2023 – Edition 10 – November 2

Table of Contents

Note: The order of material varies in hotline emails, but is always presented the same on this landing page. Readers scrolling through content on or printing this page will find it organized consistent with the table of contents.

The President’s Desk
ARSA Works
Conference Corner
Legal Briefs
ARSA on the Hill
Aviation Life Calendar
Quality Time
Training & Career Development 
Membership
Resources
Industry Calendar

The President’s Desk

A Good Penny

When I was elected ARSA’s president during the Board’s annual meeting in October, Sarah MacLeod joked that I’m like “a bad penny”…I just keep turning up.

It’s true. My father was one of ARSA’s founding members, and when I became “the Fortner” directly involved with the association I carried the family lesson that we must work together. In the 23 years since – it’s hard to believe I have more board experience than the rest of my fellow elected directors combined – the value of ARSA has been reinforced over and over.

So, in this first installment of “the President’s Desk” since my election (a tradition started by Terrell Siegfried) I want to highlighting the good of every penny you invest in the association.

Investing in ARSA saves: It saves money by avoiding the costs of misguided regulation. It saves headaches in dealing with government hardheadedness. It saves our businesses by facing ever-changing technical, workforce, and regulatory landscapes.

Those savings are realized against the “insurance policy” of association membership. When fellow members raise and address issues, or the team proactively heads off trouble resulting from bad policy or misunderstood requirements, the payout is a continuing business without lost time, revenue, and talent that would have been spent. You can see that work being done across every edition of the hotline and every day on ARSA.org.

There are regular opportunities to enhance your own investment and thus your return. Dues payments are a great start, but ARSA provides several ways to financially support its work that return additional investment:

(1) Training: Knowledge gained through experience is one of ARSA’s most precious resources. Members get discounts on session access and the team is available to discuss subscriptions and other special access options. An important side note: ARSA gives government personnel free access to training to “audit” its content; encourage your inspectors to review sessions and ensure they have a base of knowledge in the rules (have them contact ARSA for more information).

(2) Events: The Annual Conference is the maintenance community’s premier substantive event. Its four days of programming provide engagement for every part of your organization and should be considered a tent pole in your year’s schedule for asking questions and addressing problems. Help bring the event’s value to new members of your own team, either in person or as an online Conference Ambassador (online access is available only as a benefit to in-person registrants).

(3) Publications: The association provides model manuals, programs and supplements designed to assist companies with regulatory compliance. Each model or template has been designed based on industry experience, agency guidance and plain-language interpretation of regulatory requirements. A variety of “tools” are available free to members, and the RSQM Compilation (with associated support) can shave months off the process of establishing or re-writing a manual system.

(4) Advertising: ARSA’s takeover of its periodicals has been a great success, but more importantly it provides a great opportunity. From website images to newsletter ads to training sponsorships, members can show off their businesses while pumping resources directly to the people who work on the industry’s behalf every day.

(5) Members Getting Members: Get an immediate return on a short investment of time by referring a good dues paying member and receive a discount on your next annual renewal; refer enough paying members and your dues are free.

For every opportunity included in your annual budget, you’ve dropped a penny into the jar. For the remainder of my presidential year and as long as I’m around, I’ll keep reminding the membership that there are some awfully good…and important…pennies to be invested.

Gary Fortner 2024 ARSA president | Fortner Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc. vice president of engineering

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ARSA Works

What ARSA Has Done Lately – Third Quarter 2023

Each quarter the board of directors receives reports on the association’s activities and fiscal health. Step into a board member’s shoes with this overview of the financial, operations, legislative, and regulatory reports highlighting advocacy on behalf of aviation safety in 2023’s third quarter.

Fiscal Health

ARSA remains better than its 2023 budget projection and is on track to finish the year with cash on hand. The Board approved a 2024 budget targeting healthy revenue growth opportunities and careful cost control, with increased funds available for team members engaging with stakeholder activities around the world.

Membership

The year-to-date retention rate remains better than 90 percent, with the total value of new and recovered memberships in the third quarter exceeded that lost through canceled memberships by 700 percent.

Regulatory Advocacy

• Continued efforts to resolve FAA-EASA parts documentation issue.
• Met with White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) regarding forthcoming notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) covering international repair station drug & alcohol testing requirements.
• Updated model templates to reflect FAA edits to Form 8610-2 (Mechanic/Parachute Rigger) and Form 8610-3 (Repairman).
• Requested (and received) extension to comment period for FAA comment period on its Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) proposal.
• Commented on petition for exemption from eligibility requirements of part 65, subpart D for blind individual.
• Launched international digitalization survey as part of Maintenance Management Team (MMT) review of digital data and records.
• Initiated conversations with allied organizations regarding opportunities to streamline SIDA access for personnel who require access at multiple airports.
• Applied for continued ARSA representation on new EASA Stakeholder Advisory Body (SAB) (successor to Engineering & Maintenance Technical Committee (EM.TEC)).

Legislative and Lobbying

• Continued promoting ARSA priorities in FAA reauthorization.
• Participated in congressional meetings regarding maintenance data access and DOD acceptance of FAA approvals provisions in FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
• Worked with office of Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) to draft repair station certification improvement bill for potential inclusion in Senate FAA reauthorization bill.
• Joined industry letter urging Congress to confirm Mike Whitaker as FAA Administrator.

Communications and Surveys

ARSA in the News – Selected Industry Coverage

Bipartisan FAA Bill Gains Support of More Than 1,000 Aviation Stakeholders

U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure | July 18, 2023

H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aviation safety and infrastructure programs for the next five years, has earned the backing of more than 1,000 aviation industry leaders and stakeholders, including many at the national level and the state and local levels.

Fake Parts Scandal Spotlights Paperwork’s Limits

AviationWeek | September 28, 2023

The discovery of thousands of unapproved parts installed on aircraft and sitting in spare parts bins has put a spotlight on both the strengths and shortcomings inherent in the complex world of global aviation maintenance.

ARSA-placed Industry Editorials and Content

Bringing Advertising In-house

• Sales: Two organizations completed advertising order forms during the quarter and are in the recruitment process; one new ad placement on org and two new placements in ARSA periodicals.
• Renewal Process: Two existing advertisers have terms ending in January 2024; thesales team is beginning engagement for new contracts.
• Creative: ARSA “joke” series; collecting “wisecracks” from membership.
• Administration: Scripting procedures and documentation related to recruitment, contract, and invoicing process.

Surveys

• Quick Questions:
  • Human Factors Findings (8 responses)
  • Advertising (5 responses)
  • Fiscal Years (4 responses)
• International Digitalization Survey (MMT initiative)

Events, Meetings and Training

Events

• Planned Fall Leadership Roundtables and Annual Board Meeting.
• Began planning for 2024 Annual Conference.

Training

Sessions offered (or scheduled) in third quarter (all are complete as of the hotline’s distribution).

