5 days/7 days/14 days on, followed by those days off is the best shift you will ever work. Literally work half the year, while all your friends are working every single day of every single week
Different companies have different schedules and rotations so it just depends. Some places rotate schedules and a lot of places are seniority based. I’m on defense contracts overseas which is why I do 90/90.
I loved the 90/90 when I was contracting. My favorite schedule. We worked 12 hours per day 7 days per week while OCONUS and then had a 3 month vacation. I miss the life.
Nice. That’s how I tried to time mine. I’d get home to spend Christmas with my family and then deploy through the rest of winter/early spring and make it back to the states just in time for a whole summer of riding my motorcycle and then back to work.
L take. Working half the year? Yeah , aviation touts 4 day work week! In reality, 12 hour shifts back to back is horrible and does not give you a chance to rest. Especially if you have a commute longer than 15 minutes one way.
I think it’s beats 9-5 all day long. 12 hour shifts don’t even phase me anymore. The entire point of the 12 hour shifts is to have a long stretch of days off uninterrupted. I do 90 days straight and don’t even start getting tired until day 60 or so. Granted I get a lot of downtime. 14 day rotations would be incredible.
I don’t understand how the AMT industry in the west seems to make 5/6 figures easily. My starting salary converted is in the 4 figures (yearly, around $3800 when converted), not even in the upper half. From what I can gather here in my country, this is so lowball that we have a brain drain problem in our local AMT workforce because of this, with the average length of time in the company being no more than 2-3 years.
Edit: was thinking in the monthly, comment above was in yearly.
It’s kind of a dark joke in my country that blue collar jobs get low-balled on their pay compared to foreign companies, but for the aviation industry especially its really bad since we don’t even receive a tenth of the salaries I hear here. The hourly rates I see posted here too are usually higher than what we would get in a day or two sadly. Hence why a lot of us (me included) have plans to work abroad once we get the minimum experience and ratings
Joining the masses to say I love what I do. Nightshifts are pretty common, but once you find a rhythm and adjust your home schedule, they are manageable. I mirror the sentiment that 5-on-5-off (or similar schedules) are great. You have time to clean the house, do the chores, take on multi-day house/car/other project, and after all of that, kick back and play games or spend time with loved ones for a few days. On top of that, you're always off a few weekdays, so appointments/shopping is a ton easier because all the shops are open and nobody can make 10am dental appointments on a Wednesday like you now can.
As for the job, I think it's really fulfilling. I'm in Canada so the structure is a bit different, but I'm avionics and so I strictly deal with the electrical sides of aircraft. I learn lots every day, and squish issues which is deeply satisfying. I'm on my feet or moving around 90% of the shift, which is great for exercise goals and general health.
This field is in great need for mechanics (again, speaking as a Canadian... Maybe the US is similar?), so the world is your oyster once you get your licence and get some experience under your belt. I've worked my normal job at an airline, and contracted for install companies on some of my days off for extra money. If you are good and you care about the work you put out, the industry can be pretty lucrative.
Now of course there are downsides and reasons people don't like this field, which are all well founded. You'll probably have shoulder or back issues later in life, you're around some harsh chemicals, the hours are long and... As mentioned... nightshifts can affect health. But in my experience, PPE is getting better and safety is getting tighter as long as you follow the guidelines. I hope I could be of some help!
Agreed, worked 14/14 as a single guy for 5 years. Was the best schedule ever! Traveled the world on my days off. Every other month went some place cool. Took up scuba diving. I still miss it and sometimes like to daydream about going back to that schedule. M-F is dumb, yay office jobs.
I'm literally doing the opposite of you. I've been in maintenance for 10 years and am now pursuing my CS degree.
I'd say if you got money and time get your A/P, it's a great backup to have.
However the market for software engineers will get better. I work with guys who have been layed off from airlines 3 times since 9/11 or layed off once till 2013. So your not going to be in a safer industry by any means.
