Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (LAME) Career in Australia

Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (LAME) Career in Australia

How to become a LAME in Australia

Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers in Australia 

You must be at least 21 years of age, have at least 4 years experience in maintenance of aircraft or aircraft component maintenance. You must also have at least 2 years experience in the use of class license. One is classified as a body (AF), engine (English) or electrical, instrument and radio (EI & R).

The best place to gain experience through employment with the airline, defense, or general aviation.
You should also know how to read, write and understand English language, English is recognized worldwide as the standard language of aviation, there is no disability that may affect your ability to perform his duties.

You must complete a CASA endorsed training course on the aircraft type that the licence is for. (eg. Boeing 747, Cessna 120, and Bell 47). This is commonly known as aircraft type training.

Prior to completion of training aircraft type you should have all the basic requirements of knowledge for the license rating. Basic knowledge related to things such as aircraft systems, structures and theory of flight.
Basic knowledge is proved by either passing all of the appropriate CASA core and specific group examinations (known as the Basic), or completion of formal training in a recognized institution (according to CASA AME licensing section).
You must also have completed the Basic Airworthiness Authority examination (AA) within 24 months of the license is issued.

You must demonstrate practical experience to the CASA aircraft type that the license is requested on. This practical experience may be in the form of "Schedule Experience" (SOE), which is a log of tasks performed on aircraft and signed by LAME, which are certified for the task, or at the end of Log Industrial Experience and achievement in other work that is related to the rating sought .

Once these conditions have been met you can apply for CASA, CASA, and if CASA are satisfied with your knowledge and experience they should issue you with an AME Licence.

Detailed information “Engineer Career Guide” found on the CASA website
https://www.casa.gov.au/standard-page/aircraft-maintenance-engineer-career-guide
The sources of information on this subject were sourced from:
Civil Aviation Regulation CAR 31
Airworthiness Advisory Circular AAC Part 9 AME Licensing
AME Licensing Procedures Manual

Available from the CASA website www.casa.gov.au

An Aircraft Maintenance Engineer(AME) is a blend of mechanical aptitude and technical skills

An Aircraft Maintenance Engineer(AME) is a blend of mechanical aptitude and technical skills

 An Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) is a person authorized to maintain and certify in written airworthiness standards of an aircraft. An AME should possess high degree of responsibility and accuracy of mechanical aptitude and technical skills to undertake such responsibility and uplift that kind of maintenance work on any aircraft.

AMEs Responsibilities: 

Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME)

•  Certifying the airworthiness of airframe, piston and turbine engines, electrical/electronics systems, propellers and rotary systems
• To carry out periodic inspections and troubleshooting aircraft structural, mechanical or electrical systems to identify problems
• Repairing systems within the tolerance limits according to specifications, technical drawings, manuals and established procedures 
• Repairing and overhauling aircraft structural, mechanical or electrical systems
• Installing or modifying aircraft engines, mechanical, hydraulic,electrical, flight control, fuel and pneumatic systems
• Dismantling airframes, aircraft engines or other aircraft systems for repair, overhaul, inspection and reassembly
• Supervising, performing and documenting routine maintenance
• AMEs generally work regular office hours, but may sometimes work overtime hours when deadlines arise.

AMEs Personal Characteristics:

•  Good eyesight and hearing
•  Good observation skills and an ability to concentrate for longer periods of time and strong problem-solving skills
•  Good hand-eye coordination along with accurate to the smallest details
•  Good team work coordination and make decisions independently, often under pressure
• A must physical fitness and stamina to work for extended period of times
• The ability to get hold of situation and to follow instructions provided in written or blueprint form, and to interpret the same
• Good management and organizational skills
• A self motivator, a keen interest on latest trends in Aviation is appreciable
• Aircraft Maintenance Engineers should be able to visualize problems in three dimensions form and have the knack of selecting the right kind of tools, equipments and machinery to perform task requiring high degree of precision, analyzing data and troubleshooting snags and organized methods for theirs work.

