life as an AME

[acidgambit]

i just got into an airline as an apprentice in the M Category.
I graduated from BCIT and all the instructors told us that it's a stressful job, a lot of pressure.
They said that you get graveyard shifts, a lot of OT, work on weekends maybe holidays too.
That's all i know. I love airplanes and willing to face the challenge.

What should i expect as an apprentice just starting work?
Graveyard shifts already?
Any kind of conflicts, problems that i might run into?
Training?
I am pretty nervous right now because apprentices like me are inexperienced and have lack of knowledge on the work.
Anybody willing to share their experience would be very helpful. Thanks and i appreciate it.

[ybp]

The shift you work is really your choice. I was driving truck (24/7) and wanted to find an 8-5 job so I became an AME...everyone thought that I was crazy doing that and expecting 8-5. But I found a good job right out of school and I still enjoy it.

There is some overtime involved, but that is expected, because planes don't make money sitting on the ground. We get just enough OT to break up the routine and have to work the odd weekend or holiday, but hey, that is part of life and you have to live with it. If you don't like it, DON'T WHINE ABOUT IT, just move on to another job when one becomes available. Whining will only make the workplace harder and less enjoyable.

As far as training, as an apprentice don't expect to go on a bunch of endorsement courses. Once you are licensed or close to it, they may start sending you out for training. It costs the company a bundle to have an apprentice trained where they could train an engineer instead.

I am have only been in the industry about five years but if you want my .02 about apprentices, don't be afraid to ask questions. RTFM (Read the #$%^ing Manual)!!! That will get you a long way...the right way. Don't spend all day reading manuals trying to figure out how to do a simple task, but look in the manuals first, then as where to find the instructions. They may give it to you verbally if it is simple, or they might send you back to the manuals.

Be willing do do things the way you are told an not they way you think it should be done...there is usually a reason things are done the way they are. Especially if they are done differently then the manual says....which does happen occasionally.

Good luck. And have lots of fun.

ps. If it isn't broke, fix it till it is!!

[Connaught]

i'll agree with ybh, the shiftwork is a choice, you will find larger airline type operations have shiftwork - as they need 24 hour coverage but there are definetely day jobs available, in the case of where i am (australia) the day jobs pay less - night shift pay more that's the trade off, i don't know what it is like back home, (i worked at Jazz(yyc) and Spar in yeg)

with my apprentii i am not particularly fussed if they are 'reading' the manual, as long as they are asking 'good' not 'stoopud' questions

don't be afraid to take a little longer than the other guy that has done it a million times, i would rather you do it right the first time

don't be afraid to consult the manuals

don't be afraid to use the right tools

don't be afraid to double check your own work, and don't feel like a twit when we check it over, we are signing it out

and yes ybh is right if an engineer tells you a different way than the manual it is for a reason, many times i have found the manual tells you how to do things the long way,

my most important thing is
if you are going to connect something then finish connecting it, DO NOT leave hyd lines finger tight, DO NOT place a canon plug on and not tighten it down, this has caught many people i know, including myself out. don't put anything 'half' on it will bite you in the ass

[SeptRepair]

my most important thing is
if you are going to connect something then finish connecting it, DO NOT leave hyd lines finger tight, DO NOT place a canon plug on and not tighten it down, this has caught many people i know, including myself out. don't put anything 'half' on it will bite you in the ass

Good advice, and have the balls the tell your DOM or another AME to wait 2 minutes when you are in the middle of tightening something up before you come running to them when they bark at you for help.

[skydrolboy]

It all boils down to where you work. I've never been forced to work a graveyard shift, I've always been asked if I minded. OT is great but not mandatory, and don't expect OT right when you start. Most places want you to be fairly self sufficient before they will ask you to come in on a weekend or holiday. And the company will give you the bare minimum in training until they get a feel for you and wiether your gonna stick around for awhile.

If you feel comfortable in letting us know where you working most of us could give you insight into the working conditions. If not send out a PM and we can answer questions.

[acidgambit]

Hey guys,
I really appreciate you guys taking your time to answer my question. They were awesome to read. And to Skydrolboy's question---->Air Canada.

So anybody that used to work for AC or is working for AC right now, it would be awesome if you guys shared your experience. Thank you very much

[casey]

Another good habit to get in to is when asked to change a serialized component whether by job card are other means is to check if possible the s/n of the item being changed because sometimes the info that comes from planning may be wrong.After all the data entry people sometimes make typos.It may save you some grief.

[coolame]

So anybody that used to work for AC or is working for AC right now, it would be awesome if you guys shared your experience. Thank you very much

Wayyy back when I was in college I did a co-op at AC during my march break. I was all gung-ho about going to AC after college, but after that week I wanted nothing to do with them or any union environment. The people there were lazy and didn't want to do f**kall...at most the bare minimum...and those were the guys who were on probation. I was lucky enough to be paired up with an AWESOME ame (dave w !!) and we worked our butts off while most of the rest of the crew slept in the aircrafts. Anyway not a good experience i thought, I'll never apply there, I'd rather make 22/hr at porter, ha