A&P Licence
 

Hi guys.

I am considering going to the states to get an A&P licence. I am from the UK and wish to emmigrate there if poss. i am close to getting my EASA B1 licence at the moment so will have that to fall on if it doesn't go through. just wandering if any of you guys had any advice on where is best to study/take FAA exams and is it a similar standard to the UK CAA exams.

thanks in advance

g

Hi g-Funk, I got my FAA A & P recently, so hope the info is recent and helpful:

I went to American Airman in Long Island, New York. The guys there are very very switched on, they will guide you all along, I would recommend them highly.

Plan around 10 days for everything.

You said you are just going to get your B1, so I assume you have the required experience already??? Be very careful about the FAA requirements!!! Have you got any experience on N-registered aircraft or do you work on N-reg aircraft?

Be prepared for all the questions you will be asked from the FAA inspector before giving you the Authorisation to appear for written exams.

There is a whole process which in a sequence goes as:

1) Get an experience letter from your company mentioning all the aircraft and the type of experience you have, ( theres lot of info on the net about the acceptable format of experience letters for FAA),

2) Take your experience letter to CAA,UK, and get an authentication Letter from them, basically, endorsing your experience.( they charge a fee for it)

3) select a school in USA and enrol yourself, select the dates and ask them to arrange for the visit to FAA office for getting permission to write the exams.

4) I ordered the exam prep books long before I went, it actually helps if you want to save yourself time to prepare. I knocked everything out in 5 days.

Any other info needed, feel free to pm me and I will try and help,

Good Luck mate!!!

MrFixer offers some very sage advice there, but just to re-emphasis what he has said, the FAA will require a letter saying that you have N registered experience and that it is required for your job.

A lot has changed in the last year, do read the FAA regulations, it's not a quick study holiday like it use to be.

You are absolutely right Miles.......I never understood why people like to think getting FAA is easy......I had a B****dy hard time getting it.....only getting the answers doesnt solve the problem.... also convinsing that FAA examiner......I been Licensed around 7 years now but yeah getting to know about Fabrics,wood,Light aircraft, Piston engines, propellers......that was harddddd, I dont know anything about them....all along worked only on Big Boys jets. Never mind its over and done.....and Miles is absolutely right.......its not a holiday definitely.......be prepared for some hard work!!!!!

I know, a mate of mine did it in 3 days!! :\

Turin, you cannnnnn, if u want you can do it in any time you want......but would be idiotic to rush into it and then failing them......its not wise quoting how long the mate took.......how about going and taking the plunge yourself and then see how long it takes???? and dont forget the FAA Examiners are not just sitting there on the table with a cup of coffee to take your exam anytime and anywhere you want. you take the exam only when they say they can take it!!!! so dont quote on hearsay, and most of the colleges say come prepared to spend atleast 10 days unless you fail any of the tests and can only do them after a month atleast.

a and p's
 

just read all the posts and wow it does look a lot harder then when i did mine twenty years ago but i guess all things change look at the easa lic now thats hard and our aussie one...sorry we have two now easa as well as the old one and you have to pay for doing your basic's as well good luck to all you guys and girls

I have to agree with the above post. I did mine about 10 years ago & I dont think much has changed since then. If you can read the question, remeber the answer, which in the books in had were in bold type you should easily pass. I didnt even bother reading the explanations in the book as so much of it was directed towards General aviation which I do not need. I had finished mine in 5 days but allowed 10 so had a bit of a holiday (company paying). If you have nearly finished your B1 you will P##s it

is it really so easy guys ?just study question and answer then i think the american planes can crash anywhere and anytime. and what is basic requirement to give faa exam i havent worked on N registered but worked for 1 year on VT registered aircraft can i appear for exam.

Yes it is that easy almost a joke really you just cannot compare it to a EASA CASA etc level of licence , did mine two years ago, as said it designed for americans to pass so that tells you all you need to know really

I did mine in 5 days 3 days of writing 1 prep for the oral & pratical.

The oral & pratical was 10 hours in west LA and the inspector put me though the works. That I had found was the hardest part.

"Yes it is that easy almost a joke really you just cannot compare it to a EASA CASA etc level of licence"

Then one wonders why you and all the other geniuses who hold the license and thus the FAA system that issued it in such contempt, expend the time and money to acquire it.

