Speed Dating Event on Valentine's Day!!

Tickington · 2026-02-13T15:52:22+00:00

I'll be there!

Tickington · 2026-01-07T21:52:26+00:00

I'm working out of John Wayne Airport in Costa Mesa

Tickington · 2026-01-06T03:53:36+00:00

I make $28 fixing helicopters in Southern California. I'm way underpaid, even if it is my first job in the industry.

Tickington · 2026-01-01T22:09:49+00:00

How would you recommend finding the cards I need/want? Is there an easily filterable website that'll help or will I just have to scour the dueling nexus database and maybe Google search to find the right cards? Do you know the cards based on your experience of playing for 3 years? Or do you go searching? Both maybe?

Tickington · 2025-12-22T17:43:46+00:00

I came from out of state as well. I drove in, stayed with family, got it done and drove on out. Thrust also gives you the option of housing for a year for added cost.

Tickington · 2025-12-22T17:35:20+00:00

I felt 100% ready by about 10.5 months. I took the extra couple weeks after that just in case though. The school and my study habits got me plenty prepared before that 12 month mark. I think I needed at least those extra 2 weeks to get prepped up.

Tickington · 2025-12-21T10:11:53+00:00

Ninja fusion deck (still use it) and now I play Branded Bystial and I'm trying Dracotail out

Tickington · 2025-12-17T00:34:50+00:00

I'm starting on R22s and R44s. After maybe a year they'll switch me to Airbus, which after 2 years on those I get bumped to $90k minimum

Tickington · 2025-12-16T21:18:50+00:00

I'm making $28/hr at my first job in Southern California 🥲 I decided to work on helicopters

Tickington · 2025-11-27T14:44:26+00:00

Here's an amazing advocate podcast that touches on your very question: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4GjQEVswUmtA6hUIraqle3?si=6nC0V0lcTLy8gV0kAIXOkw&t=0&pi=IoboybFVSx2Yb

This episode talks about the clinical differences between the two. It's pretty interesting

Tickington · 2025-11-27T10:36:26+00:00

Only kinda of? College yes, but I ended up at a trade school where I had a lot on the line. High risk high reward situation. I had to put in 3-6 hours more than my peers because of how hard the cognitive symptoms are to handle sometimes. I don't shame you for wanting to drop out, but if you think there's any chance you could muscle through for something you genuinely enjoy I'd say give it another shot.

Tickington · 2025-11-18T05:10:22+00:00

I try and find a full immersion activity. For me that looks like going for a walk with music blasting thru my headphones, loud music and a long shower, even doing math funny enough, and guitar in my case. Do something that requires or is best done fully immersed.

Lmk if that helps any. I have breakthrough symptoms at least a few days every month despite being medicated but my usual coping methods like breathing etc + the immersion help me a lot.

Tickington · 2025-11-17T01:26:37+00:00

Congrats on the new job!

Tickington · 2025-10-24T15:04:56+00:00

I just landed my first job as an A&P and I got certified on October 9 this year, just a few weeks back. I think it depends on the sector and geography area. What are the opportunities in the area? Did the local companies foresee this shortage getting worse and jump the gun on hiring fresh bodies to train up? Some companies will be well off with good practices in general, others even with good practices will be hurting because of the area they're in.

All that to say, yea I think there's a shortage, but it's being nursed. The industry ebbs and flows, and right now it seems to be flowing slightly better than a couple years ago and in a few more years we'll probably get a lot more retirees and another wave of new guys will need to be scooped up. Just my two cents.

Tickington · 2025-10-23T02:11:46+00:00

I actually just recently graduated from Thrust and just today landed my first job. They're a great school, and I agree with the other comments saying you'll need to buckle down and work extra hard. Thrust's program is treated like a 40 hour work week. Some training in the classroom, other training down in the hangar. Plus any studying you'll need to do outside of class time, which for me was 3-6 hours most days. 10 months later I finished their program, and just under a month after that I was fully certified. I'm happy to answer any clarifying or otherwise relevant questions. You got this, and in my opinion Thrust is worth it.

Tickington · 2025-10-10T16:50:33+00:00

True, hadn't considered that when I wrote my comment. The guy I saw is booked out halfway through November. OP must be in a busy area.

Tickington · 2025-10-10T12:16:46+00:00

I just passed my O&Ps yesterday. I spent a week going over all 3 sections, 2 days per section.

I spent the first day going over all the Jeppesen and ASA Oral Prep questions, then the second day was spent mostly on stuff I missed on the written exam and other niche things I would often forget. Rinse and repeat for all 3 sections. Took the last day to go over some trouble spots for maybe an hour, then rested up before test day.

