Pilot and A&P: The Dual-Certificated Edge

FLYING Magazine

One of the adages of aviation is the more certificates you hold, the more employable you become. This is particularly true if you hold one for Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) in addition to being a pilot. At the FBO level, the A&P who holds a pilot certificate and maintains currency is always in demand. 

Sometimes, that person didn’t intend to become a pilot but after taking flight in a small airplane decided it is something they’d like to do. It was that way for Corey Sampson, who holds an A&P/IA (inspection authority) and works for Delta Air Lines as a senior specialist for technical services.

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“I started as a line maintenance mechanic and worked my way up to my current position,” said Sampson. “I got my A&P in 2013 and didn’t take my first flight in a general aviation airplane until 2018. After I did that, I became hooked. I ended up buying that same airplane and getting my private pilot certificate in it.”

Sampson is now a 500-hour pilot and firmly believes A&Ps who hold a PPL have a better understanding of the inner workings of the systems and how they operate from not only the flying side but also the operational side. 

“They often have a better understanding of pilot write-ups because they can better visualize what the pilots were seeing at the time of a write-up.”

Preventative Maintenance 

Pilots are permitted to perform preventative maintenance on an aircraft they own per 14 CFR Part 61, provided the person holds at least a certificate for sport pilot, private pilot, or higher.

This includes replacing tires, cleaning and greasing landing gear wheel bearings, replacing cotter keys and safety wire, lubricating items that don’t require disassembly, replenishing fluids (such as oil changes), replacing light bulbs, lenses, safety belts, hose connections, and spark plugs, and setting spark plug gap clearance. They can also make simple fabric patches that don’t require stitching and replace an aircraft cowling as long as it doesn’t involve removal of the propeller. 

• READ MORE: Epic Flight Academy Graduates First Aircraft Mechanic Class at KCVG Campus
• READ MORE: What Does It Take to Become an A&P Mechanic?

However, just because the regulations permit preventative maintenance doesn’t mean a pilot should. While there are no laws that prevent a person from working on their automobile, it’s a big mistake to think working on your airplane falls into the same risk category. You can pull over in a car when something goes wrong. In an airplane you’re at the mercy of gravity.

“Just because it is legal doesn’t mean it is always safe,” Sampson said. “There is a much greater amount of detail and safety items that go into aviation. It’s a good idea as a pilot to sit with a mechanic and work through your first preventative maintenance items until you are comfortable to perform them alone.”

Every A&P contacted for this article remarked that it’s particularly dangerous when an inexperienced and unqualified mechanic tries to make their own repairs to a certified aircraft. But there are some aircraft owners who participate in the annual inspection of their airplane under the watchful eye of an A&P/IA—the inspection authority designation. The work is not complete until the entries are made in the aircraft logbooks and the IA has signed off on them.

Expanded Opportunities

Randi Robertson began her aviation career as a general aviation A&P, then entered the U.S. Air Force as a pilot. Now she’s a 6,600-hour ATP with multiple type ratings and experience as a line pilot at the airlines, as well as being a simulator instructor.

Robertson noted that having the experience as an A&P has helped her in the classroom and her role as a test pilot at the Air Force Sustainment Center.

“The depth of knowledge of how systems in general operate, electrical, hydraulic, etc., and the depth of knowledge of how systems are employed on different aircraft makes explaining them easier,” she said. “In addition to being an A&P, I taught in an A&P school for three years. The experience of teaching in this setting helped me create an approach to how I talk about systems and flight dynamics that has served me well over the years.

“If you can explain the basics to individuals who have little or no understanding of the principles that make things work, and help them gain an
understanding, you can use those same tools with advanced learners as well.” 

Sometimes she’s called upon to be a “translator” between the maintenance team and the pilots.

“The language is similar but not 100 percent common,” Robertson said. “Add to that the differences in basic cultures each discipline is and being able to
relate to both and speak in both as a qualified individual brings sympathy to both, helps me bridge that space.”

