u/CarbonWood

Prior to schooling and earning my A&P, I have several years experience in a mechanical background working as an ASE certified automotive tech. I also attended the local career fair that my school hosts, and met with a lot of employers/recruiters and kept their contact information.

I finished AMT school in May. A couple weeks after I finished school, I tested for my A&P. As soon as I passed, I have been applying for every pretty much every AMT job listing in Tucson and Phoenix that I did or did not qualify for. I spent many hours on Google, Indeed, and JSFirm every day. I also followed up with the recruiters from the careers fair.

In a span of 5 weeks and 30+ applications, I got only 4 interviews, and 4 job offers. Only 2 of those job offers were competitive/attractive in terms of work and pay. I had to make a hard decision between two different MRO's.

One MRO offered me an A&P position working on widebodies and the other MRO offered an Avionics position working on regionals. I chose the A&P work on widebodies because I really want to gain relevant experience that will allow me to move up to majors in the future. The two MRO's that considered me took my prior technical background into account and told me during the interview that it made me a stronger candidate than other new, fresh A&P's out of school.

A background check and drug screening are all that's left in my way. I'm now estimated to start my first job working on planes at the end of the month.

I should also mention these companies are SLOW when it comes to hiring. I received a phone call to come in for a job interview 25 days after submitting the application for that job. For you guys looking for a job, hang in there and keep your head up!

I'll begin this post with some context: Our cat is a 1.5 year old female. We got her in April. She joined our home of two adults and one dog. Our cat is quite sweet, respectful, and doesn't cause trouble. Our cat got along well with my old dog. They both quickly set boundaries for each other and both respected those boundaries. Our cat was shy and afraid of conflict with our old dog, so she gave him a wide berth. They stayed out of each other's ways. Neither one of them antagonized each other. Unfortunately, my old dog passed away a month ago. He was a fine 75lb Labrador. That being said, my cat has learned to live peacefully with a dog in this house before.

Enter my newly rescued dog: a 2 year old 90lb female Great Dane/Lab mix. This dog is very sweet, calm, gentle, and timid. This Dane/Lab was living with multiple cats in her previous home. She is extremely respectful to our cat. The dog gives the cat plenty of space, and monitors the cat's behavior and body language to see if she is or isn't comfortable in her presence. If the dog does get close, like to sniff the cat, the cat is very understanding, remains calm, and allows the dog in her space. The first time they met was a very calm, pleasant interaction for both of them.

Most of the time, these two are calm in the presence of each other in the same room together. Unfortunately, it seems our cat has become somewhat territorial in the one month timespan when she was the only pet in the house. Our cat will occasionally, not always, react very defensively to the new dog if the dog is within sight of her, or if the dog approaches her general direction.

She will arch her back, raise/puff out her tail, hiss loudly, and then chase the dog. Our dog responds by hastily retreating, Scooby-Doo style. This has made our new dog cautious of our cat and creates a bit of tension between them where there wasn't before. I've never seen my cat get angry like this before. The dog has done nothing to provoke this reaction except being in the same room.

Aside from the stressful situation, it is pretty funny to see an 8lb cat chase away an 90lb Great Dane mix. What can I do to teach the cat that the dog is not a threat? I understand the cat may be trying to communicate boundaries with the dog, but it seems uncalled for, especially when the dramatic reactions occur when the dog is not even paying any attention to her. Is this an issue that will improve on its own without much oversight, or does it require some kind of correction?

The story behind this chart:

