What is an A&P and why do I need it?

The A&P, also known as the Airframe & Powerplant license, is an FAA license that permits someone legally to perform mechanical maintenance to an airplane. The A&P however cannot be had at most airports. You need to attend an FAA certified A&P school. The entire process can take from 12 months to possibly five years, depending on how you go about it. But none-the-less, it is one of the distinctives that make most missionary pilots stand apart from the rest of the pilot kingdom.

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Why do most mission agencies require candidates to possess an A&P license?

There are several reasons. However let me say this up front. When I would share this with churches and individuals, very often someone would respond, “Well that makes sense, so you can fix your airplane when it breaks down in the jungle.” Guess what….that really isn’t true. Yes it can happen and has, but it’s actually very rare. Why? I believe it’s becasue mission aviation aircraft tend to be better maintained than the general population of aircraft over all. But here’s the answer to the above question.

First, remember where we fly.

When work needs to be done…mission staff have to do it.Top end overhaul, starter replacement, routine 500 hour inspections on alternators, starters, magnetos.

Also in MAF’s case, 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 missionary 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 bases there are dedicated maintenance specialists. However the ratio is generally one maintenance specialist for 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.

Here the bread and butter, pilot/mechanic comes into play and because he/she 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.

There are also many smaller bases around the world with only one or two families in the entire country. What then? Well, for one thing, the A&P license isn’t an option, it’s is a hard requirement. Add 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 from my own experience.

While I was flying in Ecuador with MAF, one of our 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 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 pretty much verify that the turbocharger was in fact ready for the junk-pile.

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, fly back to Shell with another MAF pilot flying in the area that afternoon and come back the next morning to replace the turbocharger in the field.

The next morning I flew Dan and a visiting short-term A&P mechanic from the US, Rick, back to  the airstrip 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 can be 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

Missionary aviation 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, 99% of the time, we do require the A&P license.

So if this is what God has called you to and you want to be the best you can be serving Him, get your A&P.

Remember, “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.