Kit Darby

Think the FAA Aircraft Mechanic certification is just a written exam? Think again. ✈️🔧🇺🇸 If you're planning to earn an FAA Mechanic Certificate, understanding the examination pathway is just as important as studying the technical subjects. Under 14 CFR Part 65, the FAA offers: 🔧 Airframe rating (A) ⚙️ Powerplant rating (P) 🛠️ Both — A&P So, how does the FAA qualification process work? 📋 1. Meet the Eligibility Requirements Before testing, applicants must meet the FAA's eligibility requirements through qualifying practical experience, approved training, or a combination of the applicable pathways. For experience-based eligibility, the FAA generally requires 18 months of practical experience for one rating, or 30 months of concurrent experience for both Airframe and Powerplant. 📚 2. Pass the Knowledge Tests For an A&P certificate, applicants must pass three FAA knowledge tests: • General • Airframe • Powerplant The General test is taken first, followed by the applicable Airframe and/or Powerplant test. But passing the knowledge tests does not mean you've earned the certificate. 🗣️ 3. Oral Examination Next comes the Oral Examination. The applicant must demonstrate the required knowledge in an examiner-led assessment based on the applicable FAA standards. 🔧 4. Practical Examination Then comes the hands-on assessment. The Practical Examination evaluates the applicant's ability to demonstrate the required aircraft maintenance skills. The Oral & Practical examinations are typically administered by an FAA Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME). 🎯 The FAA pathway in one line: Eligibility → Knowledge Tests → Oral & Practical Tests → Mechanic Certificate And that's the key point: The FAA A&P pathway doesn't rely on a written test alone. It requires candidates to demonstrate eligibility, technical knowledge and practical competence before receiving the applicable mechanic rating. For international AMEs considering the FAA route, understanding this structure is especially important because the pathway is different from modular licensing systems such as EASA Part-66 or DGCA CAR-66. Are you currently preparing for the FAA A&P exams? If yes, which stage are you working on right now? 📚 General 🔧 Airframe ⚙️ Powerplant 🗣️ Oral 🛠️ Practical And if you're already an FAA A&P mechanic, what is one thing you wish you had known before taking your exams? Share your experience — it could help the next generation of aircraft mechanics. 👇 #FAA #AircraftMaintenance #AviationMechanic #AME #AviationMaintenance #AirframeAndPowerplant #APMechanic #FAAExam #AviationSafety #AircraftEngineering #AviationCareers

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West Star Aviation has strengthened its long-standing commitment to safety by formally joining the FAA’s Safety Management System Voluntary Program (SMSVP) — a major step that elevates the standard of care customers can expect during every maintenance event. 🔗 Full story → https://lnkd.in/gwytRE9J

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I’ve used Excel spreadsheets to track Airworthiness Directives myself. It can easily consume 4 hours of a Monday just reviewing and updating AD status. And when a new AD potentially affects your fleet, the real work begins—understanding applicability, configuration, compliance requirements and documenting the engineering decision. For leased aircraft and fleet transitions, the challenge becomes even greater when you need to verify historical AD status and supporting records. If your AD workflow still depends heavily on spreadsheets and periodically checking FAA and EASA updates, there is a better way. That’s why we built ADLookup and AviAgent.ai: to reduce the manual work around finding ADs, determining applicability and managing fleet compliance. Try ADlookup https://lnkd.in/eGWUdaYy for a quick aircraft/AD search, or explore https://app.aviagent.ai for fleet-level AD management. Spend less time searching for ADs. Spend more time making the right engineering decisions. ✈️

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