What can I expect on my oral and piratical exam for my A&P licence?

Question

What can I expect on my oral and piratical exam for my A&P licence?

Answer 1

The oral and practical examination for the mechanic certificate can be obtained for a FAA examiner.  The FAA examiner is called a Designated Mechanic Examiner or DME.  The DME does charged for their services and you can expect to pay from $300 to $500 for the examination and in some case more depending where the examiner tests.  A list of designated examiners in your area can be obtained from the nearest FAA District Office or better known as a FDSO.

The Designated Mechanic Examiner will have their own shop and set of practical projects to test your skills during the practical.  These projects can be on a real aircraft or test fixtures the examiner has made up to simulate the aircraft system.  The examiner will provide all the tools, equipment, and instruction manuals required for the practical test.

The examiner will select the practical test project you will have to take based on your experience, what equipment they have, and what he believes to meet the testing standards.  The oral and practical tests cover 43 technical subjects.  All the oral test questions on the examination are in the FAA practical test standard (PTS) published by the FAA.  Be advised the oral test questions are not provided on the FAA web site and are considered a controlled document.

If you fail part of a test, you have to wait 30 days before you can take it again, unless you give a letter to the Examiner showing you've gotten additional training in the areas you failed.

You must pass all the tests within a 24-month period.  The FAA will then issue you a certificate.

The oral and practical tests will cover the following areas:

General



1. Basic Electricity

2. Aircraft drawing

3. Weight and balance

4. Fluid lines and fittings

5. Materials and processes

6. Ground operation and servicing

7. Cleaning and corrosion control

8. Maintenance forms and records

Airframe Test Subjects

Structures



1. Wood structures

2. Aircraft covering

3. Aircraft finishes

4. Sheet metal structures

5. Welding

6. Assembly and rigging

7. Airframe inspection



Systems and Components



1. Landing gear systems

2. Hydraulic pneumatic power system

3. Cabin atmosphere control systems

4. Instrument systems

5. Communication and navigation systems

6. Fuel systems

7. Electrical systems

8. Position and warning systems

9. Ice and rain control systems

10. Ice and rain control systems

11. Fire protection systems

Powerplant Test Subjects

Theory and Maintenance

1. Reciprocating engine maintenance and overhaul

2. Turbine engine maintenance and overhaul

Systems and Components



1. Lubricating systems

2. Ignition systems

3. Fuel metering systems

4. Induction systems

5. Engine cooling systems

6. Engine exhaust systems

7. Propellers

8.

If you already hold either an Airframe or Powerplant rating you will not be tested on the General section test subjects.

The examiner will grade you as pass or fail on each subject test area given.  If you fail a test area you will have to re-test the area failed with the same examiner.  If you chose to use a different examiner you will be required to retest all the subject areas over.

Upon successful completion of the oral and practical test, the examiner will complete the FAA Form 8610-2 on the backside-indicating pass or failed.  The Form 8610-2 will be sent to the local FSDO principle maintenance inspection for processing to airman records in Oklahoma City.

Many companies provide an Oral and Practical test guide, that you can purchase.  Many of the test questions are included in their guides.  However the test guides may not have all the test questions, but they do provide enough information to allow a person to pass the oral test.

The above test standards are on the FAA web site free for download.  If you just passed your written test the oral is the same questions, but not you don't get to guess.  You will be required to explain the answer.

Answer 2

On my oral and practical exams I was required to join two pieces of aluminum .040 and .032 inches thick together with the proper rivets and correct edge spacing.  Then I had to calculate setback to bend a 6 inch piece of metal.  Following that, I was required to complete a 100 hour inspection on a Cessna 337.  I then had to explain Ohms law and measure voltage across a d.c. and an a.c. circuit.  I was required to explain how a helicopter rotor system works.  Then I had to look the which engines could be installed on a 182RG and what props would go with the engine according to the type certificate data sheets.  I also had to re-safety wire the prop bolts on a Cessna 152.  I had to inspect a Robinson R22 and show that I knew how to make proper logbook entries in aircraft, engine, and prop logbooks.  I was basically asked the same question that were on my written tests, with the hitch being it was not multiple choice.  If the DME saw that I was not sure about an answer I gave he would dig a little deeper until he was satisfied that I knew why the answer I gave was correct.  I also had to be intimately familiar with the FAR's.  All in all, it took about 12 and a half hours.  If any of this sound foreign to you, you are probably not ready to take your oral and practical

Answer 3

To pass a piratical exam, you must know how to say, "Aaarghhh..." and "Avast, ye lubbers!"   You have to know how to make a person walk the plank, and what to feed a parrot.

You probably mean "practical exam."  There are a number of study guides on the market, and the syllabus is available on line.

Good luck!