• Part 43 In Depth Series (15 Minute Sessions)
  • Applicability – July 12
  • Performance Rules – July 13
  • Non-applicability – Aug. 15
  • Life Limited Parts – Aug. 16
• Part 91 Series
  • Subpart A – July 26
• Going Global Series
  • International Obligations – Aug. 30
  • European Enlightenment – Sept. 12
• “Magic Form” Series
  • FAA Form 8130-3 – Overview and History – Sept. 27
  • FAA Form 8130-3 – Completion Instructions & Multiple Releases – Oct.18

External Meetings

• Sarah participated in recurring meetings of the Part 145, Repairman Portability, and MOSAIC working groups, and with FAA’s Flight Standards and Aircraft Certification Services.
• Christian participated in multiple meetings of the MMT Digitalization Working Group to develop and launch the industry survey.
• Christian participated multiple TSA Aviation Security Advisory Committee-related meetings including the ASAC quarterly meeting, Airport and Insider Threat Subcommittee meetings, and SIDA Reform Working Group meetings.
• Christian had multiple in-person and virtual meetings with congressional staff on pending legislative issues.
• Christian and Brett held monthly collaboration calls with Oliver Wyman.
• All team members completed AEA’s SMS training.
• Brett and Kimberly met with Kylie Key from the FAA regarding SMS resources (Jul 18).
• Sarah and Brett spoke with member regarding ADM calibration (Jul 27).
• Sarah and Brett met with member on SMS development (Aug 1).
• Brett met twice with new member regarding the company’s repair station quality manual (Aug 7 and 18).
• Christian met with member to prepare for participation on a panel at MRO Asia Pacific (Aug 10).
• Brett met with JSFirm regarding an ARSA branded job board (Aug 17).
• Brett met with member regarding the FAA/EASA MAG (Aug 17).
• Christian and Brett participated in a quarterly FAA Industry Maintenance Workforce meeting (Aug 17).
• Sarah, Christian and Brett spoke with A4A regarding the FAA foreign repair station NPRM (Aug 21).
• Sarah and Brett spoke with member regarding the EASA certification process (Aug 22).
• Christian and Brett met with Greg Polek of AIN Online (Aug 23).
• Brett met with Thom Patterson of NBAA regarding digitalization (Sep 20).
• Christian participated in an FAA reauthorization panel at ATEC’s Fly-in (Sep 20).
• Sarah, Christian, and Brett met with Ryan Beene of Bloomberg regarding parts documentation (Sep 21).
• Christian met with Ludovic Aron of EASA and EU Delegation Mobility & Transport Counsellor Kristian Hedburg regarding FAA reauthorization (Sep 28).

Strategic Work Plan

2023 Q3 Objectives:

• Continue releasing live training ONGOING
• Support enactment of FAA reauthorization ONGOING
• Complete updated management agreement. DRAFTED
• Host executive team leadership retreat. COMPLETE
• Begin 2024 Conference COMPLETE
• Manage 2023-24 officer recruitment and re-nomination process. COMPLETE

2023 Q4 Objectives:

• Maintain pressure on FAA and EASA to resolve parts documentation
• Update RSQM Compilation materials for release of revision.
• Execute management agreement.
• Initiate 2024 Conference registration, sponsorship drive, and speaker invitations.
• Continue database development to support membership and benefits.
• Expand advertising sales targeting.

ARSA and AEA Push Back Against Guidance Creating New OpSpec

On Oct. 31, ARSA and the Aircraft Electronics Association delivered a letter to the FAA requesting immediate withdrawal of Notice 8900.679, “Part 145 Repair Stations and New OpSpec D090, Coordinating Agency for Supplier Evaluation (C.A.S.E.).”

The notice introduced a new operations specifications paragraph for part 145 repair stations. The paragraph, D090, would be issued to certificate holders that are “seeking authorization to use a C.A.S.E. audit in their [quality control system].” The associations noted that such authorization has no regulatory basis, as §§ 145.201(a)(2) and 145.217(b) create no requirements for use of specific audit methodologies and mandate no membership in any related program.

“The limitations imposed by [§ 145.5’s requirement that repair stations operate in compliance with their operations specifications] require the FAA be judicious in the creation of OpSpecs paragraphs,” ARSA and AEA said. “Despite the guidance in Order 8900.1, which has defined multiple paragraphs as “mandatory,” the only ones supported by the regulations are A003, ‘Ratings and Limitations’ and A449, ‘Drug and Alcohol Testing Program’.”

The associations underscored the expansive use of operations specifications paragraphs that are convenient to the agency, but not required by the regulations. To address the related burden on agency and industry personnel, the letter referenced a recommendation by the ARAC Part 145 Working Group – which is co-chaired by ARSA Executive Director Sarah MacLeod and AEA Vice President of Government & Industry Affairs Ric Peri – to review and remove any OpSpecs paragraphs that are not safety limitations.

To read the joint letter, click here.

Finding a Repair Station – Directions to the Directory

The ARSA team has discovered problems with the “av-info” web system hosting the FAA repair station directory and other certificate databases. As of Oct. 23, access attempts to the directory, linked from the agency’s page overviewing repair stations, resulted in a failure message and the agency website reported the “av-info.faa.gov” page did not exist. 

The FAA’s web management team reported at the time it was “working diligently to remedy” the system outage, which it appears to have done by simply directing the “directory” link to a page allowing download of the source files for all of its public directories, records, and reference tables:

av-info.faa.gov/dd_mainlevel.asp

While this resource does not include the search-and-display functionality of the directory, it is useful for reference even should the main system be restored (hard to predict whether that will happen). After familiarization with the sub files, users can construct spreadsheets containing data from the same kinds of custom searches performed via the FAA’s interface (that do not allow for custom result exports).

To find a repair station:

(1) On the “main level” page, select “repair stations”.

(2) In the “Tab Delimited Data” area, select and download “repair.zip”.

(3) Access the text file within the .zip folder.

(4)(a) Use the “find” feature in your text reader to search for the repair station name, OR

(4)(b) Copy and paste the entire contents of the text file into a blank spreadsheet, it will be organized by columns according to the directory headings.

(5) Referencing the Designator (Column H) and Certificate Number (Column I), you can repeat the download/copy/past process for the other “aa145” files to search additional information, e.g., accountable manager identification in “aa145d”.

Leadership Roundtables Hold Half-Full Glasses

Participants in ARSA’s Corporate Member Luncheon on Oct. 12 listen to Andrew Giacini, speaking from the center of the far side of the table, report on Congress’ efforts to reauthorize the FAA.

On Oct. 12, ARSA convened its Annual Leadership Roundtable Sessions, hosting corporate members, ally trade association leaders, and legislative and regulatory representatives at the headquarters of Helicopter Association International in Alexandria, Virginia.

Key Corporate Member Contacts joined the association’s board of directors – which held its annual meeting separately on Oct. 13 – for a lunch discussion with Andrew Giacini. An experienced professional staff member on the House Aviation Subcommittee, Giacini shared insight on Congress’ efforts so far to reauthorize the FAA. Considering the generally positive reception of the House bill – numerous ARSA and industry priorities are addressed – Giacini offered realistic roadmaps for how the Senate could act on its so-far-stalled legislation and how lawmakers could approach reconciling the two bills.

After lunch, the room filled with colleagues from nine of ARSA’s closest trade association allies. Participants discussed key policy and compliance issues before being joined by FAA and EASA representatives for reports on agency priorities. While these discussions included frank points about oversight and compliance challenges, the group invested considerable attention in building on slow gains in regulator personnel development made since the 2022 Roundtables.

Seeing the glass as “half full,” to use a term repeated multiple times by the Larry Fields, executive director of the FAA Flight Standards Service, may be a challenge for all, but pressing towards improvement is a key ARSA role in supporting the maintenance community. The dialogue in the board room on Oct. 12 will continue on Capitol Hill and the meeting rooms of the Ritz-Carlton at ARSA’s Annual Conference next March. The association urges members to plan their attendance and build on the points made by its board, key member contacts, and allies during the Roundtables.

New Cross-Reference Matrices for Compliance with U.S./UK MAG

ARSA has produced new cross-reference matrices for use by U.S. based repair stations looking to show compliance with the special conditions established under the bilateral agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom.

While the current transition periods allows for American maintenance providers to continue using an EASA dual release through 2024, the UK CAA has begun issuing approvals to FAA certificate holders (a number of ARSA members are already on the short list of approvals granted so far). The association’s tools will help existing approval holders and those applying for new review to assess their own manual systems.