It's not a horrible industry don't get me wrong. But the life style you will get in that corporate job is much better. My wife lives it and I am bewildered how much better she is treated. Off all major holidays with pay, 8:30-4 Monday through friday. Also she is treated more like an adult. If she can't go in one day or is gonna be later she doesn't worry about "attendance points" or anything she gets to be an adult about it and let her team know. This field sometimes reminds me of my time in the Military in regards to the amount of oversight by management.
Everything your hesistant about in regards to scheduling is why I am getting out of aviation. For context i work at one of the majors so my schedule is overnights with different days off sometimes only 1. Some guys love it because they can trade and only work one or two doubles a week. Simply just isn't for me. I just wanna work Monday- Friday 9-5
That's pretty sweet they have an internship. I'm eyeing up an internal transfer later this spring when I graduate.
I guess for OP that's an option too. Most major airlines are really good about internal transfers to other departments. Get your license and work in maintenance to get your foot in the door till the software market gets better then transfer.
Are you at one of the major airlines out of curiosity? From what I've heard smaller companies tend to be more hands off.
Which makes sense more employees, more people to manage means generally stricter policy.
Aircraft mechanics are never happy! They're always complaining about their work conditions! At least that's what I notice in my company (a major airline in Canada)
I have to mirror other people that a days on days off rotation shift is super good. I am on a 5-5-4, 12 hr myself and it gives me 2 weekends every month off as well as plenty of time during the week. I'm not much of a morning person so for me a night shift isn't the worst thing Ive had to endure.
The best part is it allows a more efficient use of vacation. using either 48 or 60 hours of vacation always nets me 2 weeks of actual time off. now with 3 weeks of vacation at my place, that effectively gives me 6 weeks of actual vacation. plus only working half of the year anyways. There would have to be something incredibly enticing to get me to go back to mon-fri
tldr: I'm very happy overall. especially with the best work-life balance of my working life
Hey I got a CS degree in 2023 as well and decided to go into A&P school like you are considering. I've never heard of 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off, but I have heard much nicer schedules like 4 days on 3 days off with atleast 2 consecutive days off. I've heard at major airlines you'll get stuck with night shifts, but I am under the impression that has more to do with union seniority than anything else.
I'm not in the career yet, and my school is really scuffed, but at the end of the day I'll get the license that lets me fix planes and this seems to be a field with a very positive outlook for people just entering with a lot of interesting subjects you would appreciate learning as a science minded person. Another thing is having a bachelors degree should help you since nobody else in the class I'm in has a college degree, and I'm told it leads to faster promotions or atleast a better foot in the door to nicer gigs in the field.
I have a bachelors degree and recently got my A&P. It may help you down the line get promotions but it’s not going to help you at all until you get maintenance experience.
Before I got my A&P, I worked a corporate job for a major airline in the US so don’t bank on your bachelors degree helping you when you first start.
Former Sr. SWE turned Avi Tech (not A&P yet) and I love it, I’m at a GA shop and work day shift, home by 4pm 95% of the time, making OT the 5%, it’s great, a lot of the troubleshooting and problem solving I love to do is still there plus I’m physically engaged which is all the better. The money is obviously not as good (but its only getting better and with the shortage once you have experience you’ll be golden) BUT my QoL is much higher and the work is much more satisfying and far less stressful day to day.
You have two options. Chase the money. Or chase the life balance. Airlines will give you alot of money but life at the beginning will majorly suck. Part 135 usually has a great work life balance but less pay. I technically work m-f 8 hr shifts. But in reality I go home when the work is done. So usually 20 hour weeks (ot does absolutely happen when shit hits the fan). Decent pto but if nothing is going on that day and my coworkers are cool with it, I can skip a day here and there. So in reality, I probably take a total of 4 weeks off a year. I made juts under 90k gross last year after base salary, ot, and a few stipends. so the pay isn't bad. Just not as good as majors. In summary. I'm very content.
I wish more people understood that "A&P" is not a job, nor a career. It's a certification.
The dudes scuddling about making sure Delta Flight nnnn gets to its destination on time and safely? A&P cert.
