0 Z Z 0 Z m 3 0 n
AIRFRAME AND POWERPLANT MECHANICS
CERTIFICATION GUIDE Revised 1976 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
I i I i I I I I I 1 I I I I I I i i I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I i I I
4 .
INTRODUCTION The requirements for a mechanic certificate and ratings, and the privileges, limitations, and general operating rules for certificated mechanics are prescribed in Federal Aviation Regulations Part E--Certificativn : Airmen Other Than Flight Crewmembers. Any person who applies and meets the requirements is entitled to a mechanic cert.ificate.
Briefly, the requiremems for a mechanic certificate are concerned with age, language ability, experience, knowledge, and skill. The sections of this guide explain the procedure for either substantiating or demonstrating that each requirement has been met.
The sections that deal with the written test (to demonstrate knowledge) and the oral and practical tests (to demonstrate skill) describe the types of tests used and what they confain. The subject listings and the sample questions and projects should be helpful during preparation for the tests.
Portions of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) concerning general eligibility and experience requirements for a mechanic certificate and ratings have been included; Since regulations are subje& to amendment, applicants should be alert for changes that may have occurred since publication of this guide. Change informat.ion may be determined by referring to the most recent FAR Status Sheet mentioned in the Appendix, or by checking with an FAA Flight Standards district office. The FARs have been organized and printed in eleven volumes of interrelated Parts. Refer to the Appendix, FAR Status Sheet, for information about the FAR rearrangement.
FAA Flight Standards district o5ces are listed in the appendix and each 05~3 serves the geographical area in which it is located. Applicants should contact the most convenient office.
Vii
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFICATION Mechanic certificate requirements can be classified as general eligibility requirements, knowledge requirements, experience requirements, and skill requirements. The following excerpts from FL4R Part 65 pertain to eligibility for a mechanic certificate and rating(s) .
practical tests prescribed by $ 65.79. A report of t.he written t.est is sent to tahe ,applicant.
Ҥ 65.77 Experience requirements.
‘3 65.71 Eligibility requirements : general.
(a) To be eligible for a mechanic certificate and associated ratings, a person must-
(1) Be at least 18 years of age;
(2) Be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language, or in the case of an applicant who does not meet this requirement and who is employed outside of the United States by a U.S. air carrier, have his certificate endorsed ‘Valid only outside the United States’;
(3) Have passed all of the prescribed Each applicant for a mechanic certificate or rating must present either an appropriate graduation certificate or certificate of completion from a certificated aviation maintenance technician school or documentary evidence, satisfactory to the Administrator, of-
(a) At least 18 months of practical experience with the procedures, practices, materials, tools, machine tools, and equipment generally used in constructing, maintaining, or altering airframes, or powerpl.ants appropriate to the rating sought; or
t.ests within a period of 24 months; and (ID) *4t. least 30 months of practical experience concurrently performing tlhe duties appropriate to both the airframe and powerplant ratings.??
(4) Comply with the sections of this subpart that apply to the rating he seeks.
(b) *4 certificated mechanic who applies for an additional rating must meet the requirements of 5 65.77 and, within a period of 24 months, pass the tests prescribed by 5 .§ 65.75 and 65.79 for the additional rating sought.
The documentary evidence specified in S 65.77 may take any of various forms, such as letters from present and former employers, milit#ary service records, business records, etc., as long as t.he FL4A inspector or advisor who reviews itI is able to determine that the type and amount. of experience meets the requirements.
‘2 65.75 Knowledge requirements. ‘3 65.79 Skill requirements.
(a) Each &applicant for a mechanic certificate or rating must, after meeting the applictuble experience requirements of 8 65.77, ps~ a w&ten test covering the construction and maintenance of aircra,ft appropriate to the rating he seeks, the regulations in this subpart, and the applicable provisions of Parts 43 and 91 of this chapter. The basic principles covering the installiation and maintenance of propellers are included in the powerplant test.
Each applicant for a mechanic certificate or rating must. pass an oral and a practical
t.est on t.he rating he seeks. The tests cover the applicant’s basic skill in performing practical projects on t.he subjects covered by the written t’est for that rating. An applicanit for a powerplant rating must show his ability to make satisfactory minor repairs t,o, and minor alterat,ions of, propellers.
(b) The applicant must pass each section of the test before applying for the oral and ‘3 65.80 Certificated aviation maintenance technician school students.
