Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

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Caiss
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Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

Post by Caiss »

Hey, i live pretty far from any major airports and i've been searching online to see if there are any AME's thats remotely close to where i live to come look at an airplane and i can't seem to find anything. What would be the best way to find one?

Thanks.
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Heliian
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Re: Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

Post by Heliian »

Where you at?
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Caiss
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Re: Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

Post by Caiss »

The Closest airport would be Charlo New-Brunswick
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Pacqing
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Re: Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

Post by Pacqing »

Try contacting the local AME assn, google is your friend, tell the person answering the phone your issue. Perhaps they could find a close by AME.
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edmanster
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Re: Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

Post by edmanster »

There are all varieties & flavors of AMEs ..
- the best bargain is not always the best choice ..
.. Consider / ask
- Does he have a shop / or work out the back of his car
- recent license or retirement plan
- does he work on ac full time .. or only when a quick buck is convenient
- is he familiar with ur ac type .. or is his attitude "all ac the same" ..
- does he have any inventory, parts? or expect u to obtain? - or "it will last another season"
also .. unless he has seen ur ac the previous year .. the first one is usually a "major" job
- since he does not know what was done in the past - he has to go thru everything .. take everything apart.
- will he allow u to attend while he is working - or "come back when job is done"
- are the tech logs detailed or just 1-liner chicken-scratches ..
- plane stored inside or out in the field.
.. ive seen all types / in all seasons / the good, bad, & ugly.
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PilotDAR
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Re: Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

Post by PilotDAR »

There are all varieties & flavors of AMEs ..
- the best bargain is not always the best choice ..
.. Consider / ask
- Does he have a shop / or work out the back of his car
- recent license or retirement plan
- does he work on ac full time .. or only when a quick buck is convenient
- is he familiar with ur ac type .. or is his attitude "all ac the same" ..
- does he have any inventory, parts? or expect u to obtain? - or "it will last another season"
also .. unless he has seen ur ac the previous year .. the first one is usually a "major" job
- since he does not know what was done in the past - he has to go thru everything .. take everything apart.
- will he allow u to attend while he is working - or "come back when job is done"
- are the tech logs detailed or just 1-liner chicken-scratches ..
- plane stored inside or out in the field.
.. ive seen all types / in all seasons / the good, bad, & ugly.
Troublesome abbreviations aside, I agree with the theme of the forgoing. You are probably better off finding an AME who is a good fit to the task and aircraft type, rather than close and not so suitable. Paying travel costs for the right person will be less costly than the wrong person getting it more wrong, and then having to hire the right person afterward anyway. If the job is big, and a good store of parts or specialized tools or skills are needed, perhaps better to get a ferry permit, and take the plane there.

As with any task in aviation, look for a person who is thorough, does not cut corners, and will document what they have done properly, using whole words, so later readers understand what was done, or otherwise is being communicated, and so the next person maintaining (or buying) the plane, has confidence in the thoroughness of the person who did the work. If a written entry is too brief, casual, or careless, might the work be too?
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Caiss
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Re: Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

Post by Caiss »

Thanks for all the information i appreciate it.
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edmanster
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Re: Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

Post by edmanster »

In addition to the above speel from me ..
Determine what level of involvement do you wish to have with your aircraft?
- if you are totally naive mechanically - then a detailed orientated shop would be best ..
.. in most cases they will find issues you may not be / or ever be aware of .. but expect to pay $$.
- if you are a handyman, always changing oil & tweaking under the cowl yourself, maybe you are only looking for a signature ..
.. in this case a more 'discriminate' mechanic may work out ..
- nothing more infuriating to a penny pinching owner is a shop who bills out hours touching up paint flakes and replacing rusty screw heads ..
- nor to 'prissy' owner - frustration when the control wheel is grease smeared when he just payed upwards of $6K ...
- some mechs have no issue with owners taking panels off & assisting .. other shops treat owners like a car dealership .. stay in the lounge & we will call u .. obviously the best way to source a mech that is compatable for you is to ask other ac owners & maybe also join the other owner while they gets their ac serviced .. watch the mech/shop at work & see if he/they fit your expectations ..
.. Addendum example .. I own a BMW (not newly purchased - but Frankenstein version)
initially I used to take it the local BMW dealership - who else would you expect to provide best service.
Low & behold .. received an excellent wash & vacuum - but some of the nagging dash lites never seemed to clear up.
(did i mention this car was a repair/ rebuild) ... Eventually i found a independent mechanic who solved all my issues in an afternoon.
Things to learn .. Some shops only deal with new items, they install factory mods & kits, change the oil - they have little experience with anything else .. most owners do not bring their machines there because the price is high & the results poor .. thus this shop's troubleshooting skills never get better./ my 2 cents
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corethatthermal
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Re: Whats the best way to find an AME thats close?

Post by corethatthermal »

will he allow u to attend while he is working - or "come back when job is done"
I made a new rule, NO more pilot assisted maintenance! As it is not uncommon, many AME s are too easygoing ! I don't see many doctors or Canadian tire mechanics allowing the customer to do the work on their car or truck or teeth etc.. It is an offence to undercut your AME ( sure, the customer can take the panels off and wash the belly, but the ame stuff is for the AME ) I DO want a first time customer to come in and look at the snags on the A/C so he/she knows WHY they need fixing.
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