"Hello, I'm a 13 year old student, just got into high school, and I want to be a pilot when I finish school. Can anyone give me an idea of what sort of subjects I need to take at school in order go become a pilot? And can I get a job with the airlines with 300 hours total time, 40 hours multi-engine, IFR flying, night and instructor ratings? Any information would be greatly appreciated."

No, I'm not 13, and No, I don't want to be a pilot. In countless general and commercial aviation forums on the Internet, you can see postings like this from youngsters who want to fly 747-400s and 777s, A340s and A330s for the big guns. It's very easy to say that I want to be a pilot, and today, it's very easy to become one, if you have the money. With many universities and colleges offering 2 year and 4 year aviation courses with all the necessary ratings and time required to join an airline (most likely a regional outfit), now is a great time to get a pilot's license.

But I'm not here to talk about how to get a pilot's license. There are other jobs in the aviation industry that are challenging, rewarding, well-paying and provide job satisfaction. They're jobs where you actually do something exciting instead of sitting around for 9-10 hours monitoring what the aircraft's computers are doing (unless you think that's exciting and remember, this is coming for an airline mechanic). There's hands on work, where you're challenged to think and convert what you think to a physical result. There's Air Traffic Control—although in the U.S., the FAA hasn't hired new controllers for many years. Here in Canada, Nav-Canada has been actively hiring controllers across the country for the last five years and they're not slowing down. Yes, it's a stressful job, yes it involves shift work, but it's a job where you have to be alert at all times. One mistake, no matter how small, can have grave consequences. If you can handle the stress, then it's a great job that's well-paying and has room for promotions, etc. Speaking of promotions, further advancement as an air traffic controller could place you in the position of a lead controller or tower manager if you're lucky enough to get into a control tower, or various management positions if you work in an area control center.

There are many more jobs in the industry, but I'm here to talk about my specialty and what I do for a living. I'm what's called an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer in Canada. In the U.S., us guys are called A&P Technicians (Airframe and Powerplant). Pretty funky title for a guy who's an airplane mechanic. I'm going to explain what I had to do to get where I am today. The process may be slightly different where you live, but if you're in the U.S., it's very similar.

First off, you need to find a trade or technical college that offers aviation courses in your area and find out if they offer A&P courses in the US, or AME courses in Canada. If you live in the US, some of the major airlines have set up their own schools to train people, simply because there is such a shortage of trained people that they are taking steps themselves to train people.  Once you go through the training program, they turn around and hire you. Here in Canada, the school that I went to offered many different aviation courses, such as mechanical, electrical and avionics courses, and sheet metal/composite courses. The mechanical and avionics courses were 16 months long and the sheet metal courses were 4 and 10 months.

So after applying and writing a couple of tests, I was in. The school had a wide variety of aircraft for us to work on, ranging from Bell 206 and Allouette helicopters to a Piper Chieftain, a Cessna 172 and 182 (with a complete set of fixed landing gears, skies, and floats) to an Aerocommander to a Falcon 20 and a Lockheed Jetstar. The Jetstar was the second prototype off Lockheed's assembly line. All were live, running aircraft. Tasks in the school ranged from overhauling a reciprocating engine to a hot section inspection on a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6, to towing aircraft to running up and taxing aircraft. Sixteen months later, I walked out with a Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance and employable. Throughout the last 16 months, I had worked on reciprocating engines, gas turbine engines, done electrical and avionics work, performed maintenance on helicopters and taxied and towed aircraft. All this and I had never picked up a wrench in my life or used a rivet gun.

One of the draws for me to the mechanical side as opposed to the avionics or sheet metal side was that in the industry, the Mechanical license issued by Transport Canada or the FAA is non-specialized. No, that doesn't mean that any John Doe off the street can pick up a wrench and start working on aircraft. That means that the final signature in the aircraft logbooks saying the aircraft is airworthy and fit to fly is that of someone who holds a mechanical license. The mechanical license also allows the holder to sign off non-specialized tasks that the avionics people do, and minor sheet metal repairs that the sheet metal people perform. Plus, if you hold a mechanical license, you are in charge of the whole aircraft, mechanical, electrical, and structural, whereas if you were to get an avionics or sheet metal license, you're specialized and can't sign off the whole aircraft.