Whenever an aviation maintenance technician school certificated under Part 147 of this 1
The written tests required for a mechanic certificate or rating can be taken at FAA Flight Standards district offices and at some selected Flight Service Stations. Some Flight Standards district offices administer mechanic written tests at special locations by prior arrangement, and some Flight Service Stations often administer written tests after the normal workday and on weekends. Contact the local FAA district office for information about time and place where tests are administered.
Most FAA offices that administer written tests recommend that an appointment be made before the intended date of examination so that the appropriate personnel will be on hand to give the tests and to assure that adequate space is available.
An applicant must have the documentary evidence required by FAR 65.77 reviewed by an FAA inspector to confirm eligibility to take a written Airframe or Powerplant test.
Those applicants found to be eligible for testing who are unable to take the test at that time may request the FAA inspector to issue an Airman Authorization for Written Test, FLU Form 8060-7.
When eligibility has been confirmed or the completed 8060-7 is presented and sufficient time exists (5 hours) to complete the test, the FAA office test monitor will issue a test booklet, a blank answer sheet, and all materials necessary to take the test. The applicant is not required to furnish any test or reference materials, nor permitted to use notes or take notes during the test.
Written tests *for airframe and powerplant mechanic cert&ation consist of three separate tests: (1) Aviation Mechanic General Test;
(2) Aviation Mechanic Airframe, Section l- Airframe Structures, and Section 2-Airframe Systems & Components; and (3) Aviation Mechanic Powerplant, Section 1-Powerplant Theory & Maintenance, and Section 2- Powerplant Systems & Components.
Applicants will not be required to take the ,4viation Mechanic General Test required for Airframe and/or Powerplant certification if they can passed it.
form of a that nate rating or an Airman Written Test Report shows a show that Proof
THE WRITTEN TESTS of they have previously passing may be in the mechanic certificate with an alterpassing grade on the Aviation Mechanic General Test. If an Airman Written Test Report is used, the passing credit must have been earned within the preceding 24 months.
FAA mechanic written tests are made up of objective-type questions of the multiplechoice form. In this type of test, the applicant chooses the best of a number of possible answers to a question. Each of the FAA mechanic written test questions has one best answer and three wrong or unacceptable alternative answers. The tests do not contain questions designed to trick or mislead the applicant.
’ After completion of the test, the applicant% answer sheet is forwarded by the local FAA office to a central location for grading. The minimum passing grade for FAA tests is ‘70 percent. Written test grades are mailed directly tered to the by the applicant using the address enapplicant on the answer sheet at the time the test is taken. Five working days (exclusive of time en route in the mail) are normally required for answer sheets to be processed and grades reported.
Written Test Report Written test grades are reported to applicants on AC Form 8080-2, Airman Written Test Report. The report indicates the numerical grade for each test section and an expiration date of each test section passed. AC Form 8080-2 is the only acceptable evidence of having passed any part of the written test or the entire test.
In addition to grade information, the computer-rendered AC Form 8080-2 provides a coded print-out of the subject areas for which questions were answered wrong. The subject area codes indicated on AC Form 8080-2 correspond to the -subject headings indicated on pages 7 through 42 of this advisory circular; however, the number of questions missed cannot be determined by the number of codes listed on AC Form 8080-2.
When an applicant applies for the oral and practical test, the Airman Written Test Report must be surrendered.
If the Airman Written Test Report is lost or destroyed, a duplicate copy may be obtained by sending $2.00 (money order or check payable to FAA) to the Federal Aviation Administration, Airman Certification Branch, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73125. Give the title of the test, the place where it was administered, and the approximate date that the test was taken.
An applicant who fails a test, or any section thereof, may apply for a retest of the test 3 section&s) failed as prescribed in FAR Part . . . ,
65. The following excerpts from 5 65.19 pertain to retesting after failure.
Ҥ 65.19 Retesting after failure.
An applicant who fails a written, oral, or practical test for a certificate and rating, or for an additional rating, under this Part may apply for retesting-
(a) After 30 days after the date he failed the test; or
(b) Upon presenting a statement from whichever of the following persons is applicable, certifying that he has given the applicant at least 5 hours of additional instruction in each of the subjects failed and now considers that the applicant is ready for retesting. . . . .
(3) For the mechanic certificate-a certificated and appropriately rated mechanic or ground instructor, or a certificated repairman who is experienced in the subject failed.”