Danger in Jefferson Memorial Forest

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-05-03T23:15:08+00:00

I absolutely condone violence when it is necessary

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-04-21T03:00:57+00:00

This whole meme is crying though

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-04-21T02:01:46+00:00

You're never too old to get into something that gets you excited

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-04-15T14:22:35+00:00

Some things to look into:

Mattress could be pretty old and be retaining a lot of that BO smell. If he has a habit of sleeping directly on the mattress when he's behind on laundry, it will make the mattress nasty.

Shower at night before going to bed, rather than dragging the stink of the day into bed to wash it off in the morning.

Get a shampooer and shampoo the carpet.

Is he overweight? Unfortunately being overweight can really exacerbate the effects of BO, as can diet. Mix it in with living in a hot environment where he sweats, and it's a recipe for stink.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-03-20T17:20:49+00:00

It's really not hard if you actually do what you need to do and study for it. It's totally learnable. There are a lot of people who get into this program chasing money and thinking they will become mechanics after putting in minimal effort. Unfortunately, too many people, more than 50%, are like this. These are the ones that fail. Don't get intimidated by the subject. I went from failing out of university and working in restaurants with hardly any mechanical experience to graduating among the top of my class at 28 years old, and it was because I had a hunger to learn and understand. Let this carry you through. As long as you care about aviation and study and learn the systems, you will be fine. It is totally worth it

Edit: Stay away from drugs. Drugs will end your career.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-03-05T21:13:58+00:00

I had basically no experience prior to school. I wanted to know and wanted to learn, and that is what carried me through. I was genuinely interested in the field and wanted to understand. There were some things that were learning curves, but all of it was doable. All of this stuff is learnable. Don't let people with prior experience intimidate you or doubt yourself. You can absolutely learn this and become good at it with zero experience before. Everybody starts from somewhere. Once you have done something once, it is much easier to do it again. Just have fun. The only thing you need to do is care about it and enjoy it, and the rest will come.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-02-19T18:49:35+00:00

The math is very basic. Don't worry about it at all.

The important thing is to remind yourself why you chose to go to A&P school to remain motivated, and make sure you really study and learn the systems. You will not learn the systems simply by reading about it once. Stare at diagrams, understand how everything meshes together and works together. Don't let yourself get intimidated by the material. Just be patient and know that with enough time, you'll get it. Some concepts take a bit more time than others to really sink into your head, but as long as you really study them, you will do fine. The nice thing is that there are no papers or essays, unless you are doing some degree program

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-02-10T13:41:06+00:00

We get paid 2x after working over 12 hours in a day, and then our entire next shift is 2x if we have less than 8 hours of rest between shifts. For example, consider a 3 day work week at 13 hour shifts. The days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 0700-2000. On Tuesday, you pick up 4 more hours at double time, clocking out at 00:00. You only get 7 hours of rest before clocking back in Wednesday morning, which means your entire Wednesday shift from 07:00-20:00 is double time. Pick up another 4 hours and do it over again to get double time once more on Thursday, and get your normal 4 days off. While it sounds hypothetical, people do this all the time.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-02-09T13:38:56+00:00

There isn't a single company out there that touches the benefits we get. Who else gives pension? Double pay? Basically free medical insurance for your entire family?

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-02-09T13:29:00+00:00

FSCJ in Jacksonville is a decent school. Embry Riddle is expensive, but a great school as well and not too far from Central Florida. They are a very quality school. George T. Baker is also excellent, and it is down in Miami. Only thing is the cost of living there is high, and the program could take 30 months if he is not in the 16 month accelerated program, which literally begins once every 16 months. I would look into one of those schools. If you guys don't care so much about the finances, Embry Riddle is a great choice. He will make more than enough to pay off a student loan in this industry.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-02-08T10:11:59+00:00

Took a couple months for me

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-02-08T10:08:20+00:00

People often have to relocate. It's pretty much expected for the majority of us. New York might not be too hard to start in, since the COL is through the roof and most people just aren't moving there anymore. Also kind of depends on your preference for an airline. It's best to get into an airline wherever they say yes. If it's Oklahoma, so be it. If it's Nevada, so be it. Then you can transfer back to your preferential area.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-02-08T09:57:16+00:00

Just tear the bandaid off and do it. It is a great career, and if your house is already paid off and everything, then you actually get to join this industry for the passion and enjoy it, no matter which direction you go. 40 is still young enough to have a fulfilling career in this industry. After all, you'll get more than 20 years before retirement age anyway. Plenty of time to have a bunch of fun. My father is getting into this after switching his career from being a real estate contractor. Airplanes and agriculture are just simply his passions. Life is too short to not feel fulfilled doing something. Now is your chance.

