Does anyone here have experience using military experience toward an FAA Airframe & Powerplant license? My son is a Marine, CH-46 crew chief. He has about 20 months of active duty remaining (total 5 years) and is looking into A&P work after he is released.
Any advice offered may benefit CAP members as well as my son. Plus I'm lobbying him to join CAP when he returns to the U.S. :angel:
Have him stop by the Education Office. There are some A&P schools that do recognise military aircraft maintenance training and will grant credit for it.
But, he's still going to have to attend some school before the FAA will let him test. The Education Office may be able to point him in the right direction.
Embry-Riddle has a presence on many bases, even in just the form of a correspondence course to get one going, but if there's aviation there, there's probably an option. For just this kind of "issue".
Below is a link to the applicable section of FAA Order 8900.1 which covers this very issue.
http://fsims.faa.gov/wdocs/8900.1/v05%20airman%20cert/chapter%2005/05_005_002rev1.pdf (http://fsims.faa.gov/wdocs/8900.1/v05%20airman%20cert/chapter%2005/05_005_002rev1.pdf)
If you do not want to read the FAA order but want an easier answer, go here:
http://www.airframeandpowerplant.com/mil.htm (http://www.airframeandpowerplant.com/mil.htm)
Or to save you or him the trouble of reading either one, I will boil it down for you.
If he is a 6112 MOS which I believe is correct for a CH-46 crew chief and if he has 30 months experience which he exceeds if he has 5 years, he qualifies for his A&P. He will just need to take his written exams and his O&P (oral and practical). The writtens are not super easy but there are crash courses as well as Q&A books similar to the ones for pilots. He shouldn't have much trouble with them.
The O&P can be far more difficult depending on the examiner. A good (tough) examiner will ask questions outside of an examinees comfort zone. For instance, for a turbine powered rotor wing experienced mechanic with little or no fixed wing experience, the examiner will ask questions on fixed wing systems and also on recip engines.
This might sound rough but when you are being licensed to work on any and all aircraft types in the US, it is understandable. Of course, there are unscrupulous examiners who just want the cash and are super easy. Be careful of these types as there have been A&Ps who had to retest with a Fed due to examiners such as these.
Not sure if I answered all your questions but any remaining ones you should be able to find in the available resources.
I haven't digested all of this - https://augateway.maxwell.af.mil/ccaf/certifications/jsamtcc/ (https://augateway.maxwell.af.mil/ccaf/certifications/jsamtcc/), but there may be some information relevant to you son despite it coming from an Air Force website.
Thanks for all the info. I shared the feedback with my son, who appreciated it very much.