Why do I have to have my airplane mechanics license, also known as the "A&P"?

Why? There are several reasons.

First, remember where we fly.

When work needs to be done, MAF staff has to do it. Typical maintenance procedures include top end overhauls, starter replacements, routine 500 hour inspections on alternators, starters, and magnetos. Also we are required to complete a thorough inspection of the aircraft every fifty hours of flight which includes (but is not limited to)- oil/filter change; inspections of the brakes, prop , magneto, starter, fuel injection system, avionics, flight controls, cables (checking tension, broken strands and pulley wear), lights/electrical, skin/fuselage surfaces, etc. etc. etc. These inspections are based on a precise set of standards and tests that only a trained A&P can often perform and understands the importance of maintaining.

In other words what you are required to do on the field as an MAF pilot/mechanic goes way beyond what most weekend pilots are capable of or have had professional training in, technically inclined or otherwise.

Second, it is an issue of efficient use of available resources.

Again, remember where we are: generally poorer third world economies. On most larger MAF bases we do have dedicated maintenance specialists. However the ratio is generally one maintenance specialist to every four or five planes. Therefore he/she cannot be expected to deal with all of the day to day maintenance squawks that pop up.

A pilot who is also a mechanic can handle most day to day problems and most importantly legally sign off the log books on his/her work. The entire flight program operates more efficiently with less down time per aircraft and more flights completed in a timely manner.

But remember, I said on larger bases we had full-time maintenance people.

We operate many smaller bases around the world with only one or two MAF families in the entire country. What then? Well, for one thing, the A&P license isn't an option, it is a hard requirement. Add to that many of these pilot/mechanics often have their IA (Inspection Authorization) as well. This is basically an advanced level A&P with certain authority granted by the FAA to sign off and oversee very major aircraft work (like complete wing rebuilds for example).

Finally, let me use a real example

One of our Ecuador pilots, Dan, had just taken off late one afternoon from a jungle airstrip deep in the Ecuadorian rainforest.

He immediately felt the initial drop in power when he reached one thousand feet AGL as the turbo charger began to die. They just do that sometimes. With twenty years of MAF flight experience under his belt he had seen this before. Returning to the same strip for an uneventful landing he did some checks on the ground to verify that the turbocharger was in fact ready for the junkpile.

Radioing back to the hangar in Shell, 60 miles away as the crow flies, he asked for a pick up and it was decided he would leave the aircraft, return to Shell with another MAF pilot flying in the area, and come back the next morning to replace the turbocharger in the field.

The next morning, Dan and a visiting A&P mechanic from the US, Rick, returned with another MAF pilot (me) to begin the work. I continued on my route. By early afternoon they were finished and flew the plane back to Shell.

Dan is a Commercial Pilot and an A&P and this is just the type of job our guys are regularly called on to perform in the field. So I hope you can see and agree...this is no place for a weekend mechanic.

In conclusion

MAF is composed of a unique cadre of professional airmen; combining both commercial piloting skills and A&P maintenance skills in one package. So no matter what you may have heard, we do require the A&P license.

If this is what God has called you to and you want to be the best you can be serving Him, it is highly recommended that you get your A&P.

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." 2 Tim 2:15