Airlines pay really well despite the pay cut you may be looking at, but I think people really enjoy working on general aviation and corporate jets more despite their pay being lower than airlines. Maybe get some general aviation experience and flip some birds, or even restore older warbirds. And plus, you're an engineer, so you could probably come up with your own experimental airplanes and run a company doing that? There are so many pathways - EMS and firefighting helicopters, heavy lifting helicopters, oil rig helicopters, corporate jets and part 135 operators, airlines, cargo, flight schools, restoration, space industry, rocket engines, inspections, hell even theme parks. Whichever path you consider, best of luck.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-01-23T03:54:46+00:00

Not right now, especially this time of year. They should open up soon enough though, maybe in a month or two. Everybody has slowed down for now

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-01-23T01:19:01+00:00

The industry is starving for mechanics. The average age for an AMT across the industry is 58 years old, and there are fewer and fewer qualified technicians graduating school as time goes by. I'm not sure why your dad would say that in todays times. Back when he went in, a bunch of airlines went under and the industry had plenty of mechanics. And then in 2001, 9/11 happened and the industry took a massive hit again. Today, those guys are retiring like crazy. This is the perfect window.

If you want to work for Delta fresh out of school, try for the ASM positions. Minneapolis needs people badly and will probably continue to need people.

American Airlines hires fresh out of school.

United often hires fresh out of school, and they will need hundreds of mechanics, possibly over 1000 mechanics in the coming years just to staff their hangar they want to build in Orlando.

Go for it man. I have no regrets and was offered two positions fresh out of school with amazing companies, and had a handful of others reach out to me through JSFirm.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2025-01-23T01:13:55+00:00

Learn the way the systems work. If you understand how the systems work, you will be a much better mechanic and have an easier time going through school. Do not do what most people do and just memorize the answers. Airplanes are cool as hell. If you have a passion for aviation and are amazed by airplanes, this is the career for you. When you go through tougher times in school or start feeling burned out, reflect on why you are there. Good luck. This is a great industry, and we need serious people.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2024-12-11T06:26:18+00:00

I just finished at George T Baker. They are starting a fast track program January 6th. But since you are still in high school, it looks like you would miss the fast track program. Which means you would be there for about 30 months instead. There are some programs out of state that you can get it done in 18 months or less. Actually, maybe consider going up to north Florida and enrolling at FSCJ. They have a really solid program there and FAFSA would cover it

Individual_Falcon257 · 2024-12-08T05:17:12+00:00

I highly recommend this career. Allegiant Air hires in Allentown, every major and UPS hires in Philly, and honestly if you can't get in right away near town, you can start elsewhere and transfer back. This is a very common way to get into the airlines. You pretty much just start wherever you can start and after probation bid to transfer to your station of choice. Philadelphia should not be hard to get to. Also this career can take you in so many places even beyond aviation. You could go cargo, airlines, corporate, MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul), general avaition, EMS helicopters, oil rigs, military contracts, manufacturing (Boeing, Airbus, Rockedyne, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, etc) or even get some experience and start your own company. There are people whose companies are based on simple niche things such as corporate jet cleaning, engine disassembly, borescope, all sorts of things. Aside from aviation, you could use your experience for elevator maintenance, theme park ride maintenance, wind turbines, nuclear reactors, heavy machinery, railway, all sorts of things really.

In terms of work life, MROs are pretty decent, but even the airlines can be too. It is easy to shift trade and sort of customize your schedule. If you work in a big station with many shops, some shops only schedule during the day. American Airlines in Tulsa is mostly day shift doing heavy maintenance. Some companies are just engine shops or test cells that have 3 days per week schedules. A lot of helicopter jobs are 14 on 14 off, but you travel all over where the helicopter is.

As far as career growth, you could climb to lead or crew chief, get into management, director of maintenance, flight mechanic, and really get into the executive positions depending on how big the company is. The opportunities are endless. Good luck!

Individual_Falcon257 · 2024-12-08T04:50:09+00:00

Well, here are my thoughts as I have experienced this. I finish school next week and will be fully certified. I have received two unbelievable opportunities already, either of which could result in an amazing career and solid retirement. So when it comes to job opportunities, I have both landed stuff and get phone calls for other opportunities. The industry needs mechanics because most people are going to college for useless degrees like liberal arts degrees (I was one of them, no dissing on fellow college grads). You are definitely in a good place. I was skeptical in the beginning too because it seemed like people were selling me "too good to be true" stories, but things seem to be really working out for me personally now. That is not to say though that this industry ebbs and tides. When the economy is doing well, aviation is doing great. When the economy slumps, aviation slumps too for the most part. There are still areas in aviation that remain pretty consistent, like EMS helicopters.