Simple joe, the company i worked for at the time were looking after some N reg aircraft and for legal reasons needed some of us to hold a A@P, however im not claiming to be a genius, im simply saying the A@P is very very easy to obtain compared to other licences

Need to put it into context , its a MECHANICS certificate , not an engineers licence. Totally different system to ours . I have both and used A&P on 747 's ,we did the work and any decisions , i.e MEL release involved a phone call to MCC where the equivalent to our LAE made the decision and let you release it. Took a bit of getting used to when you were turning a couple around and one was N reg and the other not !!!! Had to remember to make the phone call !!!

Hi g_funk.

Good luck with your B1.

You don't say what your background is in aeroengineering, light or heavy. What would be worthwhile is getting as much experience on as many different types of construction materials (metal, wood and fabric, composite) as possible. Also, try and get some component experience as well e.g. strip and rebuild a magneto (U/S training aid of course), hydraulic actuator/PFCU etc. Expand your technical horizons as much as possible.

The United States Freedom of Information Act has ensured that all the questions asked on the A&P written exams are in the public domain - but there are an awful lot of questions in the data base.

There are some excellent study guides available for the three exams, Airframe, Powerplant and General. These are available in book format, electronic (i.e. CD), and are also downloadable. Their cost is not the usual UK/Euroland silly prices either. Do heavy home-study of the content of these guides before you head Stateside. It will make it so much easier.

As mentioned by my eminent peers above, justification must be demonstrated. As a minimum, your employer must state, on company-headed paper, that the organisation maintains 'N' registered aircraft and that there is a need for you to hold appropriate Certificates to certify those aircraft.

Applications in the UK used to be through the West Drayton FAA office, but I have been led to believe this is/may be closed.

If you are attempting to gain your FAA A&P Certificate with experience based on your (soon to be) B1 licence, the UK CAA will be required to advise the FAA that your B1 licence does exist, and the CAA will charge you for this letter. Contrary to some opinions, you do not need to have an extant licenct to base your application. However, you will need to prove a level and extent of experience that meets the FAA minimum guidlines. The FAA website www.faa.gov contains all relevant information, although navigating through it can be difficult for the newcomer.

If your application is accepted, the next bit of hard work starts. There are a number of 'schools' who can ease your path towards the A&P. The time taken is dependant on your level of experience and your knowledge.

You will sit your written exams (in reality, they are 'click' exams on a PC live linked to the FAA. If you pass, or if you fail, you are told immediately on screen (CAA please take note).

If you are successful, then it is just the practical and the oral left.

The practical is litterally that. You will get dirty hands. Cut, bash, drill and rivet; dismantle and reassemble a component; functionally check resistors and verify their values; dress a propeller or compressor blade; remove a piston engine cylinder and check ring gaps; measure turbine creep; etc, etc and it must all be in accordance with the correct manual which you must locate from the tech library.

Finally, you will have a one-to-one with a guy who will know more than you ever will, so, no bullsh1tting. If you don't know, say so. This person may be a DER or Designated Engineering Representitive. DER's are extremely experienced A&P's with Inspector Authorised ratings who are authorised to act on behalf of the FAA and will have been there, seen it and done it (CAA take note). Because they are from our side of the fence, they can smell a porky pie before you even say it, so be totally honest.

Your Oral exam will drag every last bit of your knowledge and experience out of you. You will be suprised how much you really do know, which is much less than what you don't know. The Oral covers the same three subjects as your 'click' exams.

If you are successful, you will be immediately issued with your Temporary A&P Certificate, the privelages of which you may excercise immediately (CAA take note). Your 'credit card' Certificate will be posted to your home address by the FAA.

Should anyone try and advise you that it is a walk-in-the-park, just ignore them. You will know yourself that you worked hard to gain that little piece of plastic.

Oh, and for TURIN, tell your mate he wasn't trying hard enough. I did mine in late 2006...in one day, and that was at Embery-Riddle College of Aeronautics in Daytona, Florida. I was made to sweat hard all day and the Practical and Oral drew upon every facet of the last 30 years of my experience.

Embery-Riddle were extremely helpfull and receptive and I would recommend you contact them for guidance or help. If you want a contact name, drop me a PM.

I hope the above is of some help, and good luck.

camlobe

I did mine a good few years ago to.The writtens were no problem at all.But the practical was a differant matter,13 hours all together.Helicopters,piston engines,gasturbines,wood props,de-icer boots pretty well covered the lot.The examiner was no push over and made it as hard as possable.
Met a few good A & P guys and a few bad B1 and B2 over the years.Worked with some ex section L guys who I wouldnt let fix my wheel barrow let alone a plane.Alot of its got to do with the individuals natural ability and not the exams they take.

