What's the point here with all this back & forth about the A&P on the Line????
If we're talking rif's......in order to bump a line mechanic you need the A&P and you need to pass the A25 for general line or A30 for the avionics shop. The tests are in the QAM. It's not so difficult people!
I know it is not difficult, I know where everything is at. However there are those who do not. Thanks for the information. The point is that a license is not required at the maintenance base(s). The work can be performed under the carriers certificate. I am pretty sure that to maintain the revenue stream to the TWU International, mechanics of all types will be allowed to use their seniority if the company allows it.
Aviation Week
Q. What is the difference between an FAA certificate and a license?
A. No difference. The FAA mechanic certificate ate is frequently referred to as a license.
Q. Must I have an FAA mechanic certificate to get a job as an airline mechanic?
A. No. Possession of an FAA mechanic certificate for employment by an air carrier is not a
requirement of the Federal Aviation Regulations. It is often used by the air carriers as one of
several hiring requirements.
Q. Can I work as an aviation mechanic without being certificated?
A. Yes, providing you work under the supervision of a certificated person and do not release
aircraft to service.
Q. Must I hold a mechanic certificate to work in a certificated repair station?
A. No.
Line maintenance, long considered the last bastion against the accelerating trend to outsource maintenance, now appears to be fast tracked in the direction of third-party vendors. It is easy to see why.
According to BACK Aviation Solutions and TeamSAI, line maintenance accounts for $8.9 billion, or 23 percent, of the $38 billion worldwide commercial jet transport MRO market (see O&M, April 2005, p. 58 for complete forecast).
"This means that, on average, about 23 percent of an airline's maintenance cost is devoted to line work," said Steve Casley, managing director at BACK. "With cost reductions the primary focus in the post-9/11 world, it's only logical that line service will be the next segment of maintenance to be more commonly outsourced."
However, line maintenance is the most difficult aspect of maintenance to outsource because it directly impacts day-of-flight operations, said Casley. Historically, line maintenance only has been contracted out by airlines operating too few flights at specific locations to justify their own on-site line service capability. "In those cases, the work went mostly to other airlines which did line maintenance at those airports. But with airline service cutbacks at many airports, independent MRO providers, who forged relationships with airlines on engine repairs and airframe overhauls, are seeing the opportunity to leverage those relationships into line work," said Casley.
One example is TIMCO Aviation Services, the Greensboro, N.C.-based heavy maintenance specialist that moved into line work two years ago.
"We saw line maintenance outsourcing as a paradigm shift and as a growth opportunity," said Jack Arehart, the company's senior vice president, business development. "Many carriers still view line work as a part of their branding and integral to their service. But as they see the MRO industry provide the service at lower cost, and other carriers taking advantage of it, they will look seriously at outsourcing line work to quality third-party providers."
TIMCO currently provides line maintenance at nine U.S. airports. At eight of those locations, it took over line services from a major carrier. Other customers include low-cost carriers and start-ups that have contracted out line work from the start, said Arehart. In addition to on-call line services, TIMCO also provides overnight checks at some of its locations. "Under some of our line service contracts, we will get multiple airplanes of a specific fleet type for scheduled overnight checks. The checks include specified log book items that need servicing or repairs, as well as work listed on special task cards such as the removal and replacement of time-limited components," he said.
According to Arehart, companies that already offer heavy maintenance and checks will have a competitive advantage when entering the line maintenance field because of their work force and because of the changing nature of line maintenance. "At one time, an overnight line check might include little more than changing a tire or a brake. Now, it encompasses more work that was done during a heavy check."