Dual Certification

There are two ways to earn your pilot certificate: Go to a concentrated program and knock all ratings out in a year or two, or build your hours and ratings by flying a few times a week over several years. 

Becoming an A&P is a similar process, as many enroll in a technical college that’s a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on application, or become an apprentice to an experienced mechanic and pick up skills while helping out in the shop.

Zach Ungerleider, a sales director at ACASS (All Corporate Aviation Support Services), a company that specialized in business aviation needs, did a combination of the two. Ungerleider was enrolled in the A&P program at thenow defunctInternational Aviation & Travel Academy in Arlington, Texas, when he took a discovery flight halfway through the powerplant program which captured his attention.

“I left the school to go get my private certificate, which was completed in March 2001,” Ungerleider said. “When I received my A&P, it was through sign-off after 30 consecutive months working at a small MRO [maintenance, repair, and overhaul station] at KFTW [Forth Worth, Texas]. Simultaneously, I was finishing my undergraduate degree, instrument rating, and building time in the right seat of various aircraft.

“As an A&P, I performed inspections, mods and scheduled/unscheduled maintenance. My duties included engine runs, test flights, document inspections, annuals, troubleshooting electrical, and everything else that is required to perform maintenance. When I interact with a director of maintenance or chief pilot, I can relate to the issues they bring up or that I help them solve because of the path behind me.”

The dual technical background also came in handy when he accepted a maintenance engineering position at Cessna Aircraft, which evolved into working at a service center and eventually sales.

“Having my A&P and flight hours and certificate has benefited me because I can see both perspectives when I’m helping clients,” Ungerleider said. “In sales, being able to relate and identify pain points is critical, and having time in the right seat of both the Citation and King Air gives me a unique perspective when fielding sales calls.”

So which does he like better—maintenance or flying?

“Both are incredible, but I really enjoy and miss working on jets,” he said. “I absolutely loved taking apart an aircraft for inspection, fixing it, and then putting it back together.”

 “Once completed, my favorite part was to go out and start up the engines and maybe go on a test flight. The best part of these moments was you get to see the fruits of your labor take flight—literally. There was always a sense of pride when I would see one of the Gulfstreams or Citations that we had completely torn apart roll full throttle down the runway for a safe flight.”

Become a Certified Repairman

There’s another way to acquire repairman certification—at least for your own airplane. You can build an experimental aircraft. To obtain the certification, the rules require the owner to build 51 percent of the parts and do 51 percent of the total assembly of the aircraft—known as the FAA’s Major Portion rule. This allows the aircraft to be certified under the Experimental Amateur-Built (EAB) category, provided the builder is an amateur intending to use the aircraft for recreation or education. Details can be found under FAR 21.191(g). 

Builders who meet the 51 percent rule may be certificated as a repairman if they fill out FAA Form 8610-2 with the FAA Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) or Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) during the final aircraft inspection to prove the aircraft is airworthy.

Some aircraft builders opt for builder assist programs. Several kit manufacturers offer them, or there are after-purchase companies that provide this service. When using a builder-assist program, the tools and components for the pieces to be made are laid out at a work station. The builder, often with the help of an experienced technician, fabricates the part then moves on to the next station while someone else cleans up.

It’s also important to document the build process with photos and a daily log of work performed and by whom. To be eligible for an EAB airworthiness certificate, per the major portion rule, the part fabrication and assembly tasks if contracted out to another person need to be less than 10 percent. 

Be careful when buying a project. The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the organization that wrote the manual on experimental aircraft, cautions the would-be buyer to make sure the seller has a builder’s log along with any photos and bill of sale. This is particularly important if the project has passed through many hands. You need all the documentation to prove the aircraft was amateur-built and therefore eligible for an EAB airworthiness certificate. 

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This feature first appeared in the June Ultimate Issue 971 of the FLYING print edition.

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