Congratulations!
Ultra nomad.
Congratulations on getting your maintenance licence, it is a long and hard road that has been both made harder by EASA’s theory obsession and been devalued by its lack of examination of practical skills.
The UK CAA system looked much harder into the ability of the applicant’s ability to do the job properly rather than to absorb classroom learning, the other day a friend ( long time Maintenance licence holder ) told me of a Greek woman recruited to his company who arrived with the ink still wet on her licence who did not know that she had to remove the main wheel to change the brake unit on an A320 ………… in my day that sort of thing was basic knowledge for an apprentice, but this probably just reflect modern society’s obsession with sending all young people to university to get a degree no matter how useless that degree is.
The other thing that has changed since my licence was issued in 1979 is peoples willingness to take legal action, in my view doing a Pre-buy inspection for someone you don’t know well will open you up to being held responsible for defects that could only be found at a major inspection and so likely to have to foot the bill for what you could not have seen as well as the court costs. This may seem fanciful but you are putting yourself up as an expert and courts experts to know everything about what they are getting paid to inspect and give advice on, if you are going to do pre – buy inspections you must get a lawyer to draw up a standard contract that has so many loop holes it could be mistaken for a Swiss cheese.
The bottom line is don’t sign off anything that you have not seen and inspected to be satisfactory, that may seem obvious when it comes to aircraft legal paperwork but also extends to anything you offer an expert opinion on, remember there are people out there who by using a sharp lawyer and the courts will turn your family’s house into their next aircraft without a second thought.
Ultranomad wrote:
. From now on, I am legally authorised to release both airframes/engines (B1) and avionics (B2)
Congratulations. What specific ratings or groups do you have?
wigglyamp wrote:
What specific ratings or groups do you have?
For now, just Group 3 aeroplanes MS/PC, plus an automatic extension to category L2 (motorgliders + ELA1) MS.
Congratulations ! Happy to learn how it is done in Europe, I found very little info when I looked for some a few month ago.
A US friend of ours, was a physician and got his A&P license working on weekends. He divorced but was very happy to maintain himself his small fleet (which counted a P51 for a few years:). This kind of story makes you dream 
(except from the divorce part 
).
A US friend of ours, was a physician and got his A&P license working on weekends
It’s not unusual, and a good way to use spare time productively. A friend of mine is an instructor at the local community college, teaching in their aviation maintenance program. It’s a three year course, designed for working adults, and might be something that I’ll do as a part time activity after I retire some day. The IA part is relatively simple, a one time test but you have to sign off enough inspections yearly to keep it current. I’d want to do that too so I could sign off my own aircraft and those of friends. The same thing in reverse is how my Annuals etc get signed off now – by a couple of A&Ps and IA friends who picked up their certificate along the way (you can also qualify by work experience plus test) but who don’t use it for their primary income stream.
Jujupilote wrote:
A US friend of ours, was a physician and got his A&P license working on weekends
That does not seem possible in EASA land, the Part66 theory exams can be done freelance (studies weekend and exams on weekdays), but practical experience is Part145 organisations which will insist on full-time or weekdays, nonetheless UK CAA seems flexible on reducing of 5 years practical experience on basis of “other experiences” but I think 2 years full-time is the minima…
That was my understanding Ibra. Hence the « make you dream »
Ibra wrote:
but practical experience is Part145 organisations which will insist on full-time or weekdays, nonetheless UK CAA seems flexible on reducing of 5 years practical experience on basis of “other experiences” but I think 2 years full-time is the minima…
No, practical experience is not limited to Part 145, it can be Part M Subpart F (which is now becoming Part CAO), and the requirement of full-time employment is no longer true, either.
Ultranomad wrote:
No, practical experience is not limited to Part 145, it can be Part M Subpart F (which is now becoming Part CAO), and the requirement of full-time employment is no longer true, either.
Great, how does it work? if you get 3 years of weekend job in Part-M & TK exams you can apply?