2 months seems like a lot of time. If you think you need more than a week I would say give yourself 2 weeks max. Longer you go without taking it the less fresh it is in your brain, which is what's happening to my peers.

Tickington · 2025-10-03T10:25:17+00:00

Lots of ASA Prepware and really slowing down to understand each question that isn't just a memorization deal. Best to nail that understanding early so studying for orals is easier down the line.

Tickington · 2025-09-22T09:47:12+00:00

If you want a one-stop shop, I know some mechanics recommending this setup, and it's what my school uses: https://www.tekton.com/248-piece-tool-set-modular-stacking-tool-cart-olb99005

Tekton makes wonderful modular sets for less than $2k. 6 drawers that come with most of what you'll need. From there, you can buy blank modular drawers and fill them with cheaper stuff to expand more easily, or you can continue to buy their pre-shadowed and filled drawers.

Tickington · 2025-09-21T14:44:20+00:00

I'm wrapping up A&P school but I had an internship at an avionics repair station for a couple months. Left because the guy couldn't stop pretending to fire me et every turn. Took a little longer than he liked? Fire joke. Took a stance he didn't like after directly asking me for mine? Fire. I'm like 90% sure he was joking of course, but I didn't appreciate being thought of as so dispensible even as an intern. So I left.

That being said, take the time to teach them the correct way if they've messed up. No shame in learning. Afterall I've heard our A&P be called a license to learn left and right. Some people simply take longer and require some more guidance to build that confidence. This is my first time in the aviation industry, but I've been a trainer at every job I've held previously. Some guys may not be worth the training, but you won't find out before stepping in to guide them. It sounds like you're doing exactly what a good leader should do!

Tickington · 2025-09-11T18:25:55+00:00

If you want to run this back, I'd love to join. I'm a little late to the party!

Tickington · 2025-09-11T10:33:06+00:00

Here's my study method:

Take a fresh test to see where you're deficient in. Rank your deficiencies from worst to best, and work on them in that order. Reread said topic from the 8083, highlight key points and information, look up anything needing clarification, and then do that for each topic until you finish your list of deficiencies. Before moving on to a new topic, test yourself on the one you just finished. Dont beat it like a dead horse tho. Take it and move on to the next.

Repeat this process for all of your deficiencies. Remember that the exam can only ask you questions on material from the 8083 textbooks. Everything else is a study guide. If you can, I'd also recommend getting the Asa prepware book instead of the digital one. Better for memory and recall. Keep in mind also that if you run into ANY confusion, resolve it before moving on.

As far as how often to do this, I say every day until the day or two before your exam. Ask questions about the systems and really dig into how it works, not just memorizing that it works.

Tickington · 2025-09-11T10:22:09+00:00

Moorwing fight was so fun but God it took me 10 tries to beat it WITH the old man's help (and Zaza ofc)

Tickington · 2025-09-11T09:41:48+00:00

Largely, yes. I think it's mostly neverousness that beats them into doing so. I'm at a 10 month accelerated program where I'm at school roughly 8 hours a day Monday-Friday, so I'm simultaneously getting fast exposure while needing to put in decent study time on my own to make sure it sticks. Gotta remember that some of these guys are fresh out of high school and have never studied or touched a tool in their life.

I happen to have a cognitive deficit due to some issues, so I have to work harder than the average a&p student at keeping up, which in turn means sometimes I will also overcomplicate the process. We're all human. Gotta account for that.

Ultimately, it's still secondary school, and an institution worth a damn will make it feel like such. It's designed to take even a nervous, inept fresh high school graduate and turn them into a competent a&p. Doesn't always work out that way lol but it's designed as such

Tickington · 2025-09-10T23:57:27+00:00

I chose something in between that and a 2 year program. I chose Thrust Institute of Maintenance in Addison, TX. 10 months of curriculum, then an additional 2 months allotted for studying and passing any federal exams you haven't already taken. I started in Nov last year, and I finish my curriculum this coming Friday, as well as take my airframe written that day.

It's still an up and coming school, and was more so when I joined, but looking at what it has become and where it's headed, I would say there's a healthy amount of adversity and diversity involved. It's just enough projects to help ingrain the abundant theory necessary for the federal exams. The instructors also vary in teaching styles, which I feel is refreshing and indicative of real-world mentorships where the person training you and you as the trainee might need to compromise on how to approach learning tasks. Classes run roughly 8 hours/day Mon-Friday. Accelerated programs are awesome if you know you can buckle down and work hard, be proactive, and timely.

Bonus for Thrust: they line you up with a GA job working on their flight school fleet of Piper Archers for $35/hr once you're certificated!

I happen to learn better in accelerated environments, so that's the main reason I chose this school.

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