A couple months before completing my Part 147 AMTS school, one of my instructors got a call from one of his old employers, seeking capable new blood. I was Airframe certified at this point. Out of 200+ students, my instructor chose me. They got my number and called me in for an interview the next day. Interview went well. The manager asked "if you would be willing to start tomorrow." It was a shoo-in. Solely due to the backing of my instructor. This put me into a dilemma because, although it was a job that was handed to me on a silver platter, I learned *after* the interview that the pay was (IMO) bad. I learned *during* the interview that the operation was quite small, the work would be done outdoors in the southwest desert (in the summer), the aircraft types I would be working on were unpressurized vessels, very old, and quite rare. This led me to believe the potential transferrable experience in the future would not make up for the lack in pay. I wanted to build my resume to work for major airlines, and didn't think this job would help much in that respect. I also had the mindset that once I got my A&P, that I would seek better jobs offered to fully certified technicians at major airlines. All these factors led me to decline my first job offer. It was a hard final decision to make, because I knew a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Before I even graduated, I applied to positions that specifically qualify you for the job with only one certification. I even met face-to-face with aircraft maintenance recruiters at my school's career fair and followed up with emails to HR and submitting job applications. Since I got my A&P, I have been glued to JSFirm and Indeed, I've been shooting out applications and resumes like Oprah hands out out Beetles. I have been applying to every A&P job that I may or may not qualify for. If the job listing specifies; Aircraft Maintenance role, 0-2 Years experience, or 2+ Years experience, I have applied to it.

I'm not picky. I have applied to MROs, FBOs, manufacturers, defense contractors, defense companies, aviation maintenance contractors, helicopter maintenance contractors, and regional airlines. I would have also applied to major airlines, but they do not have any current relevant job listings available in my region. I believe they'll pick up hiring in the fall/winter.

So far it has all been fruitless. The only "pending" response I have had so far is from a regional airline, and I am simply in the middle of their automated candidate screening process. Every other response is: "You have not been selected."

My preferences for work:

• Unfavorable shifts/scheduling is *not* a factor for me. I will work whenever.
• Transport/Commercial/Charter only. No GA.
• Location is limited to PHX/TUS

I know it's still early in the job hunt, but I figured I would share my experience with this community on what it's currently like to be seeking an entry level A&P position in Southern Arizona. I am getting restless. I'm not one to sit around at home, unemployed, waiting for work, but here we are. I do see a *ton* of job openings for Experienced technicians (3-5 years). It's a little frustrating to see that when you compare that to the number of entry level positions.

I will say there is just one MRO in southern AZ that I have deliberately not chosen to apply to, for now. I know fellow former students and instructors who work(ed) there that have nothing but bad things to say about that place. Their comments are backed up by similar sentiment on forums/Reddit as well. This employer will be my last resort if every other employer in the region tells me no.

Edit: I do know how to wield a wrench. For anyone who cares, here's what my resume and A&P certificate look like.

Preface to this guide with quick relative information and some interesting tangents: If you've got an NA 1990-1993, they used R12 as the refrigerant for the AC system. This is an old school refrigerant which the EPA deemed bad for the environment, so they mandated the switch to R134a.

Side note: the EPA is phasing out R134a for R1234yf refrigerant in the newest cars (2020+), which is supposed to be better for the environment than R134a.

Super side note: There are "R12 compatible" alternative refrigerants available which are not R12, but instead a different gas altogether: Propane/Butane/Isobutane mix. Propane has very very similar latent heat (condensation and evaporation properties) as R12. Theoretically, and practically, you can charge an R12 system with Propane and it will perform just as well at refrigeration. Propane is also friendlier to the environment than a lot of dedicated refrigerants. Propane is commonly used in industrial refrigeration applications and is designated as R-290. However, it is illegal to charge automotive AC with propane, and many consider it unsafe due to its flammability and volatility.

(In my opinion, propane is kind of tricky to ignite without perfect stoichiometric mixture, and there's less than two pounds of refrigerant in the Miata's AC system, I don't think the safety concerns of running propane is anywhere near as concerning as the 10+ gallons, or 60+ pounds of gasoline fuel circulating between the fuel tank behind the driver and the engine in the front, but I digress...)

Anyway, R134a is still widely available and ubiquitous. R134a is technically less efficient than R12 as a refrigerant, but not by much in an automotive application, since target evaporative cooling temperatures in automotive applications are not to exceed temps cooler than 32°F. Both refrigerants are capable of reaching temperatures far below subzero, but with different expansion valves, compressors, and condenser layouts. Cooling temperatures of vapor cycle refrigeration systems are not to exceed temps lower than 32 degrees unless ice/freezing water is desirable, like in a dedicated freezer. That is to say if temperatures get colder than 32 degrees, the evaporator in your car can freeze up and prevent airflow through it, resulting in highly restricted airflow from the cabin vents.

