Warbird A&P Scholarship Program and A&P Bootcamp
We Need You!
Our program is focused on building the corps of mechanics needed to keep North American Warbirds safe and flying. Our maintenance training is open to individuals that are committed to Warbird care. They could be a profession mechanic, student in an A&P school, someone who maintain Warbirds as a volunteer, or hands-on-owner. If you, or someone you know, could benefit from our exceptional maintenance programs, please reach out to us.
Selection Process
We are looking for the best group of people for the limited training spots we have each year. An application is made in three parts:
- Written recommendation by an NATA member with knowledge of the candidate’s commitment to Warbirds.
- Letter of interest from the candidate that explains their interest in attending and plans for maintenance work.
- Resume of candidate’s maintenance training and experience.
Please send the requested information to
scholarship@flynata.org.
Cost and Available Scholarships
The current cost for an individual to attend the week-long training is approximately $2,500 which covers accommodations, meals and class costs, but excludes transportation to and from the site.
Candidates can pay their own way, find a sponsor to cover all or part of the cost, or request a scholarship from NATA.
For those that can’t afford the cost, NATA will consider a request by the candidate for a full or partial scholarship. We want you there and learning, not to be blocked by the cost. Scholarship funding is possible because of the considerable and gracious donation from NATA members.
Questions?
Please address any questions to David Kahley at
scholarship@flynata.org. Or call me to discuss the program. My other contact information
is available here in the NATA Member Directory.
Past Boot Camp Recaps
In October 2022 “T-6 Fixer” Paul Redlich joined the Program as the NATA T-6 Maintenance Boot Camp Instructor. The Boot Camp was hosted by Horizon Aviation Flight School in Rhode Island, owned and run by NATA member and T-6 owners Zeke Valtz and Vicky Kuo who generously donated their school facilities and organized all the meals and accommodations. There were 15 students in attendance learning T-6 maintenance daily with Paul’s encyclopedic knowledge and 3 T-6’s available for seeing all the systems and differences between models. Subjects covered were an introduction to the T-6, Engine, Engine Systems, Engine Accessories, Engine AD’s, Propellor, Airframe Systems, Airframe AD’s, Airframe Maintenance, Troubleshooting, Servicing and Inspection, Airframe Special tools, and Engine Maintenance, Troubleshooting, Servicing and Inspection, all with Q&A and quizzes.
Read the full story of the 2022 Boot Camp in Skylines
The October 2023 T-6 Maintenance Boot Camp was held at the facilities of AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota. Paul Redlich was the instructor and there were 12 students and 2 T-6’s in attendance. General Manager Eric Hokuf gave a tour of the AirCorps restoration facilities and gave the Boot Camp attendees the gift of an Aircorps Library annual membership. Meals and accommodation organization was accomplished by Aircorps Library Manager Ester Aube, who also gave an informative talk about the library and the availability of important maintenance and restoration documents. Paul put the students through the weeklong Boot Camp learning experience -so much learning happened with questions asked and answered, many quizzes, and a lot of note taking.
Read the full story of the 2023 Boot Camp in Skylines
The November 2024 A&P Boot Camp included 12 attendees, all A&Ps, some IAs, and were selected for the T-6 focused training by Paul Redlich of Stars & Bars Aircraft. The Commemorative Air Force graciously offered the use of their facility in Dallas for the weeklong program. Just like NATA formation clinics, volunteers from the NATA membership are critical to the program. Al Herum took the lead in site selection and worked with the CAF to provide the hangar and classroom space along with access to see and learn about the historic aircraft at their Dallas facilities. Two members, Dave Robinson and Nathan Harnagel providing aircraft for the week as prime examples for the “show and tell” of Boot Camp. Dr. Jim Koch was the “chaperone” for the week coordinating on-site logistics, including daily transportation and the meals we provided every night to maximize learning time and to build a stronger community with the A&P‘s that attend.
Read the full story of the 2024 Boot Camp in Skylines
Support the Program
To help A&P's interested in maintaining warbirds, we announced our Warbird A&P Scholarship program in 2018. In 2018 and again in 2019 we ran week-long “Boot Camps” which provided overall training covering warbird airframes and components, radial engines, required maintenance and inspections, required tools, component vendors, and a variety of topics related to the care and feeding of our warbirds. The Gordon Kibby Scholarship fund made this possible through a generous donation from the estate of NATA Member Gordon Kibby.
When you renew your NATA Membership there is an option available on the online form to donate specifically to this very important program - recruiting, developing, and encouraging our next generations of Warbird maintainers.
Please consider our Warbird A&P Scholarship in your annual giving plan. Your contribution is tax deductible, and you may send a check or visit the Donations page to contribute online.
Donate Now!
Renowned Boot Camp instructor Paul Redlich describes the nuances of the Bosch and Bendix magnetos for the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp engine, during the A&P Boot Camp held in October 2023 at the AirCorps Aviation repair facility in Bemidji Minnesota.
