Hire A&P Apprentices in Elida, Ohio

Because experienced A&Ps are scarce around Elida, and the people who could become them are already here. There's no FAA Part 147 school within 50 miles — the nearest is in Fort Wayne, Indiana — so there's no local stream of aviation-maintenance graduates, and the Grease Pilot directory lists only four FAA-certificated repair stations within 50 miles. In neighboring Lima, the University of Northwestern Ohio trains automotive, diesel and equipment technicians: hands-on mechanics who can start logging supervised aircraft experience in your shop from their first day. With Lima Allen County Airport 11 miles away and Hartzell Propeller building aircraft propellers in Piqua, the A&P you train is one who already lives where the work is. 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 Ohio start near $51,490/year and certificated mechanics statewide earn a median of $80,570 (BLS, May 2025). The BLS publishes no aircraft-mechanic figure for the Lima metro, so those are Ohio-wide. An apprentice starts below the entry-level figure and grows into it as their signed-off hours build — and you end up with a mechanic trained your way who already lives near your hangar.

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 Columbus FSDO — the office serving Allen County, shown with its address and phone in the section above — which verifies the supervised experience and authorizes the mechanic exams.

Yes. The University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima trains automotive, diesel and equipment technicians, and there's no FAA Part 147 school within 50 miles, so a shop that wants A&Ps here mostly has to grow them. What counts toward the certificate is 14 CFR 65.77's own measure: 18 months of practical experience with the tools and practices used on airframes or powerplants, or 30 months on both. The clock starts when that aircraft work begins in your shop, under your certificated mechanics' supervision (14 CFR 43.3(d)) — the diagnostic habits and tool skills a ground-vehicle tech brings can shorten the learning curve.

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.