AMEs Pay Check:

 An AME plays a vital role in engineering discipline in aviation organization and by virtue of big responsibilities involved in maintaining aircraft, an AME is high ranked, drawing excellent pay and perks (usually between$45,000 and $55,000 plus per year) and enjoying good facilities. A well structured career progression is ensured for an AME. With a type of rated license and experience, an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer assumes very high positions like Chief Managers Maintenance Dept., Chief Manager Quality Control and General Managers, and finally can be positioned as a Head of the Engineering services and they receive pay between $120,000 and $145,000 plus per year.

Here the dreams are unlimited. Give your dreams a wing to catch and soar into new heights of success.
Up Up All The Way ...

Keep hitting on me ..
Happy AME!

Aircraft Maintenance Engineering as a career: Sky IsThe Limit

Aircraft Maintenance Engineering as a career: Sky IsThe Limit

Aircraft Maintenance Engineer's (AMEs) Career:
 Maintaining aircraft is a highly specialized job that requires precise technical knowledge and mechanical skills.Depending upon license certification and experience you entry as a technician or as an AME. 
Initially choosing carefully area of specialization is very important, you have option to choose mechanical or avionics stream. 

Aircraft Maintenance Engineer

By acquiring a variety of engine and/or avionic system licenses, an AME improves their prospects of employment.Further the AME's are divided as a Line Maintenance Engineers and Flight Engineers depending on your type of license and expertise. Regular travel may not be part of the deal, but some aircraft maintenance engineers do lead an exciting life moving with aircraft, ensuring airworthy standards and safety of aircraft around flights.

Different Areas Of  AMEs Maintenance:

 Depending on their area of specialization and rated license, an aircraft maintenance engineer will inspect, maintain and/or repair the airframe and engine systems, the electrical and instrument systems, or the body of the aircraft. Alternatively, they may choose to work on sections of the aircraft only (rather than on the aircraft as a whole) overhauling, repairing and modifying components in a workshop. These tradespeople are often referred to as 'aircraft mechanics or technicians' who, traditionally, have not been subject to licensing. Upon completion of license these trade mechanics ranked as senior AMEs. Over a period of time, AMEs are ranked as chief engineers and line maintenance managers, and are responsible of supervising and maintaining airworthy standards in and around work place.

  AMEs Tasks:
 On the aircraft, an aircraft maintenance engineer may maintain, inspect and rectifying the defects of landing gear, brakes, hydraulic systems, instrument and radio systems, autopilot, integrated flight or radar systems, environmental control systems or fire detection and prevention systems. Or they may carry out a variety of metal forming or joining processes using hand or power tools to produce or repair aircraft sheet-metal.
 
  AMEs in workshop, will be overhauling, testing and modifying airframe and engine components, gas turbines or piston engines, pneumatic and hydraulic devices, power distribution systems, or radio communications and navigation system components.

 'There's more variety in general aviation. You get to work on big and small, as well as new and old aircraft and there's more happening in terms of new developments - small turbine engines are getting smaller and better, and in avionics (radio) things are really changing.'

Sky Is The Limit

 Students have the opportunity to seek employment with various airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and repair/overhaul facilities in heavy maintenance hangers called as MRO's(Maintenance Repair Overhaul).

  The aviation industry is taking off, creating an unprecedented demand for trained Aircraft Maintenance Engineers.The work of aircraft maintenance engineer may not be exiting and glamorous but aircraft maintenance engineers are just as vital to the aviation industry. Without AMEs you can't even imagine to fly. Aircraft Maintenance Engineers are the nuts and bolts of aviation.
Are you passionate about aviation and always questioned, how an object sustains in air and like challenges, then  you made the right choice.
Spread your Wings Sky Is The Limit ...

 In this article i made an effort to familiarize you, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering as a career and its nature of work.Next post relates to what it needs to be a successful AME and salary packages in industry.

Keep hitting on me ..
Happy AME !

You have wished that you had chosen a different career!

You have wished that you had chosen a different career!

