getting my A&P

i have a few questions to throw there for some people that can hopefully help me out or point me in the right direction. I'm in the Army i was a black hawk maintainer for 18 months before i go picked up to fly. the FAA honors a black hawk maintainer to get his notes(pretty sure thats what its called)for there A&P license.then i would have to do a 2 week course and i would have my certificate. well from people i have talked to you need 30 months in the job. i know i can work for a mechanic or someone in the field to sign my notes of. just trying to get clarification on what i need to do to finish the 12 more months of notes. or what needs to happen to get my A&P. hopefully i explained this ok. thank you for the help.
Evi Morrison

Get in contact with a Designated Mechanic Examiner. They are instructors/mechanics who are authorized by the FAA to conduct tests, and they would also have information on applying your military experience toward the practical experience requirement. If you meet the experience requirement with your military experience, which I'm sure they would recognize, that only signs you off for the testing which consists of written, oral and practical tests. Good luck, I hope you meet the requirements - we need more good A&P's to take the place of all the mechanics who are retiring.
-Joel Marketello, A&P, Inspection Authorization

I would call the nearest FSDO and speak to the ASI on duty. They will tell you if your military experience is adequate to meet the equivalent experience requirement.

If the FSDO gives you authorization to take the written, oral and practical tests, technically you can just take the authorization and go do it. However, this is where I would call a local DME and get advice on what kind of prep course(s) might be advisable. I have a friend in Louisiana who is a DME and he says the military guys with no prep have a tough time passing oral and practical first time around. Reason is because they have to test on things they don't see in the military.

There are three methods the FAA allows for one to qualify to test for their A&P. Approved military career field, graduate of an approved A&P School, or practical experience with proof of work history.

Your local FSDO has a list of MOS fields that qualify you to test for your A&P. Take proof of your MOS and go meet with an inspector at FSDO. They should approve you to test. I had to do mine based on practical experience over many years, but walked in with a good letter of recommendation and proof of experience, so had no problem with the FAA endorsement allowing me to test.

FWIW, when I started calling around to some of the 2 week wonder schools, they really weren't much help as you needed to be approved to test by their local FSDO, not yours. And all they really provided was a expensive environment for you to study without distractions for a couple of weeks, and many had an examiner on staff, which may or may not have shortened your oral/practical exam. I chose to buy a set of study guides, then worked with a set of practice tests on the computer for a few weeks before taking the written tests. The oral/practical was a day and a half affair, which is probably more thorough than you would get with an "school" staff examiner, but if you know your stuff, it won't matter.

-CubBuilder

To get your A&P via military experience you must meet the requirements of FAR Part 65 sub-part D. The FSDO will use the guidance of FAA Order 8900.1 known as the FSIMS (Flight Standard Information Management System) to evaluate and determine if you meet the requirements. The FSIMS can be found at www.faa.gov. Specifically you want to look at Volume 5, Chapter 5, Paragraph 5-1133(A) and Paragraphs 5-1135(B) and (H) for military experience. You will need a copy of your form DD-214 showing your MOS and time in service. See Figure 5-135 for a list of eligible MOS codes.

Pulling together a package acceptable to the FAA can be a daunting task. You will need to show experience in 50% of the subject areas of FAR 147 Appendix B, C, and D. These correspond to the General, Airframe, and Powerplant.

The "30 month" (4800 hours) requirement is for applying for the A&P together. If applying for only the "A" or only the "P" then the requirement is 18 months (2880 hours). There is no requirement to take a 2 week course.

If approved by the FSDO you will receive two copies of FAA form 8610-2. One copy is used when taking the three written exams (General, Airframe, and Powerplant). The second copy goes to the Designated Maintenance Examiner (DME) when you take the Oral & Practical exam.

Good Luck!
Kurt

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Originally Posted by evi.morrison

i have a few questions to throw there for some people that can hopefully help me out or point me in the right direction. I'm in the Army i was a black hawk maintainer for 18 months before i go picked up to fly. the FAA honors a black hawk maintainer to get his notes(pretty sure thats what its called)for there A&P license.then i would have to do a 2 week course and i would have my certificate. well from people i have talked to you need 30 months in the job. i know i can work for a mechanic or someone in the field to sign my notes of. just trying to get clarification on what i need to do to finish the 12 more months of notes. or what needs to happen to get my A&P. hopefully i explained this ok. thank you for the help.
Evi Morrison

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When I did it you needed to prove 30 months total time as evidenced by your ERB/ORB which we presented to the FSDO official to get our "tickets" to take the practical. I took the 10 day course (I'm a Chinook guy, so I guess we got to shave off the 4 days due to the fact we work on a bad-a$$, real-man's helicopter ;0), and did my practical immediately following completion of the course. In the end, it's the FSDO's call, but I do recall a document explaining by MOS which tests you were authorized to take, ie some of the component repair guys got either the A or the P, or both. Plenty of places out there that offer this type of training. I suggest you check with your local Army Ed Center.