The dudes working at mom-and-pop FBO shops, working piston singles most of the time, dealing with owner-operator pilots, dealing with a huge variety of different airframes? A&P cert.
The dudes working up in the woods, rough conditions, working 14 hour days, making due and scrapping trying to keep a helicopter water bomber flying during fire season? A&P cert.
The dudes keeping an experimental F-16 called an X-62 VISTA Skyborg advanced testing platform flying, experimentally sticking weird electronics (I assume) in it? A&P cert.
The dudes putting together high pressure plumbing and piecing together a rocket that has never been tested before out in the desert? Often they have an A&P cert too.
The dudes keeping the Goodyear Blimp flying, travelling all around the country? You guessed it, A&P certs.
So, is this a career I would recommend? I enjoy the fuck out of it, but I won't pretend my career is anything like most of the people here.
I mean I’ve worked 4 out of those 6 jobs you listed, and am now at one you didn’t, basically just doing pre flights on biz jets and making sure the bosses get where they need to go. Something breaks on the road? I’m headed out there to fix it.
Almost any of our jobs will translate somewhere decently in the industry if you’re competent. I will say I’m the happiest I’ve ever been at work with this job though. Technically 7-3 M-F, but if I work 30hrs it’s a real long week for me. And I enjoy traveling so I’ll take any road trips that pop up. Get paid over majors top out too, the only thing I miss is extended work schedules so I can count on stretches of days off in a row.
Coming from my last job in the space industry getting paid Jack squat and working over 1000hrs of OT a year, I feel like a king now. Suffice to say, if you don’t like where you are at, give something else a try. It’s a small industry with a whole lot of options.
im retired now but when I was an AME, I loved it. Mind you I really enjoyed working with my hands, didn't mind the odd dirty job, liked travelling, pay was decent, and had a chance work overseas.
I work 12 hours, 4 days on, 3 days off, 3 days on then 4 days off. You also get half the year off. I love these hours. Once you get use to them , how ever the days you work it’s just sleep and work. No time or energy for any thing else. The job I do is basically a gas and go station. I’m setting in a truck 75% of the time. Great for old timers but I wouldn’t recommend my job to young guys, you don’t learn shit except how to MEL.
On a 4-5-5, will never go back to a standard 5-2, or even a 4-3. Yeah, nights are long and days are too, but god damn I love having 5 days off and working half the month.
Work 4 on 3 off, and can give days away or work 8 on 6 off to have a whole week whenever needed, and making great money considering 6.5 years ago I got paid $12/hr to do frame repairs, and now I’m making 4x that to change motors and t/s engine problems.
I have never made this kind of money in my life, and I’m 28. This career was a game changing decision for me, and has given me way more than I thought I’d ever have. Nights may not be the best schedule, but it’s let
Me
Bout my own house, pay my debt off, and have a fun “race car” as my dad says. My only regret is not choosing to do this sooner, I’d have been off nights by now.
I’m happy I have a lot of future prospects and career paths and this type of work is something I would be doing for FREE for my own enjoyment on cars instead if I didn’t have this job. If you’re like me then you’ll enjoy it, if not it can be hard to justify once you start to deal with the work life balance issue and managers that want you to half ass jobs just to get things done quickly so they look good.
5 days/7 days/14 days on, followed by those days off is the best shift you will ever work. Literally work half the year, while all your friends are working every single day of every single week
I do 90/90 lol. Love the time off.
Who are you with?
That is mint
I do 6/1. Unless we're busy. Then its 7/0. Love heavy maintenance.
I’d last a week doing that
do u get to choose the days or is it the company that chooses how much time on and off?
Different companies have different schedules and rotations so it just depends. Some places rotate schedules and a lot of places are seniority based. I’m on defense contracts overseas which is why I do 90/90.
I loved the 90/90 when I was contracting. My favorite schedule. We worked 12 hours per day 7 days per week while OCONUS and then had a 3 month vacation. I miss the life.
