Fastest way to A&P

M

martinarmt

New Member
Hello,

I spent 7 years in Army Aviation as an Avionics tech. I currently a soft more Civil Engineering student at ASU. Due to some life altering circumstances I am in need of employment. I have been searching for avionics jobs but since I haven't been employed for 2 years(because of school) no one will hire me. I have been looking for ways to boost my resume. According to the FAA website I can test for the air frame license but not power plant. What would be the quickest way I could go about getting the power plant license? Do I actually need it?
 
Most shops, unless they're an engine overhaul shop or something, will require both for you to work there. Have you tried looking at repair stations? with previous experience I feel like you should be able to get on with one, and you don't need an A&P to work at a repair station, you get a "repairman's certificate" from the training program. Get the A if you can from your military experience, then at least you have something to go on. If nothing else you could get the P in night school. Unfortunately for you, no mechanic certificate is a quick thing to get if you're starting from scratch.
 
Not sure where you live or if you're willing to travel, but this school in Michigan will take you from zero to hero in just 12 months:
http://www.smat.edu/mission-aviation/ap-program/
That's the fastest way that I know of, but it's $21k + books, tools, exam fees, room & board, and transportation.

I've thought about going there, but still looking into other options such as:
http://www.miat.edu/canton/
http://www.wmich.edu/aviation/amt.html
http://www.andrews.edu/aviation/maintenance/
These school options will take me between 20 months and somewhere around three years to complete, with varying amounts of $$.
...and I'm also considering building a Bearhawk from plans to meet the practical experience requirements.
The Bearhawk will probably take me five years or more to do and I will likely have ~$35k-$40k into it (not including any tools I might still need to purchase, and the construction of a pole-barn to build it in), but I'll have a brand new airplane, A&P certificates, and a nice pole-barn when I'm done.
I'm a US Army 15G, by the way.

If you're looking for work, then you should look into repair stations like trafficinsight said above.
AAR Corporation is a military-friendly company and they can get you a "repairman's certificate" to work there if you get hired. They have locations all over North America and the globe.
Aircraft Components is a small airframe shop in Kendallville, Indiana. I don't know if they're hiring or not, but I'm sure there are other similar businesses around.
 
I went to MIAT before it changed its location and name for my A&P. There were several guys in your boat that went there for just one of the licenses. It will still take you a couple of months to get it done though. You can take some prep courses before you take the o&p for the general and airframe. Just get the study guides like Sheppard Air or Gleim for the writtens.

If you are up for moving, I know Duncan Aviation takes guys with just one of the licenses and will help you get the other. (I used to work there.)
 
I am currently attending MIAT.
The programs not bad, it has a huge variety of instructors and the diversity of the students is well umm unique. I went into the school with an open mind, I received my PPL while in high school and worked with an IA on the flight school's aircraft trying to do a apprenticeship. The school has an overall good environment for those really wanting to pursue the A@P license and weeds out the ones who shouldn't really be in the career field . my class started with about 30 students and now has 25 or so. The school offers 24 month program with an associate's degree and it doesn't really have all that college crap either. Get in get educated and get out to work. They also work with Veterans.
 
If I had known that a 5 week dispatcher course would pay more then an A@P I would have gone that route. Not that everyone wants to work behind a desk but its a disgrace that a dispatcher course pays more then an A@P which takes far longer and has far more responsibility. Dispatchers also can fly cockpit jumpseats on any airline that is in CASS. Think mechanics have that benefit? NO... Do yourself a favor and drop out of A@P school and go for something that has more respect.
 
The same could be said both for flight attendants and pilots. The pay simply doesn't match the level of responsibility that we all must deal with; not to mention the sacrifices that we commit ourselves to so that we could achieve our dreams. We all just do it because we like to do it. It's almost an addiction, I would say.
 
Going into any field of work because it pays good and/or there is a perception of respect or prestige is a recipe for an unhappy career and a regretful life.
It's a personal decision and lots of people choose different ways to live, but you don't have to do something you don’t want to do for the rest of your life. Being yourself and doing what you love is a much better approach to careers in the long run and will lead to living a much more fulfilled, purposeful, and happy life.
Personally, I love to fly and I love to build cars, shape sheetmetal, and fix things. Being a pilot with an A&P just feels right and it's an excellent fit for me.
 
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modernicarus said:
Personally, I love to fly and I love to build cars, shape sheetmetal, and fix things. Being a pilot with an A&P just feels right and it's an excellent fit for me.
Click to expand...

This. I signed up for A&P classes in the spring as somewhat of a resume-rounder, an enjoyable way to get in depth systems knowledge, and to apply some of the sheetmetal skills to my passion for cars... and mostly just because, well... i think it will be fun.
 
The key IMHO with wrenching is to get yourself into a good niche. For example, good sheet metal guys can pretty much name their price, as can really talented avionics guys.
 
Getting an A&P for a pilot is not a bad idea at all. It may open doors for you at corporate flight departments, and if you ever lose your medical it can help you stay active with aviation or find employment in the sheet metal industry or in other mechanical fields. Moreover, it'll make you more knowledgeable on the maintenance side of things than someone who doesn't have it.
 
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