On August 10th, Mark finished his required 4,800 hours in the hangar. (Check out the link to see what those hours entailed.) Here's the moment captured ... at the end of the 4,800th hour!
To mark the end of each guy's hours, the out-going apprentice hands over the Senior Apprentice Wrench/Spanner to the apprentice who is following after him. Mark handed over to another MAF UK apprentice, Andy Swanson. All the staff in the hangar also celebrate the completion of each persons hours with cake and ice cream ... and Mark took all three of his girlies up with him to enjoy the occasion!
Then began the hardest part ... the FAA Airframe and Power plant (A&P) exams. Three written exams, with a combined total of 260 questions, taken in a little test center in Zanesville, see the photos below. The oral (with 176 questions) and practical exam taken in the MMS hangar, both covering 46 different subjects. Mark studied intensely and then once he felt ready, over the space of about 4 weeks took all the elements of the exams.
The hours in the hangar Mark completed, under the supervision of MMS staff members like Mike Dunkley and Jim Newman (below), the experience he gained working on all different aircraft both in the MMS hangar and when he worked for JAARS in Papua New Guinea and MFI in Florida and all the additional study that has gone alongside that definitely paid off.
Last Wednesday (September 19th), Mark finished the final part of the practical exam and officially qualified as an A&P mechanic. Dwight Jarboe, the President and CEO of MMS, was his examiner for the oral and practical elements. On Wednesday afternoon he presented Mark with his temporary license.
Three years ago, we moved here as a family for Mark to train and qualify so that he can be of use to MAF on the mission field. In the process he has been able to assist other missions by repairing their aircraft too. Now that he has successfully completed his training we are beginning to look ahead and prepare for what's next.
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