Aircraft Engineer CV Guide: Part-66, A&P, and What MROs Expect

Aircraft maintenance engineers have one of the most credential-heavy careers in aviation. Your licence categories, type endorsements, regulatory experience, and check-type history all need to be presented clearly on a single document. Generic CV builders have no idea what a Part-66 B1.1 category is, let alone how to format one.

This guide covers how to build an aircraft engineer CV that speaks the language hiring managers and MRO recruiters actually understand.

Why Engineer CVs Need Specialist Formatting

A hiring manager at an MRO or airline maintenance division scans an engineer CV differently from any other role. They are looking for three things immediately: what licence categories you hold, which aircraft types you are endorsed on, and whether you have certifying authority.

Standard CV templates put "Skills" and "Work Experience" in a generic layout. An engineer CV needs a dedicated licence block with categories and sub-categories, a type endorsement list with issue dates and authorities, and a maintenance experience section that distinguishes between line and base work.

Essential Sections

Licence Block

This is the most important section of an aircraft engineer CV. The format depends on your regulatory framework:

EASA Part-66: List your licence categories explicitly. The distinction matters — B1.1 (turbine aeroplanes) is not the same as B1.3 (turbine helicopters). If you hold multiple sub-categories, list them all. Include your licence number, issuing NAA (UK CAA, DGAC, LBA, etc.), and whether the licence is valid indefinitely or has an expiry date.

FAA: List your Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate. If you hold Inspection Authorization (IA), include it prominently — it is a significant differentiator. Include your certificate number and issuing FSDO.

CASA (Australia): List your LAME (Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer) licence with categories. Include your ARN (Aviation Reference Number). CASA uses a category system similar to EASA Part-66, so specify your categories clearly.

Other jurisdictions: GCAA (UAE), GACA (Saudi Arabia), DGCA (India), SACAA (South Africa), and CAAS (Singapore) all have their own frameworks. List the licence name, number, and issuing authority, and note which ICAO framework it aligns with.

Aircraft Type Endorsements

List every aircraft type endorsed on your licence. For each type include:

Aircraft type (e.g., Boeing 737-800, Airbus A320 family, Bombardier CRJ-900)
Maintenance level — Line, Base, or Both
Years of experience on that type
Systems worked — Engines, hydraulics, landing gear, avionics, structures
Certifying authority — Can you sign a Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) for this type?

The certifying authority status is critical. An engineer who can sign CRS independently is worth significantly more to an employer than one who cannot.

Technical Specialisations

Group your technical competencies by category:

Systems: Hydraulics, pneumatics, fuel systems, landing gear, flight controls, environmental control
Avionics: Navigation, communication, auto-flight, weather radar, TCAS, EGPWS
Structures: Composite repair, sheet metal, corrosion treatment, NDT methods
Software: AMOS, CAMP, Rusada Envision, SAP PM, Ramco
Regulatory: EASA Part-145, Part-M, FAA Part 145, CASA Part 42

If you hold NDT certifications (dye penetrant, magnetic particle, ultrasonic, eddy current, radiographic), list them with their certification levels (EN 4179 / NAS 410 Level I, II, or III).

Maintenance Experience

Your employment history should clearly indicate for each role:

Employer — airline or MRO name
Facility type — Airline line maintenance, MRO base maintenance, Military, OEM
Fleet maintained — List every aircraft type you worked on
Maintenance scope — Line maintenance, A-checks, C-checks, D-checks, AOG response, engine changes, modifications
Base and country
Dates of employment

The distinction between line maintenance and base maintenance matters. Line maintenance engineers handle daily servicing, pre-flight checks, and AOG (Aircraft on Ground) troubleshooting. Base maintenance engineers perform heavy structural inspections and major component changes. If you have done both, say so.

Education and Training

Include your aircraft maintenance engineer apprenticeship or degree, Part-66 module examinations if applicable, and ongoing training courses. Highlight human factors training (mandatory in most jurisdictions), EWIS (Electrical Wiring Interconnection System) training, CDCCL (Critical Design Configuration Control Limitation) training, and fuel tank safety (FTS) certification.

Regional Differences

EASA (Europe): Part-66 licence categories are the backbone of your CV. Employers immediately look for which categories you hold and on which types. The licence block should be the first section after your contact details.

FAA (United States): The A&P certificate is a unified credential without the sub-category complexity of EASA. US employers focus more on fleet experience and MRO/airline background. No photo is expected. US Letter page size.

CASA (Australia): Similar category structure to EASA Part-66. Include your ARN. Australian employers value remote and FIFO (fly-in fly-out) maintenance experience in addition to standard line and base work.

Gulf (UAE, Saudi Arabia): GCAA and GACA validations matter. Include personal details (date of birth, nationality, passport, visa status). Photo is expected. Two-page layout is standard.

MRO vs Airline Applications

MROs want breadth. They care about how many aircraft types you can work on, whether you have experience across multiple check types, and whether you can adapt to different fleet configurations. An engineer endorsed on both Boeing and Airbus narrow-body families is more versatile than one endorsed only on the A320.

Airlines want depth on their specific fleet. If an airline operates the B737 MAX, they want to see B737 experience prominently. Line maintenance availability, shift pattern flexibility, and AOG response experience are valued.

Tailor your CV accordingly.

Common Mistakes

Not specifying Part-66 sub-categories — Writing "B1" when you hold B1.1 loses important detail
Listing endorsements without dates — Employers need to know when you were endorsed
Not separating line from base experience — These are different skill sets
Omitting certifying authority status — If you can sign CRS, say so clearly
Using a generic CV template that has no fields for licence categories or type endorsements

Build Your Engineer CV

FlightDeck CV is built specifically for aviation. Choose your region (EASA, FAA, Gulf, or Asia-Pacific), fill in your licence categories, type endorsements, and maintenance history, and download a branded PDF plus an ATS-compatible version.

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