A&P Mechanic Information in AircraftFor every one hundred hours that an aircraft is applied for hire, it has to go through a thorough aviation maintenance and inspection process by what is known as an A&P mechanic. This aviation maintenance, combined with annual inspections and routine upkeep repairs create a tremendous requirement for qualified licensed aviation maintenance technicians. The people who inspect, maintain, and repair aircraft have to be licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration.


An A&P Mechanic may perform a variety of diagnostic and mechanical duties on many types of aircraft. A&P Mechanic candidates may repair, maintain, overhaul and troubleshoot airframes, engine systems, parts and components. They may also perform inspections as well as modifications on aircraft.

Applicants for a Mechanic certificate having a single rating—either Airframe or Powerplant—and who base their application on practical encounter need to demonstrate 18 months of functional expertise applicable towards chosen rating. All those applying for both ratings have to show a total of 30 months of applicable experience. Most military-trained aircraft mechanics are eligible to use their work experience as the basis for an application for just a civilian Mechanic certificate.

Applicants who attend an Aviation Maintenance School program certificated under Part 147 research an FAA-approved and supervised curriculum. Individuals applying for a Mechanic certificate having a single rating—either Airframe or Powerplant—study a “general” set of subjects for at the least 400 hours, a minimum of 750 hrs of material appropriate on the chosen rating, for a total of 1,150 hrs. All those who pursue both ratings research the “general” material, as well as 750 hrs for each rating, for a total of at least 1,900 several hours. Completion of such a plan of normally demands between 18 and 24 months.

Needed areas of study in the “general” curriculum consist of electricity, technical drawings, weight and balance, hydraulics and pneumatics, ground operation of aircraft, cleaning and corrosion control, fundamental mathematical calculations, forms and record-keeping, standard physics, maintenance manuals and publications, and applicable federal regulations. Thorough knowledge of FAA rules and regulations (especially with regard to accepted repair/modification procedures) is also expected of A&P mechanics.

Necessary areas of analyzation in the airframe curriculum include inspection, structures—wood, sheet metal, composite—and fasteners, covering, finishes, welding, assembly and rigging, hydraulics, pneumatics, cabin atmosphere control systems, instrument systems, communication and navigation systems, fuel systems, electrical systems, position and warning systems, ice and rain control systems, and fire protection systems.

It is important that a future A&P Mechanic complete the required areas of research inside the powerplant curriculum including inspection, reciprocating and turbine engine theory and repair, instrument systems, fire protection systems, electrical systems, lubrication systems, ignition and starting systems, fuel metering systems, fuel systems, induction and airflow systems, cooling systems, exhaust and reverser systems, propellers, unducted fans, and auxiliary power units. A&P Mechanic A&P Mechanic Wikipedia