Find and Hire A&P Apprentices

Yes. Any certificated Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanic can supervise an apprentice and sign off their on-the-job training (OJT) hours toward FAA certification under 14 CFR §65.77 — you do not need to be an IA, a Part 145 repair station, or a Part 147 school. A single independent or mobile A&P qualifies.

With the certified-mechanic shortage, many shops can't simply hire an experienced A&P — so the smart move is to grow your own. Bringing on an apprentice and signing off their OJT comes with real benefits:

• Extra hands now — help with the everyday workload while they learn.
• Lower cost than competing for a scarce, fully-certified mechanic.
• Loyalty — mechanics you train tend to stay where they came up.
• Trained your way — they learn your shop's standards and procedures from day one.
• A pipeline — you're building the certified A&P you'll need a year or two from now.

On Grease Pilot you create a free listing, and vetted apprentices in your area who are actively building OJT hours apply to you directly. It's purpose-built for aviation, unlike a general job board — no recruiters, no markups.

Your apprentice logs each task they performed; you review the entry and sign it digitally with a secure, tamper-evident signature. You only sign off work you personally observed. The apprentice does the documentation, you verify it — all in our OJT tracking software.

Yes. Certified A&P mechanics supervise one apprentice free with Grease Pilot's Mechanic Free membership, and maintenance shops do the same with MX Shop Free. The free plan includes:

• Supervise 1 active apprentice at no cost.
• Access to the A&P apprentice network.
• Create offer letters with pre-qualification questions, a probationary period, and minimum tool requirements.
• Digital OJT logbook tracking with secure sign-offs.
• Complete historical record-keeping of every signed entry.
• Build a limited A&P apprentice recruiting listing; the paid plans unlock every listing feature.

No subscription and no per-match fees. You also earn a $20 bonus for every apprentice you invite who joins on a paid student plan (Student Basic or Student Advance) and connects with you. You set the apprentice's wage and hire on your own terms — we're a listing and documentation service, not the employer.

Yes. Mobile aircraft maintenance is one of the cases this platform was built for. You set a base city and the cities you service, mark yourself mobile, and apprentices in your area apply. They log OJT hours from the jobs you bring them on — the documentation works the same as a fixed shop.

Most A&Ps pay $18–$24/hour depending on location and prior experience. Military veterans and people coming from auto or diesel often start higher because they bring transferable skills. You set the wage.

Often, yes — many states offer apprenticeship tax credits, some up to $12,600 per apprentice per year. Amounts and rules vary by state, so check the State Tax Credits list at apprenticeship.gov and talk to your accountant about what's currently available to you.

A&P's are responsible for the work they sign off. Apprentices don't have return-to-service authority, so the supervising A&P is responsible for the apprentice's work. A&P apprenticing isn't new; it has been around a long time, and done properly it's a win-win for both the supervising A&P and the apprentice.

Yes — there's no FAA limit on how many apprentices you can supervise. The rules don't set a number or ratio, but you do have to genuinely supervise each one: under 14 CFR §43.3(d) you must personally observe their work closely enough to know it's being done properly and be readily available, in person, for consultation. So the real limit is practical — only take on as many as you can actually supervise well. In Grease Pilot's OJT tracking system, each student keeps their own OJT records.

School.greasepilot.com is built to help A&P's find high-quality apprentices, it's free to use, and it's low-risk. To get the best results, we recommend creating an A&P apprentice recruiting listing — it maximizes your chances of attracting top-notch apprentices. And when you send an offer, use Grease Pilot's probationary-period template: it helps you confirm an apprentice is a good fit before you fully commit to hiring.

You keep them — records you sign are your records too. After canceling you keep your free supervisor account and can still view and download everything you've signed, including verification letters, in your All Records area. At the end of your paid billing period your account moves to the free plan, which supports one connected OJT student — you choose which student to keep when you cancel, and you can keep supervising and signing for them.