* Apprentice AME Question(s) Thread *

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 10:05 am

Been reading alot on here lately, thought I'd start a thread for questions towards experince/lisenced AME's to help noobs. Rather than have then jumbled all over the Forum.

1) I've noticed not very many posts towards Rotary Wing?
Is it because it's less money or harder to find apprentice position?

2) Do company's pay for type ratings?

donnybrook · Post by **donnybrook** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:44 am

1) this tends to be a fixed wing oriented forum, so the bulk of conversation tends towards them. i would say that you can make more money as an experienced rotary engineer, but the lifestyle is quite a bit different!

2) don't work for a company that won't pay for your type rating. that said, don't bone the company that paid for your type rating![/quote]

Fox 3 · Post by **Fox 3** » Sun Apr 02, 2006 7:01 pm

my advice, if any, is to decide what you want to do first...either fixed or rotary wing...then go do it. The problem I had was fixed wing experiance leads to dead ends in rotary work. I always wanted to work on rotary but couldn't find the work, so i went onto fixed. When I tried to go back towards rotary, always got the "no experiance" crap. It's the same old thing, no one wants to hire you because you don't have experiance, but how are you suppose to get experiance if they won't hire you!

My 2 Cents.

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:11 am

I want to go rotary wing for sure, I'm in school right now and it seems most of the students here have plans to go into fixed wing. We get speakers from Jazz, WestJet, Canjet, IMP, etc. almost every second month selling themselfs.

When I first started school back in September 2005 " Coguar Helicopters" in NFLD needed an apprentice. I would've taken that spot in a second.

As lifestyle I assume it's alot more travelling and bush maintenance which sounds awsome to me. My current instuctor has 30 years in Canadian Coast Guard with the 212, 206, and MBB 105's. His story's reflect that. lol

I'd much rather that, than late nights, 4 on 4 off, whatever. Nothing against that, i'd rather be somewhere else and not bitter at what I'm doing as alot of ppl sound on this forum.

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 5:00 pm

Move Then Apply *OR* Apply Then Move??

I live in Halifax, but would much like to work in the West Coast. Do company's hire people who live away from base, or does it make more sense to move then apply?

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 5:15 pm

Would anyone wanna be awsome and post an
" Apprentice Toolbox MEL" ?

That'd be awsome. My only tool is a pair of Snap-On duckbills I got for christmas and I'm wondering what else I'm gonna need other than drives, etc Cheers.

Rcketchik · Post by **Rcketchik** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 am

That would be wicked, I would also like to know what else would be a good starter tool box

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:52 am

well yeah I'm hoping to get some help on this from the expert's. I guess CAMC & Snap-On are now providing 20% off to it's members.
We have a CAMC rep at our school today, then the ARAMC( Atlantic Regional Aircraft Maintenance Conference 2006)tomorrow.

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Sun Apr 23, 2006 5:46 am

Well the ARAMC( Atlantic Regional Aircraft Maintenance Conference 2006) was awsome, great booth set ups lots of info and free stuff!!!
Moncton, NB next year should be awsome as well.

No posts on the "Apprentice MEL Toolbox" but my school is giving out one soon so I'll post it when I get it.

Rcketchik! Hows the job market in your area, I want to move to Richmond and try to get on with CHC.

Flyboy_172 · Post by **Flyboy_172** » Sun Apr 23, 2006 10:03 am

hey FreaKy_DeaKy, this may help you out......

1. One set of standard 12-pt. combination wrenches : 3/8" to 1", plus the following additional sizes - 1/4", 5/16" and 11/32"

2. 1/4" drive socket set: ratchet, 3" and 6" extension, universal joint and std. height 12 point sockets (3/16" to 1/2") power bar too!!

3. 3/8" drive socket set: ratchet, 3" and 6" extensions, universal joint and std. height 12 point sockets sizes 3/8" to 3/4", power bar too

4. 3/8" speed handle

5. Screw driver set!! (Sears has a good set on sale...Geardrive! comes in a black plastic case with a std handle and stubby too, awsome set was like 60 bucks)

6. Hammers: ball peen and soft face

7. pliers set: channel lock, duck bill, needle nose and diagonal/side cutters.....also Vise Grips...but be careful how you use them!!!!!!!!!

