That might have been true fifty years ago, but not now. When I studied for the Airframe written a few years ago I had to learn about AND gates, NAND gates, semiconductors,Ohm's and Kirchoff's Laws, AC circuits, how to read circuit diagrams, et cetera, et cetera. Am I an expert? No.

 

  I don't know why the FAA put so much emphasis on circuit design when they certainly don't want A&P's digging inside of radios or designing new circuitry, but there it is. There was some information on composites, especially repair of honeycomb structures. Generalized information of that sort is of limited value. For most things you're required to follow the manufacturer's manuals when you have to do a repair.

 

 Even building the IV-P demonstrates the point: I had years of experience working with Safety-Poxy. Jeffco is very different in terms of wetout and curing- the techniques I used before don't always work. Each manufacturer uses specific materials and processes that need to be replicated when doing a repair.

 

  Mechanic's certification is at least the equivalent of a two-year college degree. I got the signoff for the written based on years of practical experience instead of schooling. Then the written and oral testing took me two years of intensive part-time study and I still haven't got a "P" yet.

 

  You learn what you need and retain what you use-   Bill Wade