ARSA’s matrices are constructed exactly as those produced for compliance with the U.S./EU bilateral. For each special condition listed, users input the appropriate references to the RSQM, TPM, FM, form or related procedure or documentation in the Compliance Reference field. When an element does not apply, users explain the non-applicability so potential answers to inspector questions (and supportive reasoning) is readily apparent.

The matrices are available as part of ARSA’s free “tools for members.” To request your updated copy, which is delivered as a .zip file containing all “tools,” complete the order form at arsa.org/publications.

Final Documents/Your Two Cents

This list includes Federal Register publications, such as final rules, Advisory Circulars and policy statements, as well as proposed rules and policies of interest to ARSA members.

Click here to access a PDF copy of the list.

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Conference Corner

Getting Ready

March 12-15, 2024

Registration Coming December 2023

Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. with Livestream Options for Online Participants

Experience the maintenance community’s premier event. Join ARSA members and invited guests from around the world to engage governments, network with peers and improve the state of the aviation world.

Event Information

2024 Conference Agenda

Unless otherwise noted, all Annual Conference activities take place at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia. Stay tuned for agenda updates as the event gets closer.

Executive to Executive Briefings: Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Participation by industry executives with senior executive branch officials is limited to annual conference sponsors.

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8:30 a.m. | Coffee & Light Breakfast

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9:00 a.m. | Introductory Briefing

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10:00 a.m. | U.S. Department of Transportation

Elliott Black, Facilitator, Aerospace Supply Chain Resiliency Task Force, Office of the Under Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation

ARSA is a member of the congressional-mandated task force examining the resiliency of the aerospace supply chain. Black will facilitate a group discussion about issues impacting the maintenance sector supply chain, including workforce, government policy, access to materials, geopolitical challenges, etc.

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11:00 a.m. | Break

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11:15 a.m. | U.S. Department of State

Heidi Gomez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

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12:00 p.m. | Access to Maintenance Data: The ICA ARC

Josh Krotec, Senior Vice President, First Aviation and Member, ARSA Board of Directors 

Krotec has been named industry co-chair of the newly established Instructions for Continued Airworthiness Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which was created at ARSA’s request to address the availability of maintenance data.  He will discuss the ARC’s mandate and objectives, and opportunities to influence the ARC’s work.

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12:45 p.m. | Lunch & Midday Break

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2:00 p.m. | U.S. Department of Commerce

Scott Kennedy, Director, Office of Transportation & Machinery, International Trade Administration

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3:00 p.m. | Break

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3:00 p.m. | Economic Impacts

Livia Hayes, Director, Market Intelligence Team, Transportation and Services Practice, Oliver Wyman

Hayes will review the findings of the most recent Oliver Wyman MRO industry forecast and lead a roundtable discussion of factors and trends impacting demand for maintenance services.

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4:00 p.m. | Wrap Up Discussion

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Legislative Day: Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The day dedicated to educating both the aviation maintenance industry and elected officials. Learn (or brush up) on what ARSA does and what you can do so you're ready for afternoon visits with targeted Capitol Hill legislators and staff.

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7:30 a.m. | Registration & Breakfast

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8:00 a.m. | Welcome & Introductions

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8:15 a.m. | It's All About Your Industry and Your Company

Find out what’s at stake in Washington for your company and your industry, where things stand, and what you can do to impact the process.

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9:00 a.m. | National Defense Authorization Act Opportunities

ARSA is pursuing legislation as part of the annual Pentagon budget and policy bill to enhance competition and opportunities for small businesses in Department of Defense aircraft maintenance contracting.

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Josh Krotec, Senior Vice President, First Aviation and ARSA Immediate Past President

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Alex de Gunten, Senior Vice President for Government & Industry Affairs, HEICO and 2024 ARSA Government Affairs Chairman

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9:45 a.m. | Break

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10:00 a.m. | FAA Reauthorization: Industry Perspectives 

Representatives of ARSA ally organizations discuss their priorities in the current FAA reauthorization and share insights about the likelihood of an FAA bill being enacted in 2024. 

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Karen Huggard, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Air Transportation Association 

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Jarrod Thompson, Vice President for Legislative and Regulatory Policy, Airlines for America 

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Sterling Wiggins, Senior Director, Transportation, Infrastructure, and Supply Chains, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

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Adam Weiss, Counsel (Minority), U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Aviation

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11:00 a.m. | Release of 2024 Global Fleet & MRO Market Report

Livia Hayes, Director, Market Intelligence Team, Transportation and Services Practice, Oliver Wyman

Uktarsh Mishra, Market Intelligence Specialist, Oliver Wyman CAVOK

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11:30 p.m. | Wrap Up Discussion & Presentation of 2024 Legislative Leadership Award to Garret Graves (R-La.)

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12:00 p.m. | Lunch

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1:00 p.m. | Congressional Meetings Begin

Participants head to Capitol Hill for scheduled meetings with members of Congress and staffers covering subject matter or geographic jurisdictions impacting participant home/facility locations. NOTE: participants schedule their meetings directly with the relevant offices; instructions are provided in advance of the event.

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TBD | Presentation of ARSA Legislative Leadership Award (Special Invitation Only)

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4:00 p.m. | Symposium Registration Open (for non-Legislative Day attendees)

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5:30 p.m. | Ice Breaker Reception

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7:00 p.m. | Special Invitation Dinner

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Annual Repair Symposium: Thursday, March 14, 2024

The centerpiece of Conference week, ARSA convenes a full day of substantive panel discussions covering key regulatory compliance and business issues.

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7:30 a.m. | Registration & Breakfast

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8:00 a.m. | Welcome & Introductory Remarks

ARSA is the voice of the global aviation maintenance industry. How the association advocates your interests with legislators, regulators, and the media sets the stage for corporate growth. Information on how advancement of the industry’s collective interests enables individual companies to shine more brightly.

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8:30 a.m. | Session 1: Fireside Chat with AVS-1

David Boulter, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, FAA

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9:00 a.m. | Break

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9:15 a.m. | Session 2: Opening Salvo – Conversations with the Regulators

International aviation safety agencies will provide updates on the regulations, policies, and procedures of importance to the global aerospace sector. 

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Lawrence Josuá Fernandes Costa, Continuing Airworthiness Certification Manager, Department of Flight Standards, ANAC Brazil [In person]

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Ludovic Aron, Washington Representative, EASA [In person]

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Karl Specht, Principal Coordinator Organisation Approvals, EASA [Online]

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Dan Elgas, Director, Policy and Standards Division (AIR-600), Aircraft Certification Service, FAA [In person]

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Tim Adams, Deputy Director, Office of Safety Standards, Flight Standards Service, FAA [in person]

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Jackie Black, Manager, Aircraft Maintenance Division, Flight Standards Service, FAA [in person]

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Jeffrey Phipps, Chief, Operational Airworthiness (AARTN), Transport Canada Civil Aviation [In person]

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Neil Williams, Head of Airworthiness, Policy & Rulemaking, United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority [In person]

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12:30 p.m. | Lunch with Special Guest

Billy Nolen, Chief Safety Officer, Archer Aviation

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2:00 p.m. | Session 3: Defining the Career

Using known pathways and the current regulations, panelists lay out templates for international maintenance technician recruitment, training, and retention.

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Ryan Goertzen, Vice President of Workforce Development, AAR

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Barrington Irving, Founder & CEO, The Flying Classroom and Founder of the Barrington Irving Technical Training School

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Crystal Maguire, Executive Director, Aviation Technician Education Council

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3:00 p.m. | ARSA Quiz Show

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3:30 p.m. | Break

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4:00 p.m. | Session 4: Training First

Based on recommendations from SOCAC’s Workforce Development and Training (WDAT) Working Group and the ongoing work of the ARAC Repairman Working Group, panelists will explain how industry can push the government to accept standards for competency and skill development.