Is there just one A&P certificate covering everything,so you can`t do, say, exams on just piston engines and metal airframes, as under the CAA and EASA system?

"
I believe you are confusing a DME for a DER. A DME, Designated Mechanic Examiner is the person authorized to administer the oral and practical exams.

A DER holds a university issued engineering degree and is not authorized to administer mechanic examinations

guys its not only faa licence that is easy to get.easa licence can also be get easily but u have to go to spain they too have question displayed on there site and u can easily cram those question and answer and give exam and u will surely get your easa licence.this is really bad for easa reputation but this is reality guys.

I did my A & P's at the American Airman School at the Francis.S.Gabreski Airport on Long Island,NY as well circa 1998.

It was certainly not a school,but a facility for getting your A & P's quickly.May have changed now,can only hope so

My advice to you is read all the theory books before you get there and you should be able to do all the theory exams in the one day.Then spend the next day doing the practical & oral prep,and then on the third day actually do your prac with the examiner.If you work on heavy jets currently,expect a rough time,but I am sure you will pass without too much hestitation.The bloke is a first rate kn0b,but just remember what you are there for.

A & Ps are really quite easy compared to most other exams I have done.And if I can pass them,then 99% of the industry can too.

If you want more info,then PM me.

Who cares how hard or easy it is to get, you can make some good money with it:ok:

I did mine about 8 years ago and it took me 5 days in an A&P school in Dallas, Texas (Not ACME, the school I went to was quite small and AFAIK the owner closed it a few years ago after he retired). The reason was that I was (already a B1 at the time) working for a company, which had a maintenance contract for an American airline.
If you are not an American citizen or resident in the US, the biggest obstacle will be to provide a letter stating that you, as a foreigner, require an FAA licence to service N-registered aircraft. This letter has to come from the operator or the maintenance company and it is even better if it states that there is no American citizen available to do the job. Fortunately I got one from the wellknown American freight airline, which was accepted by the FAA field rep during the preliminary interview (which was also used to check my ability to speak, read and write English).

Im not a engineer so could not comment on the technical issues but i do know as someone in the recruitment game that holders of UK and Australian issued engineer licences appear to be held in the highest regard world wide, whilst the A@P certificate is regarded as something of a joke, whether this justified or not i wouldnt like to say but that is how it is.

Yet mechanics with A/P in the USA work on more aircrafts in a day than mechanics in the whole of europe plus Australia combined. Not to mention that these same A/P mechanics are the one who work the assembly lines at Boeing, Cessna, beechcraft, lockheed ...ect.

I work as a mechanic for an airline in the US that has more flights and more planes than BA and Qantas combined and we operate boeing, MD Douglas, Airbus, Canadair and Embraer jets and yet me and my coworkers do a pretty good job at keeping our planes safely in the air.

You see, you people with your B1 and B2 can call A/P and A/P license holders any kind of names you want however I know one thing, when it comes to aircraft maintenance I'm has good has anybody else anywhere in world.

Anyway I'm tired now, I just finished return to service an airplane that just Took off for 15 hour flight to the middle east with about 245 souls on board. Not bad for somebody who has a license that some of you call a joke.:ok:

so at last i got to know that it doesnt matters how much maintenance experience u r having but till your company dont have N register aircraft u cant appear for a+p .well its not with easa licence which is good thing.and guys just want to know that in usa its a and p and in europe its easa and in asia its icao then which one in africa and antartica?

so at last i got to know that it doesnt matters how much maintenance experience u r having but till your company dont have N register aircraft u cant appear for a+p .well its not with easa licence which is good thing.and guys just want to know that in usa its a and p and in europe its easa and in asia its icao then which one in africa and antartica?

Well, IMO, the A&P licence doesn't go as much in depth as the EASA (or even more the CAA, LBA or IAA, which I had before the EASA licence, licence), but is spread out more.
E.g. while the European licences are pretty restricted to aircraft categories, but demand a large amount of knowledge within this category, the A&P system demands a lot, but not very deep knowledge about the whole range, e.g. I had to learn stuff all the way from wooden, fabric covered glider repair, via WW2 era piston engines and props, helicopters to turbine engines and heavy jets, plus avionics (no seperation between A&C and X, or B1 and B2 licence in their system).
The European system is more specialised, but demands more knowledge within the speciality.
From my experience, the Irish IAA exams (which are based on the British CAA system) were much harder than the A&P exams. The written exams were essay type exams, lasting about 2 hours for each category (airframe, gas turbine engines, electrics, general and air legislation), with typical questions like: "Describe in detail (with drawings, if necessary) the lubrication system of a turbine engine of your choice" or "Explain in detail the internal workings of a static inverter unit". Also, the Irish disn't publish exam questions.
Then, after you have passed the written exam for a category, you were invited to the IAA headquarters in Dublin and grilled for one hour by two examiners during an oral exam. They had the written results in front of them and were poking for weak areas in your knowledge. These exams definitely left youi feel wrung out and covered in sweat.

