Getting experience

[mhaleem]

Hello everyone. I'm thinking seriously about obtain the LSRM after finishing CFI training. I'm not the mechanical type by any means, but have the desire to own a flight school-light sport speciality with a light sport maintenance facility as well. I've talked to a number of flight school owners who have stated that a school having its own maintenance operation is the way to go from a financial and feasibility standpoint. My question is how do you gain the necessary experience to become comfortable working on both personal and customer aircraft. I may be guessing here, but the three week course doesn't prepare you to start a full-fledged operation does it? I realize that some of you are mechanical by nature, so the course supplemented the knowledge you already possessed. Thanks

[roger lee]

Get your RLSM-A done and then work with someone that has a lot of LSA and Rotax experience and I mean experience and not just any A&P. You'll pick it up quickly that way. It's actually the best way for most.

[drseti]

Mo, it was a pleasure talking with you on the phone last night, and I hope I answered some of your questions. For the benefit of the list lurkers, I'd like to recap some highlights of our conversation.

The LSRM course was never intended to turn you from a neophyte into a skilled mechanic in just three weeks, but it does give you a very good start. If you're a gearhead, and have been maintaining your own cars or motorcycles for years, you'll have no problem transferring those skills to aircraft. In fact, an LSA tends to be more like a motorcycle than a certified aircraft! The main thing you will gain from Brian and Carol is an overview of the rules, and a good feel for what you can and cannot do, as well as a feel for the kind of tasks that you might tackle in the field. When I took the course 3 years ago, most of my classmates were old farts like me, with decades of wrench-turning, so we caught on pretty quickly. Your engineering background will certainly help, just as your teaching experience will make you a better CFI.

Aviation maintenance is one of the fields in which the old apprenticeship model still works well. After you complete the Rainbow course, if you can find a master mechanic willing to take you on as a part-time assistant, you can perfect your craft under his or her watchful eye. Those lucky enough to own an aircraft can often find an IA who will let them get their hands dirty, while supervising them closely. For thirty years I did owner-assisted annual inspections (some mechanics call them owner-hindered annuals) under the supervision of a succession of IAs, from each of whom I learned something new. Your objective should not be to save money, but rather to gain skills. You should expect to pay the IA his or her regular fee for the annual, while you do all the labor - it turns out to be the best (and cheapest) education you can buy.

Someone who isn't fortunate enough to own an aircraft can sometimes still work a similar deal with a local shop, by offering to do manual labor on the flight school's or customer's aircraft under an experienced mechanic's watchful eye. The FARs permit an IA to supervise, and sign off, the work of others under his or her direct control. One shouldn't expect to get paid for this work, but it's a good way to trade labor for training and experience.

Building a kit plane is a wonderful way to teach yourself maintenance skills, and you end up with a nice toy at the end of the day. It need not be expensive - a simple ultralight will suffice.

Finally, whether for pay or not, I find working on an airframe or engine therapeutic. It is extremely relaxing (especially when the schedule is open-ended), and very calming after a tense day of primary instruction.

Good luck creating an apprenticeship opportunity for yourself. Given your enthusiasm and natural drive, I have no doubt that you will succeed.