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5:00 p.m. | The Club Lounge Happy Hour

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Member Day: Friday, March 15, 2024

ARSA's leadership briefs members on the state of the association as well as goals and priorities for the coming year. Participants then close out the event by choosing from one of several concurrent breakout sessions.

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8:00 a.m. | Annual Membership Meeting & Breakfast

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9:30 a.m. | Break

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10:00 a.m. | Training: Regulations for Supervisors & Inspectors

This session reviews the cardinal regulatory knowledge necessary for repair station personnel to be “thoroughly familiar with the applicable regulations in this chapter.” ARSA’s training team is rolling out the course for the benefit of Conference attendees.

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12:00 p.m. | Conference Ends

Attendance Options (In-Person & Livestream)

In-Person

All substantive and social activities were hosted at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia. Legislative Day participants will head to Capitol Hill for meetings with congressional offices as appropriate.

Livestream

The majority of conference events will be available to livestream viewers via a Vimeo web-player embedded into a page on ARSA.org. Access to the livestream in 2024 will be available only to "Conference Ambassadors." These "Ambassadors" are contacts identified by in-person participants to bring the event back to their home facilities.

Sponsorship

For information about committing your organization to the Annual Conference (we can already look ahead to 2025), contact ARSA Vice President of Operations Brett Levanto.

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Platinum – $10,000

Notation in all publicity, marketing and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch, ARSA team email signatures, conference attendee contact list, specific email alerts to association contacts), recognition in event materials and from the podium, specific thank you in ARSA periodicals, sponsorship rights and 10 registrations to an ARSA training session, complimentary registrations for three (3) participants in the Executive to Executive Briefings as well as three (3) in Legislative Day, and free livestream access for personnel unable to attend in person. At the Platinum Level, sponsors may select one of the following to specifically support (may not reflect current availability for 2024):

• Online Conference Experience
• Executive to Executive Briefings
• Legislative Day – All Day
• Annual Repair Symposium – Ice Breaker Reception
• Annual Repair Symposium – Club Lounge Happy Hour
• Congressional Directories/Resources

2023 Platinum Sponsors

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Gold – $7,500

Notation in all publicity, marketing and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch, ARSA team email signatures, conference attendee contact list, specific email alerts to association contacts), recognition in event materials and from the podium, specific thank you in ARSA periodicals, 5 registrations to an ARSA training session, complimentary registrations for two (2) participants in the Executive to Executive Briefings as well as two (2) in Legislative Day, and free livestream access for personnel unable to attend in person. At the Gold Level, sponsors may select one of the following to specifically support (may not reflect current availability for 2024):

• Legislative Priorities Brochures/Resources
• Digital Companion/Electronic Materials
• Legislative Day – Continental Breakfast
• Legislative Day – Congressional Briefing and Luncheon
• Annual Repair Symposium – Continental Breakfast
• Annual Repair Symposium – Luncheon with Special Guest

2023 Gold Sponsors

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Silver – $3,500

Notation in all publicity, marketing, and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch, ARSA team email signatures, conference attendee contact list, specific email alerts to association contacts), recognition in event materials and from the podium, complimentary registrations for one (1) participant in the Executive to Executive Briefings as well as one (1) in Legislative Day. At the Silver Level, sponsors may select one of the following to specifically support (may not reflect current availability for 2024):

• Nametag Lanyards
• Hotel Room Keys
• Annual Repair Symposium – Coffee Break (5)

2023 Silver Sponsors

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Supporter – $2,500

Notation in all publicity, marketing, and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch, ARSA team email signatures, specific email alerts to association contacts), and recognition in event materials and from the podium.

2023 Supporter

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Contributor – $500 to $2,499 (or equivalent support)

Notation in some publicity, marketing, and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch), and recognition in event materials and from the podium.

2023 Contributors

Location & Accommodations

ARSA's block of rooms for Conference participants at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia is now closed. The hotel hosts most of the activities related to the ARSA Conference and is convenient to the Metro as well as Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). To try and book a room independently, go to the hotel's website or call 703.415.5000.

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Those seeking other options may consider these hotels (there are no ARSA-related specials or promotions at these locations):

Embassy Suites by Hilton Crystal City National Airport 1393 S Eads St. Arlington, Virginia, 22202

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Residence Inn Arlington Capital View 2850 South Potomac Avenue Arlington, Virginia, 22202

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DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington DC – Crystal City 300 Army Navy Drive Arlington, Virginia, 22202

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Crowne Plaza Washington National Airport 1480 Crystal Drive Arlington, Virginia, 22202

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Hampton Inn & Suites Reagan National Airport 2000 Richmond Highway Arlington, Virginia, 22202

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Radisson Hotel Reagan National Airport 2020 Richmond Hwy Arlington, VA 22202

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Holiday Inn National Airport/Crystal City 2650 Richmond Highway Arlington, Virginia, 22202

Awards

The Leo Weston Award for Excellence in Government Service

First bestowed on Leo Weston himself in 2005, the Weston award honors an instrumental figure in ARSA's birth by recognizing individuals who embody his commitment to the industry's safety and success. The symposium provides a venue for association members and invited guests from around the world to network and discuss issues that matter to the aviation maintenance industry. It is the perfect time to respect the history of the repair station community and honor the good works of those who support it.

Click here to learn more about Leo, the award bearing his name, and those who have received it.

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The Legislative Leadership Award

The association regularly recognizes members of Congress who have provided outstanding support to the aviation maintenance community by supporting policies beneficial to the industry. Honorees have each been key in moving forward specific legislation advancing priorities championed by ARSA on behalf of its members.

Click here to see past updates regarding Legislative Leadership Award recipients.

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The "Golden Shovel" Award

From time to time, ARSA recognizes individuals – usually at the time of their retirement – who have spent their careers in steadfast devotion to good business, good safety, and good oversight. In the colorful illustration of Executive Director Sarah MacLeod, these professionals have spent their lives shoveling against the tide of government bureaucracy; their achievement in never giving up is acknowledged through the "Golden Shovel Award."

Click here to learn more about the "Shovel" and see who has received it.

Anti-Viral Measures

The ARSA team encourages all Annual Conference in-person participants to take measures appropriate to their personal comfort, medical risk, and other needs related to personal health. The following resources are available for attendee reference:

The Ritz-Carlton

The site of all substantive and social gatherings related to the ARSA Conference. The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City follows the Marriott International "Commitment to Clean." The guidance includes protocols and elevated practices and can be found at whattoexpect.marriott.com/waspc.

Virginia

With the exception of any Legislative Day meetings held on Capitol Hill (scheduled individually by participants), the entirety of the Annual Conference takes place in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Guidance related coronavirus protocols can be found at www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/protect-yourself.

Washington, D.C.

No Annual Conference activities open to general participation take place in Washington, D.C. Conference attendees going into the city for business or personal reasons should consult coronavirus.dc.gov for policy and guidance related to the pandemic.

U.S. CDC

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both Arlington County (the location of the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City) and Washington, D.C. are classified as "medium" for community transmission. See county-by-county assessments and guidance at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Going Livestream

If any in-person registrant wishes to opt out of participation because of personal health concerns (including illness) they may switch to livestream access at any time. Access to the livestream is available to all participants via the Digital Companion, a password-protected webpage for participants to access the agenda, speaker information and presentation resources.

Event Photos

ARSA has created a Google Album including photos taken during the 2024 Annual Conference, which allows participants to share their own photos (Sharing event photos constitutes consenting to their use/distribution in association with Conference-related publicity for this or future events, at ARSA’s discretion). To see the album, click here.

