2)]
forgot to add--you can get both in about 16 months or so by going 10 hours a day [day and night school]. Local cost is low here since it is through a "community college" [ie. state funded junior college], but would be higher for non-resident [I pay about US $700 + books, exams and tools for the entire program]
Last edited by Low_and_Slow; 15th Jul 2002 at 22:55.