8. Allen Key set: standard imperial sizes...Not interchangeable with metric sizes

9. feeler gauge set (imperial units - not metric)

10. inspection mirror and a good flashlight

11. telescoping magnet

12. mechanical fingers

13. plastic scraper

14. ruler

15. ratchet wrenches; 5/16", 3/8", 7/16"

16. Magnifying glass (10x power)

17. lockwire twisting pliers....do yourself a favour, invest in a decent pair

18. deep sockets, 1/4" and 3/8" drive

19. files

20. scissors

I hope that helps a little bit......this is the list that my school gave out. Remeber that if you have to borrow it once off of somebody chances are you will need it again in the future....keep a list of what you borrow then go out and buy it for yourself.....

also as for tool boxes...to start a small tool box (7x7x16) should be good....i got a roller cab. 41" long to hold all my stuff in (mind you i have more tools then this list) but i did not get the top chest...i use the top of my tool box as a desk....works good

good luck !!

Rcketchik · Post by **Rcketchik** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 9:54 am

Flyboy_172, Thats great.. thanks for taking the time to write us out a list!

FreaKy_DeaKy, Job market.. well most of the AME's I talk to seem to have no problem getting a job. I havn't even started my school yet. I'll be going to BCIT starting in October. Where are you working right now?

cheers

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:04 am

well i'm still in school but looking at getting on somewhere this summer hopefully. Soon as I'm done school I'm moving out to Richmond if all goes well.

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 12:54 pm

by the way Flyboy_172, THANKS for the post..lol.
hope that'll help ppl out, i'll post mine when my school gives it out.

tellyourkidstogetarealjob · Sun Apr 30, 2006 1:28 am

FreaKy_DeaKy wrote: As lifestyle I assume it's alot more travelling and bush maintenance which sounds awsome to me. My current instuctor has 30 years in Canadian Coast Guard with the 212, 206, and MBB 105's. His story's reflect that. lol

I'd much rather that, than late nights, 4 on 4 off, whatever. Nothing against that, i'd rather be somewhere else and not bitter at what I'm doing as alot of ppl sound on this forum.

Have I ever got the company for you. Look up who operates S64 helicopters out of B.C. and apply there. Throw in a copy of your posts for good measure. They would love you! Just their type!

But if you do go to B.C. make sure you have the airfare home, just in case. The schools have expanded their programs in B.C. considerably (almost double) in the last 5 years so there's a glut of graduates in that province.

Blakey · Post by **Blakey** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 7:38 am

Flyboy_172 wrote:hey FreaKy_DeaKy, this may help you out......

1. One set of standard 12-pt. combination wrenches : 3/8" to 1", plus the following additional sizes - 1/4", 5/16" and 11/32"

2. 1/4" drive socket set: ratchet, 3" and 6" extension, universal joint and std. height 12 point sockets (3/16" to 1/2") power bar too!!

3. 3/8" drive socket set: ratchet, 3" and 6" extensions, universal joint and std. height 12 point sockets sizes 3/8" to 3/4", power bar too

4. 3/8" speed handle

5. Screw driver set!! (Sears has a good set on sale...Geardrive! comes in a black plastic case with a std handle and stubby too, awsome set was like 60 bucks)

6. Hammers: ball peen and soft face

7. pliers set: channel lock, duck bill, needle nose and diagonal/side cutters.....also Vise Grips...but be careful how you use them!!!!!!!!!

8. Allen Key set: standard imperial sizes...Not interchangeable with metric sizes

9. feeler gauge set (imperial units - not metric)

10. inspection mirror and a good flashlight

11. telescoping magnet

12. mechanical fingers

13. plastic scraper

14. ruler

15. ratchet wrenches; 5/16", 3/8", 7/16"

16. Magnifying glass (10x power)

17. lockwire twisting pliers....do yourself a favour, invest in a decent pair

18. deep sockets, 1/4" and 3/8" drive

19. files

20. scissors

I hope that helps a little bit......this is the list that my school gave out. Remeber that if you have to borrow it once off of somebody chances are you will need it again in the future....keep a list of what you borrow then go out and buy it for yourself.....

also as for tool boxes...to start a small tool box (7x7x16) should be good....i got a roller cab. 41" long to hold all my stuff in (mind you i have more tools then this list) but i did not get the top chest...i use the top of my tool box as a desk....works good

good luck !!

Another thing you will definitely need is a decent, but not too good, set of wrenches and sockets that you can mangle. Princess Auto is about the best mix of price and quality for their house brand tools. You need these so that you can grind, bend, weld and cut them to make your own special tools for tricky jobs and locations. Every AME has a few of these in his toolbox and it's better not to ruin your Snap-on sockets for one job.

624 · Post by **624** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 9:57 am

Here is a link to a whole thread on tools.
tool thread

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Mon May 01, 2006 8:25 am

I'll pretty much move anywhere to work on Helicopters. I'm still in school for another year(Boo-Urns). But I'm stoked to get a job in the workforce when I do graduate.

