Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Courses
Due to the global presence of aviation there Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Coursesavialable all over the world. I’m going to list some of the options available to you if you aspire to be an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME). This is a follow up to the previous “Aircraft Engineer” post. It was clear from the response to it that there is a need for clarification on this subject so this post has been writtem to answer more questions.
I will list the courses available in various countries around the globe but first let’s summarise what we mean by Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) or Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (LAME).
Just as pilots and air traffic controllers need to be licenced in order to operate safely so too do aviation engineers or technicians. The term engineer and technician mean the same thing in the aviation industry.
The technicians and engineers who service aircraft carry out crucial tasks that must be of the highest standards so it follows that they need to be trained by approved training organisations, and licensed by the national aviation authority in the country in which they operate. Some of these licences are recognised globally by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) but there are regional variations too.
Licence Types & Requirements
Here are some definitions of the licence types and their requirements. These are specific to countries governed by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) so check with your national civil aviation authority for any variations.
A Ramp or Line Maintenance Certifying Mechanic is someone with a Category A Licence obtained after a six month approved course and one year of certified experience. This enables them to carry out minor maintenance tasks and part replacements on operational aircraft between major servicing, and to certify the work done. Candidates can also study in their own time or choose a modular course, in which case they would need three years of certified experience in order to qualify.
Category A engineers can elect to specialise in these subjects:
- A1 Fixed Wing Aircraft with Turbine Engines.
- A2 Fixed Wing Aircraft with Piston Engines.
- A3 Rotary Wing Helicopters with Turbine Engines.
- A4 Rotary Wing Helicopters with Piston Engines.
To carry out more complex tasks, major overhauls and re-fits you need be a licenced Base Maintenance Certifying Technician. For this you need a Category B licence which can be obtained after a two year approved course and two years of certified experience. You can also obtain this through self study or a modular course but you would need five years of certified experience to qualify.
There are various specialisations for Category B licences too, and these are: B1.1 Fixed Wing Aircraft with Turbine Engines. B1.2 Fixed Wing Aircraft with Piston Engines.
- B1.3 Rotary Wing Helicopters with Turbine Engines.
- B1.4 Rotary Wing Helicopters with Piston Engines.
- B2 Avionic Electronic systems fitted to all aircraft.
Here then are some approved training institutions offering Aircraft Maintenance Engineering courses.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Courses in Australia
Aviation Australia (aviationaustralia.aero) is a good place to start looking. As well as their main campus in Brisbane they also provide training through their partners for Sri Lankan and Malaysian students in Colombo and Kuala Lumpur.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Courses in Canada
Fanshawe College (fanshawec.ca) provides three Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses in Avionics and Mechanics.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Courses in Germany
Aviation Technical Training (avtt.de) offer basic courses and type ratings for several Embraers types, Bombardier Dash 8s, Cessna 525s, and Learjets.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Courses in India
There are numerous colleges with multiples of options in India. A good place to look is on Shiksha.com. On the home page, click on the Careers tab and then enter Aircraft Maintenance Engineer as your search term. Alternatively, using the top menu navigate to Engineering, Popular Specializations, Aircraft Maintenance.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Courses in New Zealand
The Air New Zealand Aviation Institute (aviationinstitute.co.nz) offers courses to school leavers and those new to the aviation industry. It also offers advanced courses for type rating on a range of Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier types.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Courses in Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan Aviation College offers several courses in Aviation Maintenance, and EASA Part 66 B1.1 and B1.2.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Courses in the UK
Air Service Training offer lots of courses and they also work in partnership with institutions in India, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, and Iceland.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Courses in the USA
As you would expect of a country of this size and with aviation playing such a prominent role in America, there are dozens of places to study. Try StudyUSA.com and visit this page of results: studyusa.com/en/field-of-study/522/aviation-maintenance. Scroll to the footer to select the site in a different language.