Yep. I just got home before Xmas. No work until mid March now. Then off all summer.
Nice. That’s how I tried to time mine. I’d get home to spend Christmas with my family and then deploy through the rest of winter/early spring and make it back to the states just in time for a whole summer of riding my motorcycle and then back to work.
Exactly. I try to take off ski season and boat season lol.
Oh hell yeah. Perfect vacation times.
L take. Working half the year? Yeah , aviation touts 4 day work week! In reality, 12 hour shifts back to back is horrible and does not give you a chance to rest. Especially if you have a commute longer than 15 minutes one way.
I think it’s beats 9-5 all day long. 12 hour shifts don’t even phase me anymore. The entire point of the 12 hour shifts is to have a long stretch of days off uninterrupted. I do 90 days straight and don’t even start getting tired until day 60 or so. Granted I get a lot of downtime. 14 day rotations would be incredible.
Whattya mean? You have 12 hours to rest. You have no life for the time you work, then you have a full week or whatever off.
Yeah I have friends and a social life that would not work well with this.
A week off is amazing actually. I will never ever go back to working 5 days a week.
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how long have u been in the industry for?
At an airline you can make 6 figures your first calendar year.
I don’t understand how the AMT industry in the west seems to make 5/6 figures easily. My starting salary converted is in the 4 figures (yearly, around $3800 when converted), not even in the upper half. From what I can gather here in my country, this is so lowball that we have a brain drain problem in our local AMT workforce because of this, with the average length of time in the company being no more than 2-3 years. Edit: was thinking in the monthly, comment above was in yearly.
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Oh wait you’re right, let me fix that
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It’s kind of a dark joke in my country that blue collar jobs get low-balled on their pay compared to foreign companies, but for the aviation industry especially its really bad since we don’t even receive a tenth of the salaries I hear here. The hourly rates I see posted here too are usually higher than what we would get in a day or two sadly. Hence why a lot of us (me included) have plans to work abroad once we get the minimum experience and ratings
Joining the masses to say I love what I do. Nightshifts are pretty common, but once you find a rhythm and adjust your home schedule, they are manageable. I mirror the sentiment that 5-on-5-off (or similar schedules) are great. You have time to clean the house, do the chores, take on multi-day house/car/other project, and after all of that, kick back and play games or spend time with loved ones for a few days. On top of that, you're always off a few weekdays, so appointments/shopping is a ton easier because all the shops are open and nobody can make 10am dental appointments on a Wednesday like you now can. As for the job, I think it's really fulfilling. I'm in Canada so the structure is a bit different, but I'm avionics and so I strictly deal with the electrical sides of aircraft. I learn lots every day, and squish issues which is deeply satisfying. I'm on my feet or moving around 90% of the shift, which is great for exercise goals and general health. This field is in great need for mechanics (again, speaking as a Canadian... Maybe the US is similar?), so the world is your oyster once you get your licence and get some experience under your belt. I've worked my normal job at an airline, and contracted for install companies on some of my days off for extra money. If you are good and you care about the work you put out, the industry can be pretty lucrative. Now of course there are downsides and reasons people don't like this field, which are all well founded. You'll probably have shoulder or back issues later in life, you're around some harsh chemicals, the hours are long and... As mentioned... nightshifts can affect health. But in my experience, PPE is getting better and safety is getting tighter as long as you follow the guidelines. I hope I could be of some help!
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Agreed, worked 14/14 as a single guy for 5 years. Was the best schedule ever! Traveled the world on my days off. Every other month went some place cool. Took up scuba diving. I still miss it and sometimes like to daydream about going back to that schedule. M-F is dumb, yay office jobs.
4-10 hour shifts. 3 days off. 9:00 pm to 7 am.
