Hire A&P Apprentices in Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is one of the world's great aviation cities — Ted Stevens Anchorage International ranks among the busiest cargo airports on earth, Lake Hood is the world's busiest seaplane base, and flying is how much of Alaska gets its groceries, mail, and medical care. The Grease Pilot directory lists more than 30 FAA-certificated repair stations and shops within 50 miles, all competing for mechanics in a state that can't function without them. Demand for certificated mechanics is strong — training an apprentice under 14 CFR 65.77 lets your shop grow its own A&Ps instead of competing for them.

You set the wage — there's no mandated apprentice rate. For context, entry-level aircraft mechanics in Alaska start near $54,530/year and certificated mechanics in the Anchorage metro earn a median of $94,120 (BLS, May 2025) — among the highest in the country. An apprentice starts below the entry-level figure and grows into it as their signed-off hours build — a far smaller bill than bidding for experienced A&Ps in a market where the cargo hub, the airlines, and the bush operators are all hiring from the same bench.

You do — but there's less than people expect. You document the supervised training as it happens (Grease Pilot's records system does the tracking and signatures); nothing is filed with the FAA until your apprentice is ready to test. At that point FAA Form 8610-2 goes to the Anchorage FSDO — the office serving the Municipality of Anchorage, shown with its address and phone in the section above — which verifies the supervised experience and authorizes the mechanic exams.

Yes — repair stations are exactly where this works. Your apprentice performs work under the supervision of your certificated mechanics (14 CFR 43.3(d) covers supervised work), and every logged hour counts toward the experience requirement — 18 months for airframe or powerplant, 30 months for both, under 14 CFR 65.77. With 30+ certificated shops within 50 miles and Alaska's aviation economy always short of mechanics, training your own A&P is the only pipeline you control.

Check the relocation line on their profile — apprentices state whether they're willing to relocate, and many will move for the right training opportunity. To maximize the quality of apprentice recruits, fill out your supervisor listing inside your account — once published, it shows to apprentices across the Grease Pilot network.