The multiple choice A&P was much easier for me (I don't know about the EASA exams, never did any of them, since I had my old Irish licence grandfathered into a B1 licence).
The practical exam for the A&P was a joke, ok, I already had years of aircraft experience behind me at this time (though most of uit on heavy metal) and a German apprenticeship is quite thorough on hands on experience and workmanship as well.
Concerning the A&P oral exam, I thought it would never end. Later I discovered that the lady examiner read the whole list of questions to me, but the questions themselves were pretty easy and could be easily solved with a bit of common sense.

I certainly wasnt implying A and p holders are any less able than anyone else, im only saying that it isnt generally held in high regard as a qualification where as some other licences are, for eg UK and AUS issued licences

Two different philosophies regarding certification. FAA is intentionally broad and relies on industry for weeding out those not capable, the methodology is efficient and effective. The dispatch reliability and safety records of carriers maintained by those with "highly regarded" maintenance certifications are no better than those maintained by FAA certificated mechanics.:ok:

Ferrydude,
do you want to back that up with numbers?
or just amount of number of aircraft grounded due to non-compliance to mandatory inspections?

absolutely, prove me wrong:)

Nice try Miles, typical faulty logic. I do hope your aircraft troubleshooting skills don't follow similar logic. Please tell me how hull loss statistics have anything to do with maintenance quality, or dispatch reliability? Tell me how many of those hull losses counted by IATA were lost due to poor maintenance?

How does Southwest being fined by the FAA have anything to do with A&P certification being "easy".


"Our tests are harder than yours, therefore we are better" Yeah, right.

Same logic is, "our country is so much older than yours, therefore we are better"

Non compliance with mandatory inspections were management decisions. It has absolutely nothing to do with mechanic licensing being easy, lax, etc.

Chill out dude no one saying that anyones any better than any else, the fact is compared to some licences the A&P is very easy to obtain it requires no where near the same level of knowledge or effort than say obtaining BCAR licence required and thats a fact, end of story really as for europe being better, of course were better no sane person could argue otherwise:)

Cummon guys, Chill out......the poor guy only wanted to know how and where to get his A & P......instead of helping him out or guiding him.....everyone seems to enter the forum with blazing guns everywhere!!! :ugh:. Nobody is better or worse, its all down to certifying individuals....I have seen so many penpushers having Licenses...both from FAA & EASA(JAR). so its NOT down to standards of any country or their authority but rather its the person and how they do their job!!! We can go on and on and on needlessly arguing about who and what is better!!!!

Agreed. My point is, "highly regarded" is a moot point. Highly regarded by whom, willy waivers?

Im not a engineer, i couldnt pass a technical exam A@ P or otherwise to save my life, however i do know a bit about engineer recruitment and i do know that for whatever reasons engineers holding the A@P qualification are deemed by employers to be less qualified that those holding certain other licences the general consesus is A@P holders are classed as "mechanics" whilst for eg holders of CAA licences are seen as "engineers "all seems a bit strange to me but thats how it is.
Further one thing i can say is EASA licence holders(and CASA) especially if UK or German issued in the B1 AND B2 cat with type ratings attract a higher renumeration genearally than A@P holders, again whether that is justified or not i could not say

With thanks to Harry Hill
 

The thing is, I like A & P Mechanics, but I also like B1 Engineers.

But which is best?





There's only one way to find out.





FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!:E

Dont know how old you are Turin!!!

But you definitely need growing up!!! :ugh:

It does seem that most jobs advertised outside of North America are for EASA licence holders and not for A&P . I have often toyed with the idea of doing an A&P as well but it always seems to come back to the above reason that I can't seem to justify the time and expence of doing it !

On a slight tangent , I have heard a rumour (pprune after all !) that the CAA are looking to go back to the old BCAR system because of the lack of a level playing field between EASA member states and the way they issue licences: re comment above about Spain and we've all heard about the French !! Anyone else heard the same ?????????