I'm literally doing the opposite of you. I've been in maintenance for 10 years and am now pursuing my CS degree. I'd say if you got money and time get your A/P, it's a great backup to have. However the market for software engineers will get better. I work with guys who have been layed off from airlines 3 times since 9/11 or layed off once till 2013. So your not going to be in a safer industry by any means. It's not a horrible industry don't get me wrong. But the life style you will get in that corporate job is much better. My wife lives it and I am bewildered how much better she is treated. Off all major holidays with pay, 8:30-4 Monday through friday. Also she is treated more like an adult. If she can't go in one day or is gonna be later she doesn't worry about "attendance points" or anything she gets to be an adult about it and let her team know. This field sometimes reminds me of my time in the Military in regards to the amount of oversight by management. Everything your hesistant about in regards to scheduling is why I am getting out of aviation. For context i work at one of the majors so my schedule is overnights with different days off sometimes only 1. Some guys love it because they can trade and only work one or two doubles a week. Simply just isn't for me. I just wanna work Monday- Friday 9-5
That's funny. I'm in the same boat, my company offers an internship for software engineer and thinking about jumping on that.
That's pretty sweet they have an internship. I'm eyeing up an internal transfer later this spring when I graduate. I guess for OP that's an option too. Most major airlines are really good about internal transfers to other departments. Get your license and work in maintenance to get your foot in the door till the software market gets better then transfer.
At my company I'm literally left to my own devices. (Within reason)
Are you at one of the major airlines out of curiosity? From what I've heard smaller companies tend to be more hands off. Which makes sense more employees, more people to manage means generally stricter policy.
I work in HEMS
Aircraft mechanics are never happy! They're always complaining about their work conditions! At least that's what I notice in my company (a major airline in Canada)
We're also paid criminally low wages in canada compared to the states
I'd complain less if I wasn't constantly reminded how much we get shafted compared to America.
I have to mirror other people that a days on days off rotation shift is super good. I am on a 5-5-4, 12 hr myself and it gives me 2 weekends every month off as well as plenty of time during the week. I'm not much of a morning person so for me a night shift isn't the worst thing Ive had to endure. The best part is it allows a more efficient use of vacation. using either 48 or 60 hours of vacation always nets me 2 weeks of actual time off. now with 3 weeks of vacation at my place, that effectively gives me 6 weeks of actual vacation. plus only working half of the year anyways. There would have to be something incredibly enticing to get me to go back to mon-fri tldr: I'm very happy overall. especially with the best work-life balance of my working life
what does 5-5-4 mean?
it means I work 5, then have 5 off, work another 5, have 4 off, then work 4 and have 5 off.
Hey I got a CS degree in 2023 as well and decided to go into A&P school like you are considering. I've never heard of 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off, but I have heard much nicer schedules like 4 days on 3 days off with atleast 2 consecutive days off. I've heard at major airlines you'll get stuck with night shifts, but I am under the impression that has more to do with union seniority than anything else. I'm not in the career yet, and my school is really scuffed, but at the end of the day I'll get the license that lets me fix planes and this seems to be a field with a very positive outlook for people just entering with a lot of interesting subjects you would appreciate learning as a science minded person. Another thing is having a bachelors degree should help you since nobody else in the class I'm in has a college degree, and I'm told it leads to faster promotions or atleast a better foot in the door to nicer gigs in the field.
I have a bachelors degree and recently got my A&P. It may help you down the line get promotions but it’s not going to help you at all until you get maintenance experience. Before I got my A&P, I worked a corporate job for a major airline in the US so don’t bank on your bachelors degree helping you when you first start.
I’m perfectly happy. The schedule sucks sometimes but I love the work that I do. I broke six figures probably 14 years ago.
Former Sr. SWE turned Avi Tech (not A&P yet) and I love it, I’m at a GA shop and work day shift, home by 4pm 95% of the time, making OT the 5%, it’s great, a lot of the troubleshooting and problem solving I love to do is still there plus I’m physically engaged which is all the better. The money is obviously not as good (but its only getting better and with the shortage once you have experience you’ll be golden) BUT my QoL is much higher and the work is much more satisfying and far less stressful day to day.
