Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Govt of India is the regulatory body for aircraft maintenance engineers (ame) in India. ame licence issued by DGCA is required to work in the aviation industry in India.
To complete the educational qualifications, one needs to get enrolled in DGCA approved AME Institute for the training, which is divided in two parts, one is theoretical and other is practical. The theoretical training is for 2 to 3 years and the practical training for 2 years. After competing all the training DGCA issue AME Licence. The license needs to be renewed after a certain period.
After meeting the educational qualifications and completing the required training, AME trainees must also complete a certain number of years of practical experience in aircraft maintenance before becoming eligible to apply for an ame license. This practical experience is known as "on the job training" (OJT) and the duration varies with the category of the aircraft the candidate wishes to obtain the license for. Its usually around 1800-2400 hrs of on the job training.
Once the trainee completes the required OJT and successfully pass the DGCA examinations, they can apply for an AME license. The AME license is granted by the DGCA, which conducts regular inspections and audits to ensure that ames are meeting the necessary standards of knowledge and experience, and that they are working in compliance with safety and regulatory requirements.
Its also important to note that the AME license are of different category, depending on the type of aircraft the candidate is trained and passed the examination, such as A, B1, B2 and it is not inter-changeable. Also the candidates can take up additional examination for different category if they wish to work on multiple types of aircraft.
Its also worth mentioning that AMEs career prospects are not limited to working only in India, as AMEs are in demand globally, and many Indians AMEs are working abroad with good remuneration package.