Fred Robel
27 Years Experience
Au Gres, MI
Male, 49
I'm a licensed Aircraft Mechanic & Inspector with twenty five-plus years in the field. I've had a varied career so far, with time spent in the sheetmetal, mechanic, and inspection specialties. Most of my time is on heavy Boeing and McDonnell Douglas aircraft, of the passenger, cargo, and experimental type. This career isn't for everyone, but I enjoy it.
Please do NOT ask me to troubleshoot problems with your airplane, that is not what this Q&A is for.
In all honesty, yes, aviation maintenance, especially away from major airports, would present some good opportunities to do no good, if that was your intentions.
I could speculate on specifics, but I won't here in an open forum, nor with anyone I didn't personally know already and trust. No offense.
There are many facets of aviation, or railroad, or shipping, that are pretty big soft targets. But the TSA/NSA has chosen the targets of interest that they have chosen.
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At my current job, no I can't get any discounts or free flights. It depends on who you work for. If you work for an actual passenger airline, there is usually an employee discount of some kind, or free flying via standby status. Some other employers have arrangements with airlines for discounts.
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I’ve never had to deal with that situation. If something like that were to happen, companies have plans in place to deal with it. Without looking at my current company handbook (I will after I answer so it isn’t cheating); I would call Crew Scheduling, or Maintenance Control, tell them what is going on, and do whatever they advised me to do. We have on site safety department personnel at several locations, and arrangements at outstations, which can provide for a breathalyzer, or other tests. Those people would be called in I imagine, to test the pilot. Certainly never let someone in that condition fly the plane.
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No. I never have. And I'm glad for it.
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There are a couple different facets to that question actually. To simply work on an airplane, you need no credentials. Just good mechanical ability, and a clever mind. The caveat being that you must work under the direct supervision of a licensed aircraft mechanic. Reasoning that the licensed mechanic will be teaching you how to go about aircraft maintenence the proper way, much like an apprenticeship. Also, you cannot sign for your work as an unlicensed mechanic. And if it isn't in the paperwork or logbook, and signed for by an authorized individual, then the job isn't complete, or legal. Everything that is done to an aircraft must be documented. I have to stress that: EVERYTHING. If you replace one screw, that should be documented. With a proper installation reference from the approved maintenance manual, and signed for by a licensed mechanic. In my case; I chose to go to school to get my license. The schooling was at Lansing Community College's Aviation School, and it was treated like a part time job for all purposes. We had to punch a time clock, to document our hours (a certain number are required to be eligible for a license). And we went year round, for two years, five hours a weekday. At the end of that, I had my Airframe & Powerplant licenses. Which is called a "license to learn" around the school. And it's technically true. Because, by the FAA regs, even a licensed mechanic cannot perform any given maintenance task, until it is done under the supervision of another more experienced mechanic. I should mention, that if you were to choose to go the 'mechanic apprentice' route; that it's a 30 month path of documented On The Job training that is required. After which, you would be eligible to take the tests for both your Airframe & Powerplant license. I have tried to reason out why I chose this profession before. I never came up with a solid answer I'm sorry to say. I think it is a combination of things really. I had always been mechanical, working on my own cars and such. Airplanes are cool, obviously. And I had always thought so, attending local airshows when I could. Timing: I walked into the registrars office at the college to sign up for this career path, at a time when I had little direction in life. I had no idea what I wanted to do, and this seemed like the most appealing thing on the class listings. The following two years of courses would have weeded me out if I hadn't really enjoyed it I think.
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That is definitely a subjective thing. In my opinion, kind of. Plane crashes are a big deal. Anytime you have the potential for losing upwards of 400 people at once, that’s a valid concern. I think those are the crashes that people worry the most about. Just because it is so tragic. People just have to keep in mind that the few crashes that happen every year are trumpeted about in the media, for the very reason that they are so exceptional in nature. If they happened all the time, it wouldn’t be so shocking to hear about them. Planes are flying regular routes 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with great safety.
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It probably depends a lot on how I feel about my job at the time. I am human after all.
But generally; I would cover the basics with them. Explaining how it helps to have good mechanical skills to start with. As those who lack mechanical ability, but have the book smarts are quickly found out once on the job. Those folks end up in planning, if they are lucky. It's a hard road to go down, if you remain on the floor without that basic ability.
I'd tell them not to expect to get rich doing this job.
I'd tell them that it is often very hard on relationships (wives/husbands, girlfriends/boyfriends). As this profession is notorious for sometimes long and unpredictable hours and travel.
I'd tell them to get ready to invest in a personal tool collection. But to be smart about it. The big name brand tool boxes are just 'bling'. And you pay dearly for it. A solid Craftsman, Stanley Vidmar, or similar box; will serve you long and well. For a lot less money. It's just a box! And to not be a tool snob. Get the tools that will do the job best, for the least amount of money. Don't just walk onto the Mac/Snap-On/etc tool truck and open a line of credit.
I started with a basic Craftsman tool set, and it worked fine.
I'd tell them to figure out where they'd like to be in ten years; and do what it takes to pay the dues to get there now. Once you get set up in a 'just for now' situation, it's hard to change tracks, and sometimes backtrack in your career, to get where you wished you were.
I'd tell them to go to an Aviation Maintenance school to get their license. Just go be a student for a couple years. Get a little loan debt if you have to. But get that license now, before you start. Otherwise it's a lot harder to get all the on the job training and such, plus studying, time to go take the tests; later on while you are working as a mechanic's helper full time.
I'd tell them to avoid company's that suck all the joy out of life. If you find yourself working at one of those places, leave as soon as possible. Don't stay until you want to quit aviation altogether.
Most of all, I'd ask them about their passion for airplanes and aerospace. Because if you don't have that, then all the training, tools, or good job position; won't make you love your career. It will just be another crappy job for them.
If you love airplanes, then this profession can be the best choice on earth.
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