Participant Resources & Recording Availability

Materials and Recordings

The Digital Companion (the much discussed online resource for event materials and resources, to which access information is sent to attendees via email and provided from the lectern on each day) is the location for PDFs of all presentations as well as links to additional resources discussed during the event. It also includes an attendee directory (in the “General Resources” area) and information about accessing the livestream sessions and raw recordings.

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Legal Briefs

Editor’s note: This material is provided as a service to association members for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal or professional advice and is not privileged or confidential.

Early Applications

By Christian A. Klein, Executive Vice President 

The maintenance industry is still dealing with fallout from the United Kingdom’s (U.K.) withdrawal from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) following Brexit.

To the frustration of companies on both sides of the English Channel, progress on a maintenance bilateral agreement between the EU and U.K. has been held up by higher level political disagreements unrelated to aviation. However, Technical Implementation Procedures for airworthiness and environmental certification were signed in 2021.

Fortunately, the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been more successful building new relationships with other aviation safety agencies. The United States, Canada, Brazil, and Singapore all have bilaterals with the U.K. covering maintenance with a Japanese agreement in the works. More information about all the U.K. CAA’s bilateral relationships is available on its website.

Under Maintenance Implementation Procedures (MIP) and related Maintenance Agreement Guidance (MAG) with the United States that came into force on Jan. 1, 2023, U.S. repair stations may use their EASA approval to work on products and articles under the U.K. CAA’s regulatory jurisdiction until Dec. 31, 2024 (see MAG Sec. A, Para. 1.4.3).

Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, U.S. facilities will need a U.K. certificate. Approximately a dozen have already applied for and received one. To date, approximately 150 U.K.-located and approved maintenance organizations (AMOs) have received FAA part 145 certificates (the CAA publishes lists on its website identifying maintenance organizations approved under its various bilaterals).

Requirements and procedures for U.S. repair stations to receive U.K. approval are described in MAG Sec. B; Sec. C addresses requirements for U.K. AMOs to receive FAA approval. While special conditions may be different depending on the facility’s home country, the general requirements are the same. The applicant must:

• Hold a current maintenance certificate from its home authority.
• Demonstrate a need for the foreign approval.
• Develop a manual supplement to address special conditions.
• Fill out and submit an application to its home authority and pay fees.
• Comply with the MIP and have knowledge of it, the MAG, and the regulations of the country whose approval is sought.

Brexit is just one more example of how the international maintenance supply chain can be disrupted by political developments beyond the industry’s control. ARSA appreciates the bilateral initiatives U.K. regulators have pursued in the interests of both safety and efficiency.

Getting ready to apply for UK CAA approval? Click here to jump the the “ARSA Works” section and learn about ARSA’s recently-released compliance matrices for the MIP Special Conditions and MAG Supplement Guidance, now part of the association’s free “tools for members.”

Editor’s note: This material is provided as a service to association members for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal or professional advice and is not privileged or confidential.

Layman Lawyer – The Best Kind of Test

By Brett Levanto, Vice President of Operations

Participants in the Oct. 18 training session “FAA Form 8130-3 – Completion Instructions & Multiple Releases,” heard about my love of forms. Paperwork is the one enjoyable part of going to the doctor or dentist or scheduling other appointments. Particularly thanks to the easy reference of the internet available through a mobile device, filling out a form is like taking a test for which you know (or can quickly find) all the answers. It’s satisfying.

That’s the right lesson for aviation safety, where each form must be carefully understood in all record-making and keeping actions. As aviation professionals – lay or otherwise – it’s essential to understand how to collect, transfer, and store knowledge. For ARSA’s part, legal briefs like this have been covering details related to the 8130 – providing history and context into which we went in depth in the September training session – and the generic instructions available through both the association’s “tools for members” and the full RSQM compilation assist repair stations and applicants in constructing procedures supporting their own creation of records.

Those model documents include instructions for the forms developed by ARSA to provide procedures in support of the manuals – both for maintenance and inspection as well as repair station operations. The association’s team has also provided step-by-step directions for completing key FAA Forms, including the 8010-4 for reporting serious malfunctions or defects and the 8130-3.

ARSA members can see those instructions by ordering their free “Tools for Members” (which I now provide in my email welcome to all new members, but contacts who have not received them should go to the publications page to learn more and make their request).

In addition to the specifics provided through the instructions document, participants in the “8130-3 Completion” session heard discussion of the form’s overall purpose and careful consideration of its use for international releases. Some key points:

• Under U.S. rules, an FAA Form 8130-3 need not be used to issue an approval for return to service (to quote Sarah MacLeod, a repair station can keep its records on toilet paper if it elects to in its manual system).
• When used, the form will be completed by a U.S. repair station only after the final inspection required by § 145.213 has been accomplished; it is issued as a maintenance release in compliance with §§ 43.9(a)(1), (2) and (4).
• To comply with § 43.9(a)(3) the repair station’s work package needs to include the names of all persons (including contractors) that performed work other than the repair station approving the entire work scope for return to service.
• To issue the form for release in the jurisdiction of multiple civil aviation authorities, ensure the language in Block 12 covers the current regulatory requirements stipulated for each CAA, either through the implementation procedures associated with a bilateral agreement or the importing requirements/aviation safety rules of the country.

The “magic form” training series is now available for on-demand viewing and provides opportunity to hear this in-depth presentation and discussion. Paired with the written instructions provided by ARSA, it allows repair stations to go beyond simple form completion and ensure personnel fully understand how to use the form to show compliance.

ARSA can’t make anyone love completing a form, but it sure can help maintenance providers pass each form’s test.

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ARSA on the Hill

Senate Confirms Whitaker

Former FAA Deputy Administrator and industry executive Michael G. Whitaker was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next FAA administrator on Oct. 24. The 98-0 vote in Whitaker’s favor provides a strong mandate as he assumes the reins of an agency that has been without a permanent leader for more than a year.

After the vote, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (which oversees the FAA) said, “Michael Whitaker’s overwhelming confirmation demonstrates the Senate’s commitment to getting aviation right. There is a lot to do on FAA staffing, technology upgrades, and safety improvements and Whitaker is the right person to lead it.”

Whitaker is exceptionally well qualified for the job. He’s a private pilot who holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and French from the University of Louisville and a juris doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center. His aviation career began as assistant general counsel for international and regulatory affairs at TWA and he spent 15 years at United Airlines in the roles of director, vice president, and senior vice president.

Whitaker served as the FAA’s deputy administrator from 2013 to 2016 and was also the agency’s chief NextGen officer, responsible for implementing FAA’s modernization of the air traffic control system, moving from radar to satellite-enabled surveillance technology.

Prior to his confirmation, Whitaker’s most recent job was chief operating officer of Supernal, a Hyundai Motor Group company designing an electric advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicle. He has also served as group CEO of InterGlobe Enterprises, India’s largest travel conglomerate and operator of its largest airline, IndiGo.

Whitaker faces many challenges as head of the agency, including filling leadership roles currently held by “acting” personnel, addressing FAA human resource gaps (including training), empowering decision-making within local FAA offices, improving consistency in policy interpretation and implementation, restoring industry confidence in the FAA, and rebuilding the agency’s international reputation and effectiveness.

Whitaker will also need to work diligently with lawmakers over the next two months to complete the FAA reauthorization process by the Dec. 31 deadline. Although the House passed an FAA bill in July that includes many of ARSA’s priorities, the legislation has languished in the Senate due to disagreement about whether and how to modify commercial pilot training requirements. Airlines and many Republicans support more flexibility to address the pilot shortage; labor organizations representing pilots and many Democrats (including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Aviation Subcommittee Chair Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) want to maintain current rules.

In his statement on Whitaker’s confirmation, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the Commerce Committee’s senior Republican, referenced the need to prioritize reauthorization. “After 18 months without a Senate-confirmed FAA administrator, I am pleased that Mike Whitaker will step into this critically important role,” Cruz said.