Put simply, R134a is capable of running your converted AC R12 system at sufficiently cool temperatures for your Miata. You'll only see a difference of a few degrees warmer with R134a vs R12.

The things that must be changed to convert R12 to R134a are:

-Generic R12 to R134a service port adapter fittings. (Preferably right angle fittings for better clearance.) These are cheap and easily found on eBay or Amazon.

-24 oz of R134a refrigerant. Two 12 oz cans from the parts store.

-Parallel Flow Condenser There are two versions of refrigerant condensers for the NA Miata. Serpentine Flow, and Parallel Flow. The R12 system uses the Serpentine flow condenser and it is incompatible with the R134a refrigerant. R134a will struggle to condense, and it will not subcool without the proper parallel flow condenser. This will lead to very high pressures on the high side, stress the compressor, stress your engine with additional load, and trigger the high-side pressure safety switch to deactivate the AC compressor frequently. Basically, your AC won't even work if it's warm outside. The Serpentine flow and Parallel flow condensers are 100% interchangeable with each other in all NA's 1990-1997, so it's easy to overlook this part. You need to make sure the condenser you order specifies it is parallel flow. You can also identify the different condensers visually. The Serpentine flow condenser has around 16 rows of tubing. The Parallel flow condenser has 30+ rows of tubing. Count the rows on the condenser you already have to check if you do or don't have the parallel flow.

-Brand new 1994-1997 Receiver/Drier. You need a 94-97 receiver/drier. You can't use the 90-93 receiver/drier. The 1990-1993 receiver/drier fits both the Serpentine flow and Parallel flow condenser, but it is not fully compatible with the R134a refrigerant. The refrigerant can chemically react with the R12 desiccant inside the 90-93 drier and cause corrosion to the system and contamination to the R134a refrigerant. Also, the internal volume between the R12 Drier and R134a Drier is different. The receiver drier acts as a reservoir to store excess refrigerant when ambient temperature differs. Maintaining the proper reserve volume is dependent on refrigerant charge and refrigerant type.

-Couple ounces of ND-9 refrigerant compressor oil or equivalent

-Proper radiator ducting, fan cowling, and functional cooling fans for efficiency.

-New O-rings compatible with R134a and ND-9 oil. These are typically green. Ideally, every single o-ring in the system is replaced.

The bare minimum for a functional AC conversion is the proper Parallel Flow condenser, the R134a refrigerant, a new receiver/drier, and service port fitting adapters.

When all these parts are installed in your car, you can service the system with R134a. If you plan to DIY the servicing, you'll need a set of R134a manifold gauges, and a compatible vacuum pump. Pretty cheap equipment from Harbor Freight.

Don't vent refrigerant to the atmosphere. This write-up is done all under the assumption your system is already empty and/or properly recovered in recovery tanks.

To service the system, it must first be free of any positive pressure. The manifold gauges should be connected to the adapted high side and low side service ports. A constant vacuum must then be pulled on the system for at least 30 minutes. I recommend vacuum pumping for 60 minutes to be thorough. This will ensure any vaporized water, or moisture, or other non-condensibles have been removed from the system. Any contamination in the lines will cause operating problems. After a constant vacuum has been pulled, the pump should be shut off. A leak check must be performed next. Take a picture of the Low side manifold gauge after turning off the vacuum pump. Return to check the gauge in 30 minutes. If the needle has not moved in comparison to the photo you took, then the refrigerant system has no leaks, and you can now add oil and refrigerant with your manifold gauges through the Low side port only.

ChrisFix honestly has a great video of how to service and charge R134a refrigerant. Better tutorial than I can explain here through text.

Equivalent R134a capacity by mass will be about 75% less than what an R12 system takes. Expect to charge this converted system with about 18oz - 22oz. The easiest way to get the correct refrigerant level is to simply add enough R134a to the system with the compressor running (engine at idle, AC on max, windows down) until vent temperatures fall under 45 degrees farenheit, and low side manifold pressures at idle fall between 20psi-40psi. High side pressures should be around 200-220 psi. If you have a sight glass, you shouldn't see any bubbles or foam behind the glass. If you see bubbles, the refrigerant level is low. Keep adding until bubbles in the sight glass are gone and it looks crystal clear through the glass.