Hire A&P Apprentices in Lakeland, Florida

Lakeland Linder International carries an unusually specialised mix for a city its size — NOAA bases its hurricane-hunter and environmental research fleet there, Draken International flies contract tactical fighters for military training from the same field, and Amazon Air runs its southeast regional cargo hub out of it, alongside the annual SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo. The Grease Pilot directory lists more than 30 FAA-certificated repair stations and maintenance shops within 50 miles of the city. 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 Florida start near $45,500/year and certificated mechanics in the Lakeland–Winter Haven metro earn a median of $61,020 (BLS, May 2025). That gap is narrower than in Florida's big coastal metros, so the step from apprentice to certificated mechanic costs less to fund here — and you shape the mechanic you end up with.

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 Orlando FSDO — the office serving Polk County, 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. The Lakeland–Winter Haven metro has only about 110 certificated aircraft mechanics in total (BLS, May 2025), so hiring an experienced A&P here means waiting for one of a small pool to move. Training your own is the dependable route.

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.