Anyone an Aircraft engineer

[likefry]

I'm looking at getting an apprenticeship in this field and i am looking for info about it.

[luciecat]

PM Flyboy, he will give you the lowdown

[Aphex]

LAME? A mate of mine has done it for years but is the only one out of 5 of his mates that started, to become licensed. The rest of them now work in other fields. Lots of red tape and bullshit and it is a small industry in WA. If you can see past it, very rewarding.

Ive swung spanners for him as a TA on the odd occassion and yeah its certainly more entertaining than fixing cars/bikes. Absolutely zero room for error though. Shouldnt be too hard to find something at the moment either as qualified individuals are a rare breed at the moment.

[TYSON]

Can anyone get me some avgas?

[Aphex]

How much?

[TYSON]

lots

[luciecat]

Can anyone get me some avgas?

Once again PM flyboy ...so he can get it out of my carport!!!!

[xphread]

Can anyone get me some avgas?

If you are a member of a gliding club, you just stay late and go. "oh, all the servos are closed out here in whoop whoop. How ever will I get home with no fuel???.... Hello Mr tow plane pilot. While you are refuling the tow plane could you please fill up this bike thanks?"

= much more spirited ride home

Dunno about the legalities, but I enquired about it "incase I needed it again in the future".... and no-one seem to have any problems buying avgas from the club.

[Flyboy]

Okay......

First things first, which trade stream are you looking at? Airframe/Engine, Avionics or Structures?

Have you done a pre-apprenticeship? SwanTafe runs a one year pre-apprenticeship course which teaches you the basics of aircraft mechanics, theory of flight, gas turbine theory, electrical theory and aircraft materials and practices. I highly recommend this course as you probably won't get an apprenticeship without one these days.
Other qualifications like a fork lift ticket or confined spaces ticket are also a benefit, but certianly not necessary to get an apprenticeship.

What experience do you have with aircraft maintenance? Have you done any work experience? Helped build a kit plane? Going out into the work force for a week or so can be a real eye opener as to the real world of aircraft maintenance. Its not just tyre kicking and topping up the oil. In time (usually about 1 year in) you will be expected to be able to gut a small aeroplane, complete the necessary inspections, rectify and indentified defects, and reassemble the aeroplane in 2-3 days.

Your apprenticeship will take you 4 years to complete, BUT, if you display above average skills or have Recognition Of Prior Learning (ie a pre-apprenticeship course) you can have your time reduced to 3.5 years.

Pay rates for apprentices are pretty appalling in the aircraft industry, but rates for a qualified tradesman are pretty good. Expect to get paid about 42% of a unlicensed tradesmans wage in your first year, 55% in your second, 75% in your third, and 88% in your last year. A tradesman should expect to get paid about $58,000 whereas a licensed engineer starts at about $80,000 and gets higher with the more licenses and endorsements you get.

Getting your license is a bit of an issue right now as the whole industry is moving fromt the CASA system to the EASA system to align itself with Europe (meaning your license will soon come with international recognition.). I daresay that you'll be run through the EASA training program with the A and B licensing system.

Aviation is a hard industry to break into. It really is a case of who you know, not what you know. So get your name out there and start talking to companies and hand out resumes.

Oh, and a little birdie told me that Skywest will be offering some Airframe/Engine apprenticeships next year.

Got any other questions, let me know.

[Flyboy]

Hey Tyson....how much Avgas do you need?

Oh, and if you've got a CAMS license (I need to renew mine) you can buy it legally from Shell Aviation at Jandakot Airport.

[TYSON]

How much can you get me? anywhere from 20lt to a 44 would be good. haha name your price.

Wonder if my Andra license is the same?

[Stephan]

Very good info there flyboy! I hope likefry is not like the 'real' Fry....

[Flyboy]

Oh, and I thought I should probably give you the bad news too.

Aviation has a notoriety for making presonal relationships suffer. You will work long, and often odd hours which can put a lot of strain on your personal life. Most engineers will go through a divorce at some point.This isn't a warning, its simply a fact.

Aircraft engineering is very bad for your health. Every chemical and material you use will likely kill you or give you cancer if you abuse them. Stuff like MEK and Tolulene are everyday use chemicals as is expoxy resins and zinc chromate primers.

And now, the good news.

Lots of engineers are retiring. Which is why the pay rates for engineers is skyrocketing. I myself just got my pay rate doubled as an inclination to stay on with the company I'm with.

The world is your oyster. With the new EASA system coming through, you'll be able to travel to just about any nation and pick up a job. I personally know several engineers who are working their way through Europe. Work for 6 months, travel for 6 months.

Now is the perfect time to get into this industry. Demand for engineers is huge, whilst supply is dwindling. Some companies are offering ridiculous money for anyone with a license.

You can do eeeeetttt!!!

[Flyboy]

How much can you get me? anywhere from 20lt to a 44 would be good. haha name your price.

Wonder if my Andra license is the same?

20l I can do. 200l will cost you. And you provide the 44.

But i'm certain that we can reach an agreement.

Otherwise, call Shell Aviation at Jandakot and enquire.

[likefry]

Thanks for the info Flyboy

I've been studying mechanical engineering at uni so i know quite a bit about the mechanics of flight but i'm not continuing with it as i don't think i'll like it when i finish.

Are there any companies you would recommend contacting??

[Flyboy]

Depends if you wanna work on big planes or little planes.

Big planes-

Skippers
National Jet Systems
Skywest
Hawker Pacific (yay....I work here)

Little planes

China Southern
Royal Aero Club
Heliwest (for helicopters)

Military
Airflite (PC-9 only. You won't qualify for a license through this apprenticeship though)

I'd avoid The Aeroplane Company. Grapevine says they're not doing so well.

[Flyboy]

If you'd like I can organise to get you into the hangar to do some unpaid work experience. Or you can drop by after I've finished work for the day and I'll take you for a tour and show you what its all about.

[likefry]

Yeah that'd be great cheers.

Just send me a pm with the details and stuff and i'll come in for some work experience

[TYSON]

20l I can do. 200l will cost you. And you provide the 44.

But i'm certain that we can reach an agreement.

No Worries, care to PM me what you can do a 44 for

[JiggyJigs]

I did a stint of work experience when I was about 17 at Hawker Pacific. Loved every minute of it.

They still doing the firecracker at the foot pedal of the sand blaster trick on youngsters?


Dave