Image via Wikipedia

Great Airplane

You Might Be An Aircraft Mechanic If....

You've ever slept on the concrete under a wing. You've ever said "Oh yes sir, its supposed to look like that"

You know what JP4 or 145 octane tastes like.

You've ever used a black grease pencil to fix an overworked tire.

You have a better bench-stock in the pockets of your coveralls than the supply system.

You've ever used a piece of safety wire as a toothpick.

You've ever been told to go get "some prop wash and a yard of flight-line."

You've ever worked a 14 hour shift on a aircraft that isn't flying the next day.

You can sleep anywhere, anytime, but as soon as the engines shut down you are wide-awake.

You've ever stood on wheel chocks to keep your feet dry.

Used dikes to trim fingernails.

Wiped leaks immediately prior to crew show.

Wondered where they keep finding the idiots that keep making up stupid rules.

You've ever had to de-fuel an aircraft an hour after refueling it.

You've used a wheel chock as a hammer.

You know more about your coworkers than your own family.

You ever wished the pilot would say "Great Airplane".

You've ever wondered why it takes a college degree to break an airplane but only a high school diploma to fix one.

You have used a wooden chock as a pillow while sleeping on a push back tug.

You have scuba dived a lavatory tank to remove everything under the sun.

You have had a pilot ask you why the valve stems on all the tires are not the same size.

You have had a steering bypass pin fall out during a blinding snowstorm while in a near red-line turn.....BOOM!!!

You have had a starter hang while performing a manual start on a RC-130!!!! You just screwed up something really expensive.....D'OH!!!!

You have seen the "northern lights" inside the cabin while being shocked by a ballast (200v).

You have had fire lick the back of your neck after getting that inop APU FINALLY started (tub removed).

You have told someone that you are an aircraft mechanic only to have them say, "But not on the engines...right?"

You have been blamed by management for looking where you were NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING.

You have wanted to put your foot up a pilot's butt on many occasions.

You have wished that you had chosen a different career!

Aerospace Engineering Salary And Career Education

Aerospace Engineering Salary And Career Education

Careers in Aerospace Engineering

Elementary High School College

Courses and Subjects  :

Aerospace Engineering

 Math, Science, Physics, Trig, Algebra, Calculus, English (!)........>Engineering Courses

Information Gathering:
Family, Friends
Library, Magazines, Internet
CAP, Scouts, EAA
Teachers, Professors
Co-op, Intern

Aerospace Engineering Employers Employed in:

• Government

  -  DOD, NASA, FAA

• Private Industry

  -  Civil Aviation, General Aviation, Military Aircraft, Spacecraft

• Academia

  -  Teaching, Research
Italicized text shows areas of personal experience related to Military Aircraft

Aerospace Engineering Salaries:

• Analytical Design

• Field Service

• Manufacturing

• Materials and Processes

• Software

• Systems

• Test

Aerospace Engineering Knowledge:

• Analytical

- Aerodynamics

1. Performance
2. Stability & Control
3. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

 - Guidance and Control
 - Strength
 - Loads
 - Propulsion
 - Structural Dynamics

  - Aerodynamics

• Performance

  -  Determine drag, range, fuel use, airspeed, altitude

• Stability & Control

  -  Determine flying qualities, math model of aircraft dynamics, spin analysis

• Computational Fluid Dynamics

  -  Computational Fluid Dynamics uses computing to calculate data similar to that collected in a wind tunnel.



Salary for a typical Aerospacce Engineer according to the area is as follows:

USA Employment: 100,000 

Starting Salaries 2009: 

BS $67,000 

MS $75,000 

PhD $85,000 

Median 2008 Salary: $74,000
US$65k, Albany, New York
US$59k, Dallas , Texas
US$60k, Los Angeles, California
US$67k, Boston, Massachusetts
US$60k, Chicago, Illinois

Aircraft Maintenance Engineering is NOT a Glamor Profession like Other Aviation Career's

Aircraft Maintenance Engineering is NOT a Glamor Profession like Other Aviation Career's

The fascination for aviation made you to choose Aircraft Maintenance Engineering as your profession and is why millions of people work in aviation.


