Question for aircraft mechanics

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I want to apply to take the tests to become an A&P mechanic.

I have been working on airplanes on a part time basis for more than 20 years while I worked as a commercial pilot.

I have looked at FAR Part 65 and some advisory circulars about what documentation is required to prove that one has practical experience of 30 months or 36 months if one wants to get an A&P certificate.

I can produce some pay stubs for working at an aircraft maintenance facility, but I didn't realize that I should have kept logs of tasks performed under the supervision of an A&P along with N numbers and all that.

Is the FAA very strict about such documents? I have the necessary experience, but I am not sure how to document what I have done in the past and am wondering what an FAA inspector will accept.

I am confident that I will have no trouble studying for and taking the three written tests and the oral/practical tests.

There aren't any schools close to where I live, so I am reluctant to go that route.

Any input/ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
How much do aircraft mechanics make an hour starting?

Depends greatly on location and exactly what type of aircraft mechanic you are.
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
How much do aircraft mechanics make an hour starting ?


Like, in General Aviation, working on Cessna and Pipers? About $12 an hour
 
I never considered asking to talk to an ASI at the nearest FSDO. He or she would hopefully give me some good suggestions/ requirements.

Thanks for the input.

Spartan is pretty far away and beyond what I can pay for tuition at this time. Wasn't the Spartan aircraft designed at the Spartan School of Aeronautics? That is a nice looking plane.
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
How much do aircraft mechanics make an hour starting ?


Like, in General Aviation, working on Cessna and Pipers? About $12 an hour




I never was any sort of mechanic but did own a plane for a long time and hung around with many of them. Your statement above is unfortunately very true from what I heard and seen I even corrected a new guy on something concerning mine once. His response, " [censored] im willing to bet that you really are better on these things and know far more than I do ". He meant it and went on to say that those schools fill you full of info on modern turboprop and jets so you can get hired by ( hopefully) an airline. It leaves them pretty thin on small Continental / Lycombing, Piper / Cessna training. Get stuck working for a small commuter airline or worse a general aviation outfit and it's nothing grand. Look and ask before you leap.
As for those FISDOs you get the occasional ðŸ¤Richard . Still most of them I've seen and heard guys talk about are decent guys and pretty helpful . Same goes for all the FAA personnel in general. Most get a bad rep the same as officers in my old agency but rarely sneak around looking for someone to run over the coals. They only show up if somebody's dead or mangled other than regular inspections. Their main interest is in shoddy unsafe practices, bogus parts and shoddy book keeping particularly by commercial folks.
 
Originally Posted by frankbee3
I never considered asking to talk to an ASI at the nearest FSDO. He or she would hopefully give me some good suggestions/ requirements.

Thanks for the input.

Spartan is pretty far away and beyond what I can pay for tuition at this time. Wasn't the Spartan aircraft designed at the Spartan School of Aeronautics? That is a nice looking plane.
The school used to have a very good reputation until federal loan $$$ came into the picture and now it's nothing more than a swindle. They decided they were going to change the name and inserted "COLLEGE" into the equation and jacked the tuition up to $$.$$$. It was $90.00 a month when I went there in the late sixties. The school gets the big loan bucks from the feds and doles it out to the swindle ees. That way they have all that money on hand and probably investing it. Nothing but a money making scam paid for by taxpayers. What a joke. The Spartan Executive was produced in the thirties. Very nice four place, low wing retract with a radial. When I was a student there, some of the old instructors who had been there in WWII said Spartan still had the dies for the Executive.
 
It's really not so much paid by taxpayers, but by student loans, which saddle the student with unreasonable debt since they're not getting what they paid for.
 
I know a designated mechanical examiner who can help you navigate the requirements. PM me if you'd like his contact info.
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
How much do aircraft mechanics make an hour starting ?


Like, in General Aviation, working on Cessna and Pipers? About $12 an hour


That is no longer true. There is a real shortage of qualified techs. Starting guys at any of the major shops make $75k/yr and only the scammers pay less.

I pay my people exceptionally well. Gulfstream qualifies contract guys make $80/hr in Florida and $100/hr in NY.
 
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I picked up my A+P after my Air Force B-52 Bomb/Nav avionics days 40+ years ago. At graduation the economy wasn't great and the airlines weren't hiring. I hooked on with a Honeywell engineering dept and mostly left aviation behind. At that time, the money was with the airlines and the enjoyment was more with general aviation. Maybe much the same now. If I would have kept at it, I likely could have caught on with Honeywell's corporate aviation dept which might have been a nice middle ground. Good luck!
 
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