“Now that the FAA’s leadership void has been addressed, the Senate must put the interest of American travelers first and pass an FAA reauthorization bill. We cannot continue allowing special interests to dictate what duly-elected senators can and cannot vote on. It’s time to formalize the bipartisan agreement reached months ago so the FAA gets the resources it needs to refocus on its core mission of maintaining the highest possible safety standards for the flying public.”

ARSA hopes the spirit of bipartisanship surrounding Whitaker’s confirmation will continue in the weeks ahead as lawmakers, ARSA, and its allies work to bring an FAA bill to the Senate floor.

Finding Your Lawmakers at Home

In June, then-ARSA President Josh Krotec reminded members the summer is time for engaging with lawmakers their home states and districts. The summer may be over and the long August recess behind us, but lawmakers still have scheduled state/district work days left in 2023. While specifics can be gathered from official websites or by calling the district or state office (using arsa.org/congress, thanks to generous support from ARSA member Aircraft Electric Motors), businesses can plan longer term by looking at the House and Senate calendars.

These plans show when each chamber expects to be in session. While emergencies may require additional time in the capital, Americans can focus on planned recess periods for opportunities to meet their lawmaker (or host them for a facility visit). According to the calendars, these are the weeks designated for homework for the remainder of 2023:

Note: The dates below capture workdays and do not include weeks where only one or two days has been identified for district/state work. For specifics, refer to the House and Senate calendars.

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Quality Time

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed by contributing authors do not state or reflect those of ARSA and shall not be used for endorsement purposes.

FAA’s Promotion of a Positive Safety Culture in Aviation Maintenance

By Kylie Key Worthington, Peter T. Hu, Inchul Choi, David J. Schroeder

FAA Flight Deck Human Factors Research Lab

Organizations should strive for a positive safety culture, where everyone in the organization shares responsibility for safety. The resulting benefits include better employee engagement, a richer base of information for organizational learning, and elevated performance that produces improved customer service and satisfaction.

What is safety culture?

The Department of Transportation defines safety culture as “the shared values, actions, and behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to safety over competing goals and demands.” Many organizations emphasize safety in their mission statements, but their day-to-day operations often reveal a tug-of-war between safety culture and other goals, e.g., maximizing revenue and minimizing aircraft downtime. Resolutions that lessen this tension indicate the strength of an organization’s safety culture.

How is FAA helping to foster positive safety culture in the aviation maintenance industry?

Recognizing that it can sometimes be difficult to balance competing goals, the FAA developed the Maintenance Safety Culture Assessment and Improvement Toolkit (M-SCAIT). The tool supports continuous measurement and improvement of an organization’s positive safety culture. The M-SCAIT is a stand-alone package made available at no cost for maintenance-performing organizations to develop control/ownership of their safety culture assessment and associated proprietary data.

The toolkit is flexible and customizable and has been evaluated by several maintenance organizations that helped prepare the M-SCAIT for large-scale application across the aviation maintenance industry.

What are the benefits of M-SCAIT?

Designed for independent use. It is a free, 100 percent do-it-yourself way to assess maintenance safety culture. All materials are downloadable and can integrate into existing systems. M-SCAIT does not contain any built-in mechanism for the data that you collect to be shared with the FAA, i.e., no ‘gotchas’ and no intention of using the data for oversight. The sole purpose for releasing this toolkit is to develop and continuously improve the organizational safety cultures across the aviation maintenance industry.

Can motivate real improvements. Unlike assessments that only provide high-level aggregated feedback, the M-SCAIT can be used to make comparisons across departments or business units, find culture silos, and identify targeted areas of opportunity for improvement. This level of feedback ensures the results can be used to affect meaningful change.

Validated scientifically. The M-SCAIT has been tested with almost 1000 respondents through voluntary partnerships with five maintenance-performing organizations of various size/scope of operations – volunteers included a large repair station, a small repair station, a medical helicopter operator, an airline technical operations department, and a military maintenance organization. The toolkit was refined throughout testing, resulting in an adaptable set of tools that can be used independently to assess safety culture across a range of operational types.

Where is there more information?

Visit the program website to download the M-SCAIT toolkit, including:

• A survey instrument specifically designed to assess aviation maintenance safety culture.
• Data analysis templates.
• A roadmap for safety culture assessment and improvement.
• Supporting materials.

The research and development of M-SCAIT was funded by the FAA NextGen Human Factors Division (ANG-C1) in support of the FAA Office of Aviation Safety (AVS), Flight Standards Service (AFS-300).

The Flight Deck Human Factors laboratory conducts a broad-based program of applied human factors research on causal factors associated with aviation accidents and issues involving the design, operation, and maintenance of flight deck equipment in the NAS. This research is carried out by networked teams of division employees whose participation varies according to the background and experience required for each project. For more information, visit www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/humanfactors/flightdeck.

Nuts & Bolts Nominations Open

Airlines for America’s Engineering, Maintenance, and Materiel Council (EMMC) is accepting nominations for the 2024 Nuts & Bolts Awards. The awards, granted to an airline and non-airline recipient each year, begin in 1967 to recognize individuals making substantial contributions to the airline maintenance community.

Each nomination should include a one-page (or less) description of:

(1) The nominee’s individual contributions to the commercial airline industry in the engineering, maintenance, and materiel field, and

(2) The role the nominee played in industry activities with significant outcomes.

Nominations must be submitted by Dec. 15, delivered via email to Justin Madden (jmadden@airlines.org).

Nominations submitted by this date will then be forwarded to EMMC for the award selection process and notification of winners, who will receive their award at the 2024 MRO Americas conference in Chicago, IL and be honored at a luncheon with previous Nuts & Bolts award recipients, which include ARSA Executive Director Sarah MacLeod.

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Aviation Life Calendar

November Through February

Something exciting happens every day in an aviation career.

If you want to keep aviation in the forefront of career choices, celebrate success every day with these resources. Every one provides a positive view of the industry’s ability to make the impossible an everyday event by individuals from every walk of life, socio-economic level, race, creed, color, religion, orientation, and physical capability.

Check back regularly for updates.

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Training & Career Development

Advertise Through ARSA Training

In the June edition of the hotline, ARSA introduced the concept of advertising options going “beyond the ordinary.” Two options deserve closer scrutiny: Conference and training sponsorships.

Details are now available on just what a “training sponsorship” looks like. Training sponsors have their name attached to the final on-demand product for the duration of its time in the association’s catalogue.

What does that mean?

(1) Advertisers may select an existing on-demand session or work with the ARSA training team regarding topics in development.

(2) The advertiser’s company name and logo will be displayed on the training platform and in marketing associated with the session(s).

(3) For new live sessions, the advertising company name and logo will be displayed at the beginning and end of the training session(s), with a verbal acknowledgement of the sponsor during the presentation.

(4) The duration of the advertisement is as long as the training session remains active in the catalogue (most training sessions remain active until a regulatory change takes place).

(5) Advertising company employees get free access to the training content, an immediate return on your advertising investment.

Training session sponsorships start at $3,500.

Platinum and Gold Level Sponsors of the 2024 Annual Conference will be given preferential treatment for training sessions.

For more information on being represented in a training session, contact michael.oborn@arsa.org today!

For more information about ARSA’s training program, review the menus below. If you have questions or would like to learn more about ways to integrate ARSA training into your own program, contact Vice President of Operations Brett Levanto (brett.levanto@arsa.org).

The association’s training program is provided through Obadal, Filler, MacLeod & Klein, P.L.C., the firm that manages ARSA. To go directly to OFMK’s online training portal, visit potomaclaw.inreachce.com. To learn more about the association’s training program and see course availability, visit arsa.org/training.

