CAA NZ AME Aeroplanes 1 (Subject 4)

It is for people working toward a Part 66 aircraft maintenance engineer licence with an aeroplane rating, or for licence holders adding the aeroplane group. It tests general aeroplane airframe and systems knowledge rather than type-specific procedures, so it suits engineers who already have some practical maintenance exposure.

The syllabus is grouped into airframe structures and systems; hydraulic, pneumatic, fuel, and ice and rain protection; electrical power, avionics and instruments; flight controls, landing gear and cabin systems; powerplant installation and propellers; and maintenance practices, inspection and airworthiness. Check the current CAA Part 66 AME licence syllabuses for the authoritative topic list and depth.

The CAA has not published the format on the pages available, so the number and style of questions, time allowed, and pass mark cannot be confirmed here. Confirm these details with the CAA or your training provider before you book, and do not rely on figures from older study guides.

It is a broad systems paper, so the difficulty usually comes from breadth rather than from obscure calculations. Candidates who can explain how a system works, trace a schematic, and describe what happens when a component fails generally cope better than those who have only memorised component names.

Retake rules, waiting periods and any limits on attempts are set by the CAA and were not available in the source material. Ask the CAA directly about resit policy and how results are recorded against your licence application before sitting.

There is no published figure. A practical approach is to work through the syllabus area by area, allowing more time for the systems you have least hands-on experience with, and to finish with schematic-tracing and fault-diagnosis practice rather than re-reading notes.

Start with structures and general maintenance practices, because they give the vocabulary used elsewhere. Then take hydraulics, pneumatics and fuel together as one fluid-systems block, followed by electrical power and instruments, then flight controls, landing gear and cabin, and finish with powerplant installation and propellers.

Typical weaknesses are confusing similar components across systems, being unable to read a schematic under time pressure, and answering from memory of one aircraft type instead of general principles. Another frequent problem is neglecting the maintenance-practices and airworthiness area because it feels less technical than the systems.

Only from the CAA. The CAA's own pages state that the website has changed recently and pages may have moved, so use the site search or contact the CAA for current examination arrangements, fees and permitted materials. No dates or fees are quoted here because none could be verified.