As for the flood of students in BC I have thought of that. The only thing I'm hoping for is alot of them head into the airlines instead of Helicopter operations. Then I guess it'll come down to the best person for the job. I have no problems with that. The only thing else might be expensive interviews since I live in Halifax. I can't see a company paying for that, and I dobut they just do a phone interview. I could move out there and then begin my search. I've got tons of bartending and serving experince, so it won't be hard to grab a job in the beverage industry. I'm staying positive

Great Tool posts everyone.

My instructor has told me storys of company's reinburshing ppl for having to deform there tool(s) in order to complete a job, but that's probably not the case everywhere.

Flyboy_172 · Post by **Flyboy_172** » Mon May 01, 2006 2:40 pm

FreaKy_DeaKy, one more year will just fly by.....i only have 4 more weeks left and on a positive note.....the hiring trend is getting better ( well at least for the guys/gals who start looking 2-3 months before grad.)
I started looking for a job in January (06) and now i have 4 weeks left and it has paid off!!!

the key is start looking EARLY!!!! and trust me that last year does fly by.......

I am not gonna buy snapon tools, i am think i am gonna buy PROTO, can anyone please give me some feedback on proto tools.....all the time i hear about snapon this and Mac that !!

(no pun intended)

Just curious!!

Thanks

fmrc3ame · Post by **fmrc3ame** » Mon May 01, 2006 5:53 pm

Generally the Proto tools are pretty good. But when one of them fails this is where their customer service really bites. I had purchased a 1/4" drive deep 12 point socket set from a reputable dealer, when the sidewall of the 5/16" cracked. I attempted to return to the dealer and was informed that I had to send it directly to Proto for replacement. To make a long story short the shipping would have been more expensive than buying a new one. Be careful as well if you purchase the 12 point 1/4 drive deep sockets from Craftsman, as they are only available in the US. I have this set of Craftsman sockets and they have given me no problems so far. Proto may have cleaned up this customer service but when buying tools ask about their return policies, it will give you a better idea to hassle free returns.

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Tue May 02, 2006 3:14 pm

That's a really good point. Save yourself the trouble by findinh out the polices of the dealer or manufacter.

I've heard alot about wall thickness of sockets. Probably one of the better points in buying a set other than who made it.

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Tue May 02, 2006 3:21 pm

Flyboy_172

Dude that's awsome, congrat's.
Yeah I've already started to look for jobs, but rather I'm just building a list of employer's to send my resume to when i'm nearing completion of my course.
Hopefully then someone will hire me.

64cruzr · Post by **64cruzr** » Wed May 03, 2006 7:34 am

Some tool tips:

1. Buy a snap on ratcheting screwdriver, it's my most used tool and hasn't failed in 10 years.

2. Proto sockets are good, but the ratchets really suck. I bought the set when I started and upgraded to snap on ratchets later.

3. The Mastercraft regular and stubby wrenches are good for the $$ when you catch their sales, usually every second month. Get the sets that are 1/4" to 7/8".

4. Also think about 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 9/16" swivel sockets.

5. Most guys in the field I've seen have the snapon offset wrench set in their box, but they're pretty expensive, $500 for 1/4" to 1". I have the set and really only use the 9/16" mostly for hydraulic/fuel/oil line fittings. So wait and see if you really need them for sure.

6. I've also bought these and use them All the time, probably one of the most used tools: ADP10 and ADP7 from snap on. They're an adjustable wrench plier that are parallel and smooth. Expensive, but worth it.

Keep in mind that in school, it's a perfect world, so you may not be able to use some things like wire twisters, you have to learn the basics first, so you'll be duckbilling it for awhile, so I'd wait on those and the #6 pliers as well, but likely when you finally get your first job the snap on truck will be pulled up outside waiting to take your money. Have fun.

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:04 pm

yeah I got a pair of snap-on duckbills for xmas that are awsome. at my school we have some twist pilers but my instructor said i can't use them until i graduate...lol. which makes sense. i want to learn the right way first then take on other skills, even though they save alot of time and effort,, lol. those things are awsome.

fmrc3ame · Post by **fmrc3ame** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:43 pm

Wait until you've tried the "Safe-T-cable" system. You'll think you've died and gone to heaven when you lockwire. Still prefer the old tried and true duckbills though.

FreaKy_DeaKy · Post by **FreaKy_DeaKy** » Fri May 05, 2006 6:04 am

really.......(thinking?) lol

sounds interesting. They've made a turnbuckle gig at school with panels in it to reach into. it's pretty neat, training equipment. So you can saftey over & over & over, fun.

* Apprentice AME Question(s) Thread *

* Apprentice AME Question(s) Thread *

Move Then Apply OR Apply Then Move??

* TOOL BOX *

MEL TOOL LIST

Re: MEL TOOL LIST

Snapon vs. ?????

Flyboy_172