What training do you need? Contact ARSA to let the association know and help get it developed.

Learn more about the advertising program at arsa.org/advertising.

Not interested in advertising? Don’t forget to send your news releases and other media information to arsa@arsa.org.

On-Demand – The Magic Form

Both of ARSA’s sessions explaining the policy issues and practical use of the FAA Form 8130-3 are available on-demand for immediate viewing and unlimited access for 90 days.

Click here to purchase both sessions together at a bundled discount.

FAA Form 8130-3 – Overview & History

This session reviews the history of the FAA Form 8130-3, Authorized Release Certificate, from its beginning as an export airworthiness approval, putting into context its evolution from an export document to its current usage.

Click here for more information and to register for this session.

FAA Form 8130-3 – Completion Instructions & Multiple Releases

This session walks through the steps for completing the FAA Form 8130-3, Authorized Release Certificate, Airworthiness Approval Tag. The training uses instructions developed as part of ARSA’s RSQM Compilation and focuses on language used for work to be issued a release under the regulations of multiple civil aviation authorities including a “dual release” under the U.S./EU bilateral agreement.

Click here for more information and to register for this session.

Registration for an ARSA-provided training session includes:

• Access to the on-demand, recorded version of the webinar to be made available after the live session is complete (or at time of purchase, for on-demand classes).
• A copy of the presentation and all reference material with links to relevant resources and citations.
• Upon completion of the class as well as any test material, a completion certificate.

The association’s training program is provided through Obadal, Filler, MacLeod & Klein, P.L.C., the firm that manages ARSA. To go directly to OFM&K’s online training portal, visit PotomacLaw.inreachce.com. To learn more about the association’s training program and see course availability, visit arsa.org/training.

Public Aircraft “Decision Tree” [30 Minutes]

PAO Decision Tree

Public Aircraft Law & Policy into Practice

30-minute online training session; December 14, 2023 @ 11:00 a.m. EST

This session provides participants with a tool for determining applicability of public aircraft policy to aircraft operations. It is targeted at professionals with basic competency in existing PAO law. This training builds on cumulative information provided in the pre-requisite sessions. Participants must be able to answer the pre-test questions before the session begins (click here to take the pre-test; a score will be provided as soon as complete).

If you needed help with the pre-test questions, the “definition” series is combined into a single package (click here for more information).

Click here for more information about the “Decision Tree” session and to register.

Registration for an ARSA-provided training session includes:

• Access to the on-demand, recorded version of the webinar to be made available after the live session is complete (or at time of purchase, for on-demand classes).
• A copy of the presentation and all reference material with links to relevant resources and citations.
• Upon completion of the class as well as any test material, a completion certificate.

The association’s training program is provided through Obadal, Filler, MacLeod & Klein, P.L.C., the firm that manages ARSA. To go directly to OFM&K’s online training portal, visit PotomacLaw.inreachce.com. To learn more about the association’s training program and see course availability, visit arsa.org/training.

Is it an Appliance? Why Do you Care? [15 Minutes]

“Appliance” – Why Do You Care?

A Practical Question in 14 CFR Compliance

15-minute online training session; November 21, 2023 @ 11:00 a.m. EST

This session allows participants with confirmed knowledge of the regulatory definition of “appliance” to put the term in context of other requirements created by the rules. This training builds on cumulative information provided in the pre-requisite sessions. Participants must be able to answer the pre-test questions before the session begins (click here to take the pre-test; a score will be provided as soon as complete).

If you needed help with the pre-test questions, the “definition” sessions below can be purchased together in a bundle (click here for more information).

Click here for more information about the “Why Do You Care?” session and to register.

Registration for an ARSA-provided training session includes:

• Access to the on-demand, recorded version of the webinar to be made available after the live session is complete (or at time of purchase, for on-demand classes).
• A copy of the presentation and all reference material with links to relevant resources and citations.
• Upon completion of the class as well as any test material, a completion certificate.

The association’s training program is provided through Obadal, Filler, MacLeod & Klein, P.L.C., the firm that manages ARSA. To go directly to OFM&K’s online training portal, visit PotomacLaw.inreachce.com. To learn more about the association’s training program and see course availability, visit arsa.org/training.

Regulatory Compliance Training

Test your knowledge of 14 CFR § 21.4(a)(1)-(3), Early ETOPS system requirements.

Click here to download the training sheet.

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Membership

Fortner Back to Top, LHT Back onto ARSA Board

Gary Fortner, image courtesy Fortner Engineering.

“He’s like a bad penny,” Executive Director Sarah MacLeod said about 2024 ARSA President Gary Fortner. “He just keeps turning up.”

MacLeod’s respect for both the commitment and good humor of Fortner, vice president of engineering for Fortner Engineering in Glendale, California, was evident after his Oct. 13 election to ARSA’s top volunteer position for the third time in his 23 years as a member of the association’s board of directors. He was elevated after serving as 2023 vice president, a post he accepted – having completed his most-recent presidency just two years ago – to help support the developing experience of newer members. First elected in 2001, Fortner has more years of service on the body than the other eight elected directors combined.

“Supporting ARSA is part of the family business,” Fortner said, reflecting on his company’s history as one of the association’s original members. “I’ve seen a lot of changes over my decades but [the association’s] work, like the entertaining personalities of those who do it, is the dependable standard that drives this industry forward. ARSA is all too often the only voice against the challenges we must deal with in regulatory and business compliance.”

Fortner’s presidency began during the Board of Directors annual meeting at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia. In the meeting, directors approved the association’s 2024 budget after electing its new class of directors and officers. Bob Mabe, HAECO Americas director of regulatory compliance, and Chromalloy Director of Airworthiness John Riggs were elected vice president and treasurer. Outgoing President Josh Krotec of First Aviation Services was re-elected as a director, along with Jon Silva of AeroKool Aviation and Rob Roedts of Columbia Helicopters, who were also elected to full three-year terms after first joining the body in 2022.

The group welcomed Rainer Lindau; Lufthansa Technik vice president of quality management, who was elected to an initial one-year term. Lindau replaces Warner Calvo, retiring COOPESA operations director, to ensure coverage of international interests to bolster ARSA’s global perspective.

“We are all international businesses,” Lindau said after his election. “Civil aviation authority approvals or facility locations tell one story, but this work demands global attention. ARSA is the body showing worldwide concern for maintenance interests.” Lufthansa Technik and its subsidiaries employ 22,000 people serving around 800 customers around the world.

Lindau and Calvo’s companies have once again traded off as the association’s global leaders: Calvo’s 2013 election filled the seat vacated by past Association President Dr. Hans Jurgen-Loss, who

Rainer Lindau, photo courtesy Lufthansa Technik

had represented Lufthansa as an ARSA director since 2006.

“Gary and Rainer are the perfect ‘bookends’ for the board,” MacLeod said. “While their board terms of service don’t align, both have been serving the aviation world and ARSA – from different sides of the Atlantic – for a significant portion of the association’s life. Having that kind of experience and breadth of representation is essential.”

Fortner’s leadership will continue the work of Krotec and 2022 President Terrell Sigfried of NORDAM by focusing on the investments ARSA members make to properly drive the association.

“Sarah [MacLeod] can say what she wants about my sticking around for so long,” Forner said. “As long as I’m here, I’m going to help make a simple point: Investing in ARSA saves: It saves money by avoiding the costs of misguided regulation. It saves headaches in dealing with government hardheadedness. It saves our businesses in facing ever-changing technical, workforce, and regulatory landscapes.”

ARSA members and colleagues are invited to hear Fortner further describe this savings and investment through regular columns in the monthly hotline newsletter and during his “state of the association” address at the 2024 Annual Conference.

ARSA on the Road – Compressed Gas Systems at NBAA

CGS exhibit booth at 2023 NBAA BACE. ARSA Champion placard visible on table.