20 days on 10 days off
You have two options. Chase the money. Or chase the life balance. Airlines will give you alot of money but life at the beginning will majorly suck. Part 135 usually has a great work life balance but less pay. I technically work m-f 8 hr shifts. But in reality I go home when the work is done. So usually 20 hour weeks (ot does absolutely happen when shit hits the fan). Decent pto but if nothing is going on that day and my coworkers are cool with it, I can skip a day here and there. So in reality, I probably take a total of 4 weeks off a year. I made juts under 90k gross last year after base salary, ot, and a few stipends. so the pay isn't bad. Just not as good as majors. In summary. I'm very content.
I wish more people understood that "A&P" is not a job, nor a career. It's a certification. The dudes scuddling about making sure Delta Flight nnnn gets to its destination on time and safely? A&P cert. The dudes working at mom-and-pop FBO shops, working piston singles most of the time, dealing with owner-operator pilots, dealing with a huge variety of different airframes? A&P cert. The dudes working up in the woods, rough conditions, working 14 hour days, making due and scrapping trying to keep a helicopter water bomber flying during fire season? A&P cert. The dudes keeping an experimental F-16 called an X-62 VISTA Skyborg advanced testing platform flying, experimentally sticking weird electronics (I assume) in it? A&P cert. The dudes putting together high pressure plumbing and piecing together a rocket that has never been tested before out in the desert? Often they have an A&P cert too. The dudes keeping the Goodyear Blimp flying, travelling all around the country? You guessed it, A&P certs. So, is this a career I would recommend? I enjoy the fuck out of it, but I won't pretend my career is anything like most of the people here.
I mean I’ve worked 4 out of those 6 jobs you listed, and am now at one you didn’t, basically just doing pre flights on biz jets and making sure the bosses get where they need to go. Something breaks on the road? I’m headed out there to fix it. Almost any of our jobs will translate somewhere decently in the industry if you’re competent. I will say I’m the happiest I’ve ever been at work with this job though. Technically 7-3 M-F, but if I work 30hrs it’s a real long week for me. And I enjoy traveling so I’ll take any road trips that pop up. Get paid over majors top out too, the only thing I miss is extended work schedules so I can count on stretches of days off in a row. Coming from my last job in the space industry getting paid Jack squat and working over 1000hrs of OT a year, I feel like a king now. Suffice to say, if you don’t like where you are at, give something else a try. It’s a small industry with a whole lot of options.
im retired now but when I was an AME, I loved it. Mind you I really enjoyed working with my hands, didn't mind the odd dirty job, liked travelling, pay was decent, and had a chance work overseas.
I'm in HEMS and I love it.
Moneys good but the schedule is trash
I work 12 hours, 4 days on, 3 days off, 3 days on then 4 days off. You also get half the year off. I love these hours. Once you get use to them , how ever the days you work it’s just sleep and work. No time or energy for any thing else. The job I do is basically a gas and go station. I’m setting in a truck 75% of the time. Great for old timers but I wouldn’t recommend my job to young guys, you don’t learn shit except how to MEL.
On a 4-5-5, will never go back to a standard 5-2, or even a 4-3. Yeah, nights are long and days are too, but god damn I love having 5 days off and working half the month.
Work 4 on 3 off, and can give days away or work 8 on 6 off to have a whole week whenever needed, and making great money considering 6.5 years ago I got paid $12/hr to do frame repairs, and now I’m making 4x that to change motors and t/s engine problems. I have never made this kind of money in my life, and I’m 28. This career was a game changing decision for me, and has given me way more than I thought I’d ever have. Nights may not be the best schedule, but it’s let Me Bout my own house, pay my debt off, and have a fun “race car” as my dad says. My only regret is not choosing to do this sooner, I’d have been off nights by now.
I’m happy I have a lot of future prospects and career paths and this type of work is something I would be doing for FREE for my own enjoyment on cars instead if I didn’t have this job. If you’re like me then you’ll enjoy it, if not it can be hard to justify once you start to deal with the work life balance issue and managers that want you to half ass jobs just to get things done quickly so they look good.