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That is one thing about the AF that really gets me...Spend 20 years doing aircraft maintenance for the AF, and you still have to take a formal course of one sort or another to get your A&P. Spend 20 years as an AF Flight Engineer (my new job), and you still have to take a formal course to get your flight engineer ticket for the civilian side. BUT, spend two years as a pilot for the AF (long enough to get through the schools, anyway), and you can go take writtens to get your commercial pilots license. Ok, off my soapbox now...

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There is a school in Van Nuys, CA (20 miles north of downtown LA) its called North Valley Occupational Center-Aviation Center, the price is $75 a semester (not per unit per semester) and I think $45 for summer session. Its about 1 year and nine months long if your really committed (its pretty much self paced). The school has seven knowledgeable instructors and three of them have been in aviation since the Vietnam era. The reason why the program is $75 a semester is because its most of the cost is payed for by California tax payers. I've went to this school and I have Airframe and General over with and powerplant I am finishing up while I'm on an AGR tour for the guard.

Here is the website http://www.nvoc.org/html/aviation.html
phone # (818)365-9645
Ask for Mr. Struyk or Mr. Evans

VPRGUY wrote:

That is one thing about the AF that really gets me...Spend 20 years doing aircraft maintenance for the AF, and you still have to take a formal course of one sort or another to get your A&P.

Well this depends on what you did in the AF but more so on the local FAA office who reviews your records. I know of a few guys who got denied either their A or P based on their experience but most I know got authorization to take one of the tests , no schooling required for the one they did qualify for. I even know a few, myself included who got authorization for both A&P tests based on experience ( I at that time had 6 years experience and was admittedly weak on powerplant's) but the FAA guy was a softy and understood that I had some Powerplat experience, it's all based on his evaluation. However you are right, when I graduated Flight School my authorization to take the tests was not based on someones evaluation of my records rather it was based on the fact that I had my wings. I was fortunate to get my civilian ratings out of this, Commercial Rotorcraft and Instrument best $100 I ever spent. I think if you are a 7 level in your particular career field it should work the same way as a set of wings, take in your 623 if your an engine troop guess what you can take the Powerplant test and so on, if you have alot of documented cross training then you can take both. Either way I wish I would have done the AF program when I was in.

....Oh yeah I know guys who got denied one or both authorizations in a particular FAA office and simply went to another one who would give them authorization, this is completely legal and nothing says you cant do it, the next guys evaluation might be good enough

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