Immediate past ARSA President Josh Krotec (who was reelected to a new term on the Board of Directors as he passed the presidency to long-serving director Gary Fortner) has become the association’s “eyes and ears” at industry events around the world. Krotec routinely reports back to the team with images of ARSA information on display in member booths and exhibits.

At the 2023 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in October, Krotec was delighted to see ARSA’s “Champion” placard on display. While he has not yet been deputized as a “prize patrol,” any member showing off its connection to the only association representing the worldwide maintenance industry deserves recognition.

Thanks to Compressed Gas Services CEO Brian Tyminski, who requested his “Champion” collateral in 2022 and has put it to good use. Brian is a regular mouthpiece for ARSA’s value, appearing in a short video shot during the 2020 Annual Conference alongside other industry veterans and including association references in his own speaking engagements.

ARSA encourages all members with event presence to display pride in ARSA membership as CGS has (see below for the NBAA setup). You want one of our “prize patrol” members to find and celebrate you (not to mention benefit from dues discounts for every company you recruit) then contact Kimberly Dimmick VP of Membership to obtain a placard.

CGS is a privately held, family owned and operated business with lineage spanning three generations over 70 years in the commercial, military, and aviation compressed gas industry. It has been an ARSA member since 2012. To learn more, visit cgs.aero.

Member Spotlight – Fortner Engineering & Manufacturing

Fortner Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc., represented by 2024 ARSA President Gary M. Fortner, has supported ARSA through membership, participation in the annual conference, ARSA training, and leadership on the board of directors.

Fortner Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc, located in Burbank, California was a founding member of the association, which formed in 1984. It is a third-generation repair station specializing in “the hydraulic component maintenance requirements of airline operators, 3rd party repair stations, OEMs and brokers worldwide.” In 2017 the company joined Wencor Group to continue growth & development through their “Repair Rather than Replace” philosophy; it is now part of the HEICO Corporation membership.

Each member’s active participation and use of member benefits supports the association’s success. Fortner Engineering and its people continue to provide a leading example of investing in and benefiting from ARSA’s work.

To learn more about Fortner Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc’s history, and current activities, visit www.wencor.com/fortner.

Quick Question – Age Yourself (and Your People)

The “aging” maintenance workforce is a regular talking point. As current technicians reach their fifth and sixth decades, finding and preparing people to replace those “master mechanics” is an essential goal for career development and industry health. Doing so requires targeting training at both technical and regulatory knowledge (ARSA can help with that).

While there is useful data and anecdotes about the ages of technicians, most information about the workforce at large is limited. Help ARSA support the next generation of aviation professionals – and build instruction sessions for developing inspectors, supervisors, and technicians, by answering this month’s “quick question”:

Note: The question is displayed in its own, embedded window. If the “Submit” button is not visible on the screen, you must scroll within the survey window to submit your response.

If the embedded survey does not appear/load, open the survey independently by visiting: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/qq-avmro-aging.

Click here to see what questions have been asked and answered…and keep a lookout for more.

Welcome & Welcome Back – New & Renewing Members

ARSA’s members give the association life – its work on behalf of the maintenance community depends on the commitment of these organizations. Here’s to the companies that joined or renewed in October:

New Members
Aviation Services of TN Inc., R01
Infinity Flight Group LLC, R02
New Image Aero Interiors-dba NIA Interiors, R01
Strix Aero LLC, Assoc

Renewed Members
A Plus Avionics Corp. dba AvionTEq, R01, 2020
A.O.G Aircraft Services Inc., R01, 2018
AAR Corp., Corp, 1985
AerSale Goodyear Aircraft Operations Center, R04, 2015
Aerospace Turbine Rotables, Inc., R04, 2011
Aircraft Systems Division of Com-Jet Corp, R03, 2011
AirMetrics, Inc., R01, 2019
Aviation Blade Services Inc., R02, 2018
Aviation & Marketing International, Inc., R01, 2021
Bridger Aviation Repair LLC dba Bridger Aerospace, R03, 2019
Columbia Helicopters, Inc., R06, 1998
Commercial Jet, Inc., R04, 1999
Component Repair Technologies, Inc., R05, 1995
Dan Brauhn-Indian Hills Community College, Edu, 2015
EuroTec Vertical Flight Solutions, LLC, R02, 2004
Evans Composites, Inc., R03, 2022
Federal Aerospace Institute LLC, Edu, 2021
Federal Express Corporation, Assoc, 2000
First Aviation Services, Inc., Assoc, 2018
Fortner Accessory Service Corp., R01, 2002
Gulf Aerospace, Inc., R02, 2005
HAECO Americas, Corp, 2000
JETTECH, L.L.C., R02, 2021
Midway Aircraft Instrument Corporation dba Midway Aerospace, R02, 2004
Offshore Helicopter Support Services, Inc. dba DART Aerospace, R02, 2019
PPG Industries Inc.-dba PPG Aerospace Transparencies, R02, 2005
Repairtech International, Inc., R03, 1992
Safran Nacelles Services Americas, LLC, R01, 2017
Schaeffler Aerospace USA Corporation, R02, 2012
Soniq Aerospace, LP, R01, 2016
Southwind Aviation Supply, LLC, R02, 2008
Turbines, Inc., R02, 2017
Yuba-Sutter Aviation, R01, 2018

A Member Asked…

Q: My repair station is repairing an article for a broker that has requested a dual release (our repair station has EASA approval under the U.S./EU bilateral agreement). The repair requires use of a processing company (to apply a lubricant) that has an FAA certificate but no EASA approval. Can we use this company as a subcontractor and still issue an FAA/EASA dual release?

A: Yes, but the non-approved contractor has to be treated like a non-certificated source under § 145.217(b) for “dual-release” purposes. The nuance is explained in the MAG Section B, Appendix 1, paragraph 16.2:

16.2 Qualifying and Auditing Contractor.

16.2.1 Describe the procedures the repair station will use to qualify and audit contractors performing maintenance functions.

16.2.2 Contracting to Non-EASA-approved Sources. If the repair station contracts a maintenance function to a non-EASA-approved source, the repair station must be appropriately rated itself to perform the work. This section must:

a. Explain that the repair station is responsible for approving for release or return to service each item on which work is performed and for ensuring its airworthiness.

b. Indicate that any non-EASA-approved contractor to which work is contracted must be under the control of the repair station’s QAS. Compliance with this supplement must be ensured for each contracted maintenance function.

c. Explain that if the repair station cannot determine the quality of the maintenance performed under contract, the maintenance function may be contracted only to an EASA-approved facility that is able to test and/or inspect the work performed and issue an approval for release or return to service for the work performed. If the originating repair station must disassemble the article/item on which the maintenance function was performed under contract in order to determine the quality of the work performed, then the maintenance function should not be contracted to a non-EASA-approved source.

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Resources

ARSA strives to provide resources to educate the general public about the work of the association’s member organizations; should you need to provide a quick reference or introductory overview to the global MRO industry, please utilize AVMRO.ARSA.org.

About ARSA PAC

ARSA’s Political Action Committee helps elect congressional candidates who share ARSA’s commitment to better regulation and a strong aviation maintenance sector. But ARSA is prohibited from sending PAC information to members who haven’t opted in to receive it.

Careers in Aviation Maintenance

How do you share the industry’s story with the people who could be its future? Teach them about the great work done every day to keep the world in flight. (Even if we can’t recruit somebody, we sure can make them thankful for our work.)

U.S./EU Maintenance Annex Guidance

See all of the association’s public updates since 2012 on the Maintenance Annex Guidance between the United States and European Union. The page focuses in particular on matters related to parts documentation issues arising since MAG Change 5 was issued in 2015.

Industry Calendar

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