CAA NZ AME Licence Exam - Turbine Engines (Subject 6)
CAA NZ Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licence Examination - Subject 6: Turbine Engines
More study resources
Cheat sheet
Keep the key ideas within reach.
ExploreKey terms
Get comfortable with the vocabulary.
ExploreStudy plan
Give each week a clear focus.
ExploreCommon mistakes
Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
ExploreCase studies
Put your knowledge to work in context.
ExploreExam-day guide
Prepare for the day ahead.
ExploreAbout this exam
Subject 6: Turbine Engines is one of the knowledge-examination subjects that CAA New Zealand administers for people seeking an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer licence with a turbine engine rating. It is aimed at trainee and practising AMEs, and at engineers converting from piston engines, who need to show they understand how gas turbine engines work and how they are maintained to an airworthiness standard. The syllabus spans gas turbine theory, engine construction and materials, compressors and airflow, combustion and fuels, turbines and exhaust, lubrication and cooling, ignition and starting and engine control, indicating systems, auxiliary systems and power off-takes, and maintenance practices including inspection and troubleshooting. Expect questions that test understanding rather than recall alone: why a compressor surge margin changes, what a given indication implies, how a maintenance action affects engine condition. Prepare from the CAA NZ advisory material and your own type-training and maintenance documentation, work through calculations by hand, and practise explaining systems aloud to expose gaps. Treat this page as independent study support, not an official CAA NZ publication; confirm syllabus, format and administrative details with CAA NZ before you book.
What you'll study
About CAA NZ AME Licence Exam - Turbine Engines (Subject 6) preparation
Who needs to sit Subject 6?
Candidates working toward an AME licence with turbine engine coverage, and engineers adding that coverage to an existing licence. Requirements depend on the licence category and the privileges sought, so check your pathway against CAA NZ advisory material rather than assuming one exam fits every category.
What format is the examination?
CAA NZ sets the format for its AME knowledge examinations, and it has changed over time. Multiple-choice, closed-book delivery is the common pattern, but do not plan around a remembered format. The current examination arrangements, including whether sittings are computer-based or paper-based, are published by CAA NZ.
How long is the exam and what score do I need?
Question count, time allowed, pass mark and any pass-rate statistics are set and published by CAA NZ. They are not fixed for all time and should not be taken from a study site. Check the CAA NZ website or your examination enrolment confirmation for the figures that apply to your sitting.
How difficult is it?
Most candidates find the theory domain manageable and the maintenance and troubleshooting domain harder, because those questions ask you to reason from symptoms to causes. If you have hands-on engine experience, the difficulty shifts toward precise terminology and system detail. Depth of understanding, not memorised lists, separates comfortable passes from near misses.
Can I retake it, and how soon?
Retake rules, waiting periods and any limit on attempts are administrative matters set by CAA NZ. They can differ from other aviation examinations you have sat. Confirm the current policy with CAA NZ before relying on a particular resit timeline, and build your study plan so a retake is a fallback rather than an assumption.
What study order works best?
Start with gas turbine theory, because compressor, combustion and turbine behaviour all rest on it. Then work through construction and materials, then the airflow and combustion and turbine domains together, since they interact. Move to lubrication, ignition and control, indicating, and auxiliary systems, and finish with maintenance practice and troubleshooting, which draws on everything before it.
What are the common failure modes?
Confusing compressor surge with stall or with a choked nozzle, muddling EGT and TGT limits, misreading bleed-air effects on thrust and surge margin, and treating lubrication and cooling as one system. Another frequent problem is knowing a component's function but not the consequence of its failure, which is exactly what troubleshooting questions probe.
How should I prepare?
Read the CAA NZ syllabus to bound the scope, then study each system from a maintenance manual and a type course if you have access. Practise numerical work by hand, sketch engine station flows from memory, and explain fault symptoms to a colleague. Finish with timed practice under closed-book conditions so the examination setting itself is familiar.
Is this page official CAA NZ material?
No. This page and its practice material are independent study support and are not affiliated with or endorsed by CAA NZ. Use them alongside, not instead of, the official syllabus and advisory material, and always treat the CAA NZ publication as authoritative where the two appear to differ.