The A&P License: A Master Mechanic Certificate or a License to Learn?

You’ve got you’re A&P License and you plan on being on the production floor just killing it! You arrive with all that knowledge you’ve collected. Some information you barely remember. Other pieces you remembered because your instructors emphasized its importance. You’re feeling like a Master Mechanic with that license in your wallet. The first job as a licensed mechanic is handed to you by your supervisor. You went from feeling like you could do anything to uneasiness because you have little to no idea of what exactly to do next… We have all been there, and if you haven’t yet, don’t worry you will. Sure you could “fake it till you make it”, but this business leaves zero room for error. If you do unairworthy maintenance or spectacularly miss a step, it could be fatal. If something happens to injure or even kill pilots and/or passengers you don’t have to imagine a life in orange, you’ll be living it. The nature of maintenance is serious. Luckily for us there are levels of experience everywhere and technical manuals to direct us. As one of my favorite aircraft mechanics and USAF veterans said to me, “Reading is fundamental”. Probably the best and most simple piece of career advice I’ve ever received. Past keeping this jewel in mind I’ve noticed no aviation professional is going to expect you to know everything. The manuals can change, new tech data comes out, and STCs change the configuration of aircraft. As an industry, Aviation is constantly evolving. The amount and velocity of change varies in what sector of the aviation business you fall in. Becoming a licensed A&P Mechanic doesn’t mean you have to know everything, it means you need to know the basics and where to find the information you may need. It is not you becoming David Alleyne once the FAA sends you your hard copy license. Read your manuals. Ask your questions. All of our mother’s had to teach us how to use a spoon. The best and most talented mechanics I have ever worked with had one common mentality: remain a student for life.