That's not to say they're not important. There are some tests that have to be performed by avionics or sheet metal people. If you have a modification to an aircraft that has to be done, which requires running some extra wiring, or changing the existing design of the system, an avionics person would have to be called in to do it. If you're aircraft was hit by the docking station and ripped a 24" hole in the side of a pressurized aircraft, you have to have a licensed sheet metal person come in and perform the repair. There are so many limitations that are outlined in the Canadian and American air regulations outlining what a licensed mechanic can and cannot sign out, and what an avionics person can and can't sign out, and what a sheet metal person can and can't sign out that the government has an exclusive test on just the regulations. Speaking of tests, getting a license isn't that easy either. In Canada, you first have to complete a four year apprenticeship. The time you spend in college is credited towards this four year period. During your apprenticeship, you also have to complete a series of tests. For mechanics, there's 7 government exams that have to be written, plus a regulations exam before they issue you a license. Then, every 6 years, it gets renewed, and the government may ask you to write the exams again if they feel it necessary. The procedure is the same in the US, but you also have to perform a practical task in front of a federal inspector, along with an aural interview that is conducted. It's a little harder to get, but the value of the US and Canadian licenses allows you to work almost anywhere in the world.

My first job was with a cargo airline. The fleet consisted of a Fokker F27, a Fairchild F27, and two Metroliners. I spent 6 months there, and in those 6 months, I got an endorsement course on both types. Endorsement course are courses that are set up by people and approved by Transport Canada (in my case). These courses cover the aircraft from top to bottom, nose to tail. Landing gear, electrical, hydraulics, pneumatics, water/waste systems, structural, engines, you name it, it gets covered in the courses. How does the hydraulic system port fluid from the hydraulic tank to the up side cylinder of the landing gear? What happens when the pilot selects full power on a FADEC controlled engine? How is the mechanical movement of the throttles on a FADEC controlled engine transformed into mechanic movement at the engine level as thrust is increased? All that sort of information, including what FADEC stands for) are covered in endorsement courses.

These courses usually range in length from 4-5 weeks, but that depends on what sort of aircraft you're working on. The Boeing 747-400 course is 5 weeks in length, as is the A320 course. Endorsement courses are also required by Transport Canada for signing off the aircraft logbooks and certain tasks that mechanics perform. John Doe off the street can't walk into Fred's Aircraft Maintenance hanger and sign the logbook to the A340-300, releasing the aircraft as airworthy. John Doe has to first have a license, and then an endorsement course on the A340 before he can sign the logbook. So if something does go wrong with the aircraft, the federal agencies can have the books opened up and find out who signed the release for the aircraft. I'm using examples of heavy aircraft there because that's what I work on. For light and general aviation aircraft, it can vary a little. For example, you don't need an endorsement course for signing off a C172, but you have to be able to prove you're competent enough to sign off the book (i.e.: you have an AME or A&P license). Ah the wonders of understand government regulations.

Once you get an endorsement course, you're expected to know and remember the stuff, and be able to recall it very quickly. Sure there are maintenance manuals that you can refer to, but let's say you're the line engineer in London, England, and a contract airline can't get their #2 engine started on their B767-300ER. Their departure time is in five minutes and the next slot time isn't available for another 6 hours (could happen in London or any other busy airport). You aren't going to flip through 18 volumes of maintenance manuals to find the problem!

My present job is for a major airline. I've been there for almost one year and since then, I've had the opportunity to work on Boeing 737s, 767s, 747s, and Airbus A310s and A320s. Most of it is heavy maintenance, meaning we completely gut the aircraft. An average heavy maintenance visit for a Boeing 737 is about 6 weeks. In those 6 weeks, both engines may come off, landing gears may need to be changed, flight controls will come off and get overhauled, and major snags that our line crew engineers couldn't fix are corrected. At the same time, service bulletins and airworthiness directives issued by the FAA, Transport Canada, and the manufacturer are completed. Modifications are made and new parts are installed. The list goes on and on. One major modification that is being done to our B737-200s is a brand new forward bulkhead is being installed. This modifications takes the full 6 weeks of the maintenance visit. The skin that makes the bulkhead is being replaced with thicker skin due to a problem that Boeing discovered. If you'd like to know why it takes 6 weeks, email me and I'll provide you the details.

