Hire A&P Apprentices in Chester, Virginia

Chester sits on Richmond's south side, minutes from Richmond International Airport's cargo and airline traffic and from Chesterfield County Airport's general-aviation field — and conveniently, the Richmond FSDO that processes A&P testing paperwork is right across town. The Grease Pilot directory lists 8 FAA-certificated repair stations and shops within 50 miles. 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 Virginia start near $58,150/year and certificated mechanics in the Richmond metro earn a median of $75,100 (BLS, May 2025). An apprentice typically starts below the entry-level mechanic figure and grows into it as their signed-off hours build — far less than bidding for one of the Richmond market's roughly 140 certificated mechanics, 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 Richmond FSDO — the office serving Chesterfield County, and conveniently just across town, 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 roughly 140 certificated mechanics across the whole Richmond metro, a shop that trains its own isn't competing for a thin bench.

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.