Finding an A&P Mechanic: Verify Authority, Scope and Records

Finding an A&P mechanic is not a popularity contest. The useful question is whether a particular person or shop has the certificate authority, current data, task familiarity, equipment, capacity and communication process required for your aircraft and this job.

That can be checked before the aircraft is opened up.

First, identify the approval the job needs

"A&P" is shorthand for a mechanic holding airframe and powerplant ratings. The ratings matter because airframe and powerplant privileges are defined separately in Part 65.

An annual inspection adds another question. Under 14 CFR 65.95, a mechanic exercising inspection-authorisation privileges may inspect and approve for return to service an aircraft after an annual inspection, subject to that section's requirements. A repair station or other authorised person may operate under a different approval structure.

Write down:

• the aircraft make, model, serial number and certificate category;
• the inspection, discrepancy or modification requested;
• the system or product involved;
• whether an annual, major repair, major alteration or specialist approval is implicated; and
• who is expected to approve the aircraft or article for return to service.

This prevents a referral or sign-off problem from appearing at the end of the job.

Verify the certificate, then verify task familiarity

The FAA directs the public to its Airmen Inquiry service to search for certificated pilots and mechanics. Privacy limits mean a name search is not a complete employment, enforcement or quality history, but it is a useful identity and certificate check. If the available details are insufficient, the FAA says to contact the local Flight Standards District Office.

Certificate scope alone is not the whole test. Section 65.81 says a mechanic may not exercise certificate privileges for work they have not previously performed satisfactorily unless they have shown the ability to the FAA or perform it under the supervision of an appropriately rated mechanic or repairman who has done it before.

Ask for task-relevant evidence:

• recent work on the make, model, engine or installed system;
• access to the current maintenance manual, instructions for continued airworthiness and applicable service information;
• any required tooling, calibrated equipment or specialist support; and
• the person who will inspect or sign the work.

"We work on airplanes" is not the same as a clear answer for this aircraft and task.

Agree a written scope before work starts

A short written work order can prevent most of the common communication failures. It should state:

1. the requested inspection or discrepancy;
2. the approved data or aircraft instructions that will control the work;
3. the initial labour and parts basis, including what is only an estimate;
4. the approval threshold for additional work;
5. how owner-supplied parts or outside specialists will be handled;
6. what happens if the aircraft is disassembled and the owner stops the job;
7. the expected maintenance-record entry and release; and
8. how removed parts, photographs and supporting documents will be returned.

An annual inspection and the repair of discrepancies found during that inspection are related, but they are not automatically the same commercial scope. Make the authorisation boundary explicit.

Review the work product, not the sales language

Part 43.13 requires maintenance to use methods, techniques and practices in the current manufacturer's maintenance manual or instructions for continued airworthiness, or other methods acceptable to the FAA. It also addresses tools, equipment and workmanship.

Part 43.9 sets the core maintenance-record fields: a description or reference to data, completion date, performer when different, and the signature, certificate number and certificate type of the person approving satisfactory work. Inspection records have additional requirements under Part 43.

Before accepting the aircraft, compare:

• the signed work order with the authorised scope;
• invoice items with installed or removed parts;
• the log entry with the actual work and applicable data;
• open discrepancies with the agreed disposition; and
• any operational check or return-to-service condition with the controlling instructions.

A tidy reception area cannot replace this record. A busy-looking shop is not evidence either way.

Check capacity and communication

The right technical match can still be the wrong scheduling match. Ask who owns the job, how findings will be reported, the current queue, whether parts are on hand, and what event changes the promised date.

For a larger job, set decision points: inspection opened, findings supplied, additional work authorised, assembly completed, records drafted and release ready. That gives both sides a shared picture without asking the mechanic for a daily performance.

A defensible selection record

Keep a one-page note with the candidates considered, certificate check, aircraft/task experience, proposed scope, data access, price basis, timing and references. The lowest estimate may still be the right choice; the record simply shows what was compared.

The objective is not to find a universally "great" mechanic. It is to select a person or organisation whose authority and process fit the work, then make the resulting maintenance record as clear as the invoice.

Sources

• FAA: Search for a certificated pilot or mechanic
• FAA: Airmen Inquiry
• eCFR: 14 CFR 65.81, general privileges and limitations
• eCFR: 14 CFR 65.95, inspection-authorisation privileges and limitations
• eCFR: 14 CFR 43.13, performance rules
• eCFR: 14 CFR 43.9, maintenance records