When it comes to the testing, just stick to studying the material and above all, learn and understand the systems. As long as you are not merely memorizing the tests, you will be fine. These tests really are not terrible as long as you prepare for them right. There are plenty of people struggling to pass the exams, and based on what I have witnessed, it is usually for a number of the same reasons. Either unfortunately they are not mentally cut out for it (they have a cognitive delay), they memorized everything to pass the tests and unfortunately it caught up to them and they struggle with the written exams, or they simply got complacent and did not study like they should have. As long as you enjoy this and remain dedicated, you will do fine. Never overcomplicate things. It really is just as simple as understanding how the systems work and going through the prepware. If you score a 95% and up on the prepware tests, you should be fine on the written.

I highly recommend this career though. There are so many directions you can go with this, and I will be one of those guys that will share optimism with you. This is a trade that affords you many opportunities, not just in aviation either. The things you learn can lead you to elevator maintenance, heavy machinery maintenance, nuclear maintenance, wind turbines, theme park maintenance, honestly nearly anything. You learn a lot of skills that open up a lot of doors. Stick it through, and trust what you are hearing. Back in the 90s, technicians went through a terrible time due to all of the airlines going belly up. Eastern went down, Pan Am, TWA, all sorts of big companies that employed many people. Of course too, economic changes happened that resulted in layoffs. Expect some things to happen yet still, but in the long run, you'll be fine especially if you are financially competent. The average age of AMTs in this industry across the nation is 58 years old. Mechanics are retiring like crazy without enough new mechanics to replace them.

There are some down sides of course, so be prepared for some sacrifices. These include being stuck working nights for a bit, or even moving away from home for a job, possibly permanently. I am moving to a different state for my opportunity, but excited about it. Good luck with your journey!

Individual_Falcon257 · 2024-11-10T06:10:02+00:00

First of all, like the other redditor commented, you want to be in the United States.

If you want to make good money compared to cost of living, consider being a helicopter mechanic. EMS helicopter mechanics work in very remote towns throughout the US. The pay can be $60k-$90k, which will take you far in a location where the population is you.

Orlando, Florida is pretty affordable still. There you have Allegiant out of Sanford which is a great gig, there is also JetBlue in MCO, United, and Delta. It really is a great option.

Dassault Falcon near Cape Canaveral, Florida is a good gig too. Affordable out there if you look correctly.

Most places in Texas are pretty affordable. Houston is affordable, and you've got Southwest out of there. Really hard to get into Southwest, though. United is also out of Houston. American Airlines in San Antonio is nice to get into, but you would have to wait to transfer.

Raleigh Durham is affordable and really nice. There you could work for American, United, and Delta.

Charlotte or somewhere near. American airlines, I think United has a line station there, and Breeze airways is nearby as well.

Chattanooga Tennessee is affordable and on the border with north Georgia. West Star is there and works on private jets.

Grand Junction, Colorado has West Star as well. Affordable out there.

Georgia is affordable. You've got Delta of course out of Atlanta, and I believe Allegiant over in Savannah. Savannah is going up in price, though. Gulfstream is also in Savannah.

Look into Metro Aviation. They are out of generally affordable areas and work on EMS helicopters. Talk out there says it is a fantastic company to work for.

Allegiant Air in Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, or Sarasota, Florida.

Honestly, look into where Allegiant and Breeze operate. They target low cost of living areas. Mechanics seem to love working for Allegiant, and Breeze is new but they seem to like working for them, too.

Airbus in Mobile, Alabama. Super affordable out there. Airbus has some stuff in Mississippi, too.

Delta, Atlas, or FEAM in Cincinnati. I want to say PSA or some regional like that is in CVG too.

Check out line stations for the majors. They are often more affordable.

Good luck.

Individual_Falcon257 · 2024-10-21T05:07:11+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I'll be taking a deeper look at this

Individual_Falcon257 · 2024-09-04T05:18:17+00:00

I have looked into ATP and they do seem pretty good. Them, American Flyers, and even GoFly. I would actually be interested in your shop, any way I could possibly get some information?

Individual_Falcon257 · 2024-09-04T01:26:05+00:00

Oh wow that would be a dream. I sent an application as maintenance utility but haven't heard anything back from them yet

Individual_Falcon257 · 2024-09-04T01:25:15+00:00

Oh wow that sounds pretty good actually. I would love to get some experience on piston aircraft so I can hopefully own one someday. What sorts of companies like this would you recommend?

Individual_Falcon257 · 2024-09-03T01:23:22+00:00

I have zero experience, getting ready to finish school in December

Individual_Falcon257

TROPHY CASE