The most recent aircraft I worked on was an Air Jamaica A310-300, which was in for a "C-Check." This check lasts about 3 weeks. Some of the tasks accomplished included replacing bearings around the engine pylon structure (because of an Airworthiness Directive issued by Airbus), flaps came off to replace seals, gear swings were performed, electrical modifications were made, and on and on it went. As a mechanic, I get to see the aircraft in a state that pilots, other airline workers, and passengers may never ever get to see. I know information that boggles the mind. Take, for example, the Boeing 737-200 with the JT8D engines. The engine is held on by three bolts to engine mounts attached to the wing. Three bolts. The torque figure for these bolts is in the neighborhood of 90 foot pounds - that's not a lot. It's a little more involved but the highest and final torque is about 90 foot pounds.

Ever wonder how those big monstrous engines on the B747-400 or 777-200 are removed? Ever wonder what holds them on? How about removal and installation of the landing gear? As a mechanic, you can certainly learn these types of things. Recently, we changed all five (four main and one nose) gears on the Boeing 747-400 and once it was done, it had to be swung. Ever seen a B747-400 gear retract and extend up close? Heck, ever seen a stationary B747-400 5-7 feet off the ground on jacks?

A certain level of maturity and precision must also be maintained as a mechanic. You're dealing with many people's lives here, just like any other job in aviation. Jut recently, an A330-200 took off and had it's engine cowling rip off on rotation. The cowling hit the leading edge of the left side of the wing, hit the fuselage at two points, and narrowly missed the horizontal stabilizers which were full of fuel. When the cowlings let go, it twisted the engine pylon. Engineers were called in from Airbus to fix the pylon. The aircraft was grounded for two weeks while repairs were made, basically a complete rebuild of the pylon structure. Later, it was determined that the cowlings hadn't been latched properly after maintenance was performed. A careless mistake cost the airline a lot of money.

With such a worldwide shortage of trained aircraft maintenance professionals, you're pretty much guaranteed a job. It may take some time to get to the big guns but you will definitely get there. Call the airlines and ask them for information. Ask them for a tour of their maintenance base and see what goes on inside those monstrous buildings. Talk to people in the industry to get an idea of what they do, and what they did to get where they are today. Once you do get a job as a mechanic, it's a lifetime of learning. New techniques, new procedures, new rules, etc., etc.

AMEs aren't all airline mechanics though. For those that though that airlines were the only thing out there, guess again. There's general aviation aircraft that need maintenance. There's helicopters that need maintenance. There's business jets that need maintenance. There's float planes that need maintenance. Even hot-air balloons require some level of expertise to maintain. If you don't like large aircraft, then you can certainly work for companies that maintain Cessnas and Pipers and Beech aircraft. That's a whole different ball game in itself.

Or if helicopters turn your crank, you can work for a helicopter company. Here in Western Canada, helicopters are used extensively for logging and fire fighting, so if you're a helicopter mechanics, chances are you'll be spending the summer with the helicopter, maintaining it in make-shift camps. Some people enjoy that life. The pay's excellent and you get to live one on one with Mother Nature. You also get the chance to be creative when it comes to making tools to correct certain snags or problems that crop up on the aircraft. However, if that still isn't your thing, there's always business jets. Get a job maintaining Nike's Learjet, or Bill Gates' private Gulfstream business jet (don't quote me on that) and chances are you'll fly wherever the aircraft goes. Bill's got a meeting in Washington DC. Pull out the aircraft and have your bags and tools ready in 20 minutes. You're going to Washington.

Want more? After spending 10-15 years as a mechanic, you could climb up the ranks to become a crew chief, chief engineer, Director of Maintenance, or supervisor, depending on who you work for, and where. Or, you can apply to become an accident investigator. It's a gruesome job but if you can handle the sight of wreckage and utter disaster, it's a rewarding job as well. Or you can be the one who writes the regulations that mechanics and airlines/maintenance companies have to follow. Or you can open your own maintenance business, or a consulting fir, or whatever you can dream up. The possibilities are endless. To end this article, remember one thing:

If there's no-one to fix them, you won't get to fly them.

Pardave Lehry
Aircraft Maintenance Engineer

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