But the hard part is many students lose interest as they get understand insight professionalism of maintenance engineer in aviation and to added employment opportunities are less.

If you are unhappy with the choice of doing aircraft maintenance engineering license course and tired for not things going in your way, then make an early exits.

Better late than never, take a decision and wind up things. Start a new career.

Say frankly you might be got lost passion in aircraft maintenance engineering, butaviation isn't just aircraft maintenance, or "piloting." Aviation is an entire world above and beyond the cockpit.

Aviation is aircraft design, systems engineering, test piloting, search and rescue, human factors, air traffic control, jet mechanics, electrical engineering, computer systems, airport management, space exploration, customer service, and much more!

Be in aviation they are better options in aviation sector. But the sad part is we never encourage our self to do so and get diversified to new horizons of opportunities.

As said take decision and they are good number of universities and colleges across India and in abroad to count aircraft maintenance engineering experience and based on that experience you can earn a aircraft maintenance license degree or a B.Tech degree in aeronautical engineering.

Now neither nor less to say having a b.tech degree in hands have a lot many career options than just being an AME engineer with 10+2 qualification.

My sincere advice is to do degree on distance education and if you had completed your aircraft maintenance engineering course and has some aviation working experience, then find out colleges and universities providing aviation related degree programs.

Mean while, in coming articles i will come up with information on universities and colleges providing aviation programs based on aircraft maintenance engineering license.
Hope you all enjoyed the post.

Happy AME!

Is Aeronautical Engineering is a Branch of Aerospace Engineering? Do you know First Airplane was designed by a Pair of Bicycle Makers?

Is Aeronautical Engineering is a Branch of Aerospace Engineering? Do you know First Airplane was designed by a Pair of Bicycle Makers?

What is Aeronautical Engineering?
Aeronautical Engineering is a sub-branch of aerospace engineering. Though few people often interchange these two terms. Basically aeronautical involve activity of designing, developing and constructing of machine planes that can fly, as commonly know by aircraft.

The aeronautical engineers primarily responsible for creation of safer and more energy efficient economical methods for travelling including aircraft, helicopters, satellites, missiles and spacecrafts.
These includes science of propulsion and aerodynamics, even it covers the development and selection of materials and equipment that are utilized in aircraft.

Aero Engineer's are part of the designing process to make the fastest vehicle. Eg: Airplanes that weighs over a million pounds can ease into the air and spacecraft travels 17.000 miles an hour.

What do Aeronautical Engineers do?
Aero engineers bring concept into reality by emphasising on the design of aerofoils(wings). Propulsion is another aspect in aeronautical engineering. The force of propulsion helps an airplane to remain in flight, and encompasses the design and development of engines. These two basic principles are considered when choice of material for aircraft design, strenght and weight. Selection of material is a crucial area of specialization for the aeronautical engineering

As a Aero graduates you can specialize in any areas including:
Structural designing, Flight mechanic and control system, Aerodynamics, Instrumentation and communication, Manufacturing and maintenance.

Wright Brothers bicycle

Aeronautical Engineering Career Opportunities:
Commercial aviation industry
Government defence forces
Flight crew in both commercial and defence aviation
Research institutes
Space exploration centres.

Aeronautical Engineers Employers includes:
Aer Lingus, Airbus the Air Corps, FLS Aerospace, Rolls Royce and Ryanair to name but a few.

Aeronautical Engineering Future Prospects:
Create new, innovative methods of transportation to meet future demands.
Improve safety of an aircraft travel with more energy-efficient, economical methods
Develop and manufactures rockets and satellites.
Research and development formula one racing cars.
Perform and supervising the design of military aircraft.

Aeronautical Engineering salary: The average aeronautical engineer earns over $90,000 a year.

The first airplane was designed by a pair of bicycle makers, who worked on it largely as a hobby.
Wright Brothers bicycle on display at the National Air and Space Museum.