AC 65-2D Airframe & Powerplant
MECHANICS Certification Guide U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
AIRFRAME AND POWERPLANT MECHANICS
CERTIFICATION GUIDE
UNITE STANIS O AMERI Revised 1976 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
PREFACE This guide was prepared by Flight Standards Service, Federal Aviation Administration, to provide information to prospective airframe and powerplant mechanics and other persons interested in the certification of mechanics.
It contains information about the certificate requirements, application procedures, and the mechanic written, oral, and practical tests.
This guide supersedes AC 65-2C, Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics Certification Guide, dated 1973.
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CONTENTS Page PREFACE -- iii
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION -----------------
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFICATION Eligibility requirements: general Knowledge requirements Experience requirements Skill requirements Certificated aviation maintenance technician school students
THE WRITTEN TESTS Written Test Report Retesting after failure
AVIATION MECHANIC TEST CONTENTS Aviation Mechanic General Test Basic electricty Aircraft drawings Weight and balance 8 Fluid lines and fittings - Materials and processes Ground operation and servicing Cleaning and corrosion control Mathematics Maintenance forms and records Basic physics - 12 Maintenance publications Mechanic privileges and limitations
AVIATION MECHANIC AIRFRAME TEST Section 1. Airframe structures Wood Structures _.
Aircraft covering -- Aircraft finishes Sheet metal structures ----.
Welding ---- Assembly and rigging ----.
Airframe inspection -_----- Section 2. Airframe systems and components Aircraft landing gear systems Hydraulic and pneumatic power systems Cabin atmosphere control systems
CONTENTS- Continued Page Aircraft instrument systems 24 Communication and navigation systems 24 Aircraft fuel systems ------ 24 Aircraft electrical systems 25 Position and warning systems 27 Ice and rain control systems 27 Fire protection systems ---- 27 AVIATION MECHANIC POWERPLANT TEST 29 Section 1. Powerplant theory and maintenance 29 Reciprocating engines ----. 29 Turbine engines --. 31 Engine inspection - 31 Section 2. Powerplant systems and components Engine instrument systems. 33 Engine fire protection systems Engine electrical systems - 33 Lubrication systems - 35 Ignition systems - 36 Fuel metering systems - 37 Engine fuel systems - Induction systems Engine cooling systems 40 Engine exhaust systems 40 40 ORAL AND PRACTICAL TESTS -.
The oral test Sample oral test questions The practical test -- Sample practical test projects
SAMPLE WRITTEN TEST QUESTIONS
RECOMMENDED STUDY MATERIALS Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) 55 FAA Advisory Circulars --- 55 Miscellaneous FAA publications 57
APPENDIX FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS 59 MAP SHOWING FAA REGIONS - 61 FAA REGIONAL OFFICES AND FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICES - 62 vi
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 65-Certification: Airmen Other Than Flight Crewmembers. Any person who applies and meets the requirements is entitled to a mechanic certificate.
Briefly, the requirements 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 contain. 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 subject to amendment, applicants should be alert for changes that may have occurred since publication of this guide. Change information 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 offices are listed in the appendix and each office serves the geographical area in which it is located. Applicants should contact the most convenient office.
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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 FAR Part 65 pertain to eligibility for a mechanic certificate and rating(s).
Ǥ 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 the he embed tests within a period of 24 months; and
(4) Comply with the sections of this subpart that apply to the rating he seeks.
(b) A certificated mechanic who applies for an additional rating must meet the requirements of § 65.77 and, within a period of 24 months, pass the tests prescribed by §§ 65.75 and 65.79 for the additional rating sought.
Ǥ 65.75 Knowledge requirements.
(a) Each applicant for a mechanic certificate or rating must, after meeting the applicable experience requirements of § 65.77, pass a written test covering the construction and maintenance of aircraft appropriate to the rating he seeks, the regulations in this subpart, and the applicable provisions of Parts #3 and 91 of this chapter. The basic principles covering the installation and maintenance of propellers are included in the power-
(b) The applicant must pass each section of the test before applying for the oral and practica. tests prescribed by § 65.79. A report of the written test is sent to the applicant.
"§ 65.77 Experience requirements.
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 powerplants appropriate to the rating sought; or
(b) At least 30 months of practical experience concurrently performing the duties appropriate to both the airframe and powerplant ratings."
The documentary evidence specified in § 65.77 may take any of various forms, such as letters from present and former employers, military service records, business records, etc., as long as the FAA inspector or advisor who reviews it is able to determine that the type and amount of experience meets the requirements.
"§ 65.79 Skill requirements.
Each applicant for a mechanic certificate or rating must pass an oral and a practical test on the rating he seeks. The tests cover the applicant's basic skill in performing practical projects on the subjects covered by the written test for that rating. An applicant for a powerplant rating must show his ability to make satisfactory minor repairs to, and minor alterations of, propellers.
"§ 65.80 Certificated aviation maintenance technician school students.
Whenever an aviation maintenance technician school certificated under Part 147 of this 1
chapter shows to an FAA inspector that any subjects of his training in the approved curof its students has made satisfactory progress riculum, before he meets the applicable exat the school and is prepared to take the oral perience requirements of § 65.77 and before he and practical tests prescribed by § 65.79, that passes each section of the written test prestudent may take those tests during the final scribed by § 65.75."
THE WRITTEN TESTS istered.
space is available. 24 months.
FAA Form 8060-7.
applicant.
notes during the test.
Written tests for airframe and powerplant mechanic certification consist of three separate tests: (1) Aviation Mechanic General Test;
(2) Aviation Mechanic Airframe, Section 1-
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.
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 section (s) failed as prescribed in FAR Part The following excerpts from § 65.19 pertain to retesting after failure.
"§ 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."