You're a P, Now What?

Howdy,

I thought it was high time to make use of the blog section of our website here at Cadenza. This inspiration comes after recently receiving my powerplant rating. In the maintenance world, mechanics have a certificate much like pilots, in fact, the plastic card has the same Wright brother’s image. Many argue that Charles E. Taylor should be the face on our A&P certificate…. I wholeheartedly agree. To become an Aviation Maintenance Technician/A&P, one must complete the requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) through either an FAA Part 147 program or through on-the-job training (or through the military). Now what?

At the completion of any of the routes, you take a “checkride” consisting of an oral and practical exam. The oral consists of system knowledge questions, weight & balance, and other various topics based on the FAA AMT Handbooks. The practical is the hands-on portion where you get to “show off” your skills to the examiner. Should you pass, you will receive the plastic card with the Wright brothers on the back in the mail essentially stating you demonstrated safe maintenance abilities and knowledge to the Designated Maintenance Examiner. Congrats, you are now a certificated A&P! Now what?

Having run Cadenza for nearly 2 years at the start of my AMT education, I had some experience working under A&Ps but ultimately chose the 147 school path. I knew I would be able to devote my time to studying for both Airframe and Powerplant while continuing to fly during the afternoons and weekends. Somehow, I managed to find a harmonious balance between my two lives. When I received my Powerplant certificate, the first thing I wanted to do was answer the question lingering on the previous paragraph: now what?

Now, the A&P gets to exercise their certificate. The privileges and limitations given to A&Ps are listed in 14 CFR 65 Subpart D. It is imperative that maintenance personnel know the extent of their certificate as well as what they are allowed to work on in 14 CFR 43. The world of aviation maintenance extends beyond the airlines and flight school maintenance shops. One may wish to use their certificate to specialize in aerobatic aircraft, maintain aerial fire fighters, or create an aviation empire. I prefer the latter. Mike Busch, Colleen Sterling, and Paul New use their knowledge from their time as A&P/IAs to host a wonderful podcast called, “Ask the A&Ps.” If you have any quandaries about aircraft maintenance or the puzzling aircraft problems that face aircraft owners, this is the show for you.

Airframe is the answer to my ‘now what?’ question. As I continue through the 147 school, I am eager to gain more knowledge in all of the aspects of aviation maintenance. If you are pondering about the aviation maintenance industry, send me an email or give us a phone call. Until then, I am off to troubleshoot a customer’s inverted oil system.

Here is the link to the Ask the A&Ps podcast: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/podcasts/podcasts/ask-the-a-and-ps?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhb60BhClARIsABGGtw88s-gnInwPWkl5oRiDW-nSy-vNyTg5I6NWMuVU8eTrz3a5uyNRD24aAkQIEALw_wcB

Cadence Bomgardner is a CFI/CFII/MEI and powerplant mechanic. She is the manager of Cadenza Aviation, specializing in advanced training and aircraft sales.