Definition
A&P Technicians are also known as aviation maintenance technicians. A&P stands for the airframe and Power Plant, meaning that A&P technicians are certified to work on and maintain the external (airframe) and machine (Power Plant) parts of an aircraft. Mainly, AMT seminaries concentrate on airplane conservation, but there are copter conservation programs. They both are in high demand because of the growing helicopter and airplane industries, ensuring graduates a job for years to come.
Responsibilities of A&P Technicians
An A&P Technician must be able to work with extreme efficiency. An employee in any field must exhibit specific characteristics that would make the working environment pleasant for them and the other workers. These characteristics are known as soft skills. Soft skills at any workplace include things such as friendly behavior, being highly motivated, good attention to detail, and most of all, respect towards other co-workers.
However, the core responsibilities are also mandatory to be fulfilled, but any negligence in fulfilling these soft skills and obligations can also greatly impact the job. Moreover, there are many factors that A&P Technicians have to keep in mind while performing their primary duties. So, sub-tasks include tasks such as:
- Perform their regular system inspections
- Manage systems and equipment
- Usage gauges and diagnostic tests to detect malfunctions
- Repair or replace the broken aircraft parts
- Perform the troubleshooting
- Maintenance and repair logs
- Use the power and hand tools (e.g., cranes, grinders)
- Recognize and apply guidelines from manuals and blueprints
- Ensure compliance with regional protection regulations
- Collaborate with some other technicians and electricians
Education & Training Required
Aircraft technicians and service technicians generally enter the occupation after attending a Part 147 FAA-approved aviation maintenance technician school. These schools award a certificate of completion that the FAA recognizes as an alternative to the experience requirements stated in regulations. The seminaries also grant holders the right to take the applicable FAA examinations.
Some of the aircraft technicians and service technicians enter the occupation with a high academy parchment or equivalent and receive on-the-job training to learn their experience and pass the FAA examinations. Aviation conservation help who aren’t certified by the FAA work under supervision until they’ve enough experience and knowledge and become certified.
Certifications & Skills Required
Here are some requirements you need to have before becoming an A&P technician. It includes things such as:
- At least 18 years old
- Write, read and speak English
- Attend an FAA-approved AMT school
- 30 months experience with airframe and PowerPlant maintenance
- Pass the written, oral, and practical examination
Salary
As critical as the job of an A&P technician is, on average, a technician at any standard large capacity airport may earn a regular income of $43,000 per year. This equates to a monthly salary of about $3,500.
The Rise of the Industry
The invention of airplanes created a lot more opportunities as society progressed. There are pilots, aircraft crew, and maintenance workers. They have to be extremely careful about their jobs as it is very critical for them to perform to the best of their ability. Now the world has progressed so rapidly that the need for aircraft and air travel has become vital. Many people prefer traveling via air. To make this travel safe and guarantee the safety of hundreds of passengers, the A&P technicians play the most important role.
Employment
A&P technicians can be employed at any airport. As we mentioned in the sections above, they just need to have a decorated background. However, If any technician gets these certificates and qualifications cleared, they can get a good job. We will guide you through this, but keep in mind that finding your first job can be difficult as you have no prior training or experience with real-world problems. It can also take a while to score your first position in the field. But, we recommend you to start with even the lowest possible field salary if you get the chance.
Now, the question may arise: where will I find my first opportunity? Here are the steps you can try out to get your first designation in the field. The first thing you can do is search online. Then, you can still try one of the few job search engines such as Indeed, Jooble, and LinkedIn. Moreover, if you want to simplify your search, you can try our website for efficient job searching.
