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Airframe and Power Plant Schools Provide a Nonstop Flight to Success
by Robyn Tellefsen
When you've got someplace to go, you want to get there without delay or stops along the way. (Who wants to change planes in San Antonio, anyway?) The same is true of your professional pursuits. The good news is, at  

Airframe and Power Plant

  schools, your flight to career success is nonstop.

Fly Direct to Airframe and Power Plant Schools
Ready for takeoff? Let's start with the basics. An airframe technician is authorized to work on any part of an aircraft except the instruments, power plants, and propellers. A power plant technician is authorized to work on engines and do limited work on propellers. Combination airframe and power plant technicians work on all parts of the plane except the instruments.

When you learn the ins and outs of the professions at airframe and power plant schools, you'll be equipped to keep aircrafts in safe flying condition.

Simulator for Success
To break into the airframe and power plant field, you'll need to acquire skills from one of about 170 airframe and power plant schools certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). About one-third of these airframe and power plant schools award two- and four-year degrees.

Once you've completed coursework at airframe and power plant schools, you may be certified as an airframe technician and/or power plant mechanic. The FAA requires at least 30 months of work experience for airframe and power plant certification, or completion of a program at FAA-certified airframe and power plant schools. To obtain an inspector's authorization, you must have held airframe and power plant certification for at least three years, with 24 months of hands-on experience.

In addition, FAA regulations require current work experience to keep the airframe and power plant certification valid. Unless you've logged 1,000 hours of work experience in the previous 24 months, you'll need to take a refresher course.

Frequent Flyer Miles Add Up
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and service technicians held about 142,000 jobs in 2004. That same year, median hourly earnings in the airframe and power plant industry were about $21.77, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $33.84.

Although there is a trend for large airlines to outsource airframe and power plant jobs overseas, most companies prefer that aircraft maintenance work be performed in the U.S. because of safety and regulation issues of overseas contractors.

Don't get stuck in San Antonio (or anywhere else, for that matter). Let airframe and power plant schools service your nonstop flight to professional prosperity.

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About the author:
Robyn Tellefsen is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.



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