Public Aircraft “Decision Tree” [30 Minute Training, On-demand]

PAO Law & Policy into Practice

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 (see the sessions below). 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).

Click here to register for on-demand access.

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

Aircraft Specialists Inc., R02
Avocet Aviation Services, LLC, R03
Morgan Stonefield, EDU

L2 Consulting, Inc. dba L2 Aviation, R04
Liebert Aviation, LLC dba Performance Flight, R02
Tommy Vining, EDU

March

Aero Accessories & Repair, Inc., R04
TAIGLOBAL Group, LLC, Assoc.

April

Arinwine Aircraft Maintenance Services, LLC dba F&E Aircraft Maintenance, R03
Aviation Repair Technical Inc., R01
Calibro Avionics, LLC, R01
Lycoming Engines, R03

May

Farsound Aviation Limited, Assoc

June

July

Airborne Aviation Hawaii, R01
Alpha-Tech Aviation Services, Inc., R02
Little Wolf Consulting, LLC, Affil
Marana Aerospace Solutions, Inc. dba Ascent Aviation Services, R06
Thrust Tech Accessories Inc., R03

August

AMETEK Aircraft Parts & Accessories, Inc., R03
Crew Aviation LLC, R01
Diversified Aero Repair, LLC, R01
Jeronimo Gracian, Affil
Illuminair Support, Corp., R03
Summit Aerospace, Inc., R05

September

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

November

Sterling, Tyler, Affil

December

Axxeum, Inc., R01
IAG Aero Group Engine Field Services, LLC, R01
University of Alaska Anchorage Aviation Technology Division , EDU

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 from December 2023.

To view the list, click here.

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Aviation Life Calendar

January Through April

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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Our 2023

Each story will take you to the hotline in which it appeared (which means readers should beware the timeliness of references and seek follow up on key issues).

Leading Off

ARSA Works

MacLeod Selected for ODA Panel

February: On Jan. 5, the FAA notified ARSA it had selected Executive Director Sarah MacLeod to serve on the Organization Designation Authorization Expert Panel.

Bilateral Working Group Reviewing Parts Documentation Issues

March: On March 15, ARSA received an interim response from EASA Flight Standards Director Jesper Rasmussen regarding new parts installed by U.S. repair stations during maintenance subject to the U.S.-EU bilateral agreement.

ARSA, AEA Push Back Against SMS Expansion

May: In joint comments submitted to the FAA on April 11, ARSA and the Aircraft Electronics Association opposed the potential expansion of the agency’s Safety Management System rules contained in 14 CFR part 5 to include repair stations certificated under part 145.

FAA Moving Towards D&A Testing Proposal

September: The FAA has delivered its proposed rule regarding foreign drug & alcohol testing programs to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The proposal text will not be available until it is published in the Federal Register for public comment, but OIRA’s review represents the first substantive activity on the issue since 2014.

Trust Your People, Not Paperwork

October: The distribution of “several” (a number apparently in the thousands) CFM56 engine parts with falsified Authorized Release Certificates has caught the attention of the general media and sparked a frenzied review by operators. This episode underscores the problem of prioritizing paperwork over technical know-how.

FAA, EASA Publish TIP 7 & Update AIR Contacts

December: On Nov. 6, ARSA discovered the publication of Revision 7 of the Technical Implementation Procedures related to the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the United States and European Union. The new revision became effective on Nov. 18.

Legal Briefs

Layman Lawyer – Why Are We This Way?

April: The practical question imposed by bilateral aviation safety agreements is whether untangling the many strings attached outweighs any efficiencies gained. Figuring out the history of those strings and the bureaucracies that have tied them together is important for answering practical questions and perhaps improving the system.

Layman Lawyer – Playing with Definitions

August: On both the American football field and in regulatory compliance, the meaning of words – and getting them right – matters quite a lot.

Safety vs. Consistency

September: Old habits die hard. Despite bilateral statements about “mutual confidence,” international regulators have continued to focus on differences in rules that have no impact on safety resulting in compliance challenges for industry.

European Enlightenment

October: The FAA’s relationship with Europe predates EASA and decades of bilateral progress now threatens to be undone by a renewed focus on differences in the regulations rather than results.

ARSA on the Hill

Setting Priorities

March 3: On Feb. 28, ARSA delivered a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate committees and subcommittees with jurisdiction over aviation. The document presents the repair station community’s priorities for this Congress’ next reauthorization of the FAA.

Senators Introduce Foreign Repair Station Bill

May: Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced legislation that would impose new rules on foreign repair stations performing heavy maintenance on U.S. air carrier aircraft.

ARSA-Supported FAA Bill Passes House

August: On July 20, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the chamber’s bill to reauthorize the FAA: the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (H.R. 3935).

Senate Confirms Whitaker

November: 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.

Publications

“Moving Letter” Added to Tools for Members

March: The new template attempts to outline the information a company should provide to the FAA about its plans for moving to a new facility.

New FAA Repairman Application (and ARSA Template)

September: The FAA has issued new forms supporting airman applications for both mechanic and repairman certificates under part 65. A new repairman recommendation letter is available for ARSA members through the association’s model manuals and templates.

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

November: The tools are constructed to help repair stations trace compliance in their manual systems with the special conditions (and supplement guidance) established as part of the bilateral agreement between the United States and United Kingdom. The documents are now part of ARSA’s free “tools for members.”

Training & Career Development

Membership

Quick Question Explored – SMS Proposed Rule

January: Despite the FAA’s SMS proposal’s (thankful) omission of 14 CFR part 145 from its applicability, new SMS requirements will still impact repair stations.

Advertising Beyond the Ordinary

June: Marketing to and by repair stations can find no better connection to core values in aviation than ARSA advertising. With the association in full control of its communications, options available to advertisers stretch beyond placement in periodicals or on the website.

Make Yourself New

September: Get into a “beginners’ mindset” with ARSA by hearing from Kimberly Dimmick about how she welcomes new members and take the encouragement to keep your company current.

Benefit Watch – SMS Program Update

October: Vice President of Membership Kimberly Dimmick reminds ARSA members in good standing about the newest member benefit to help small to medium sized aviation maintenance organizations proactively meet the international and business requirements for adopting an SMS.

Fortner Back to Top, LHT Back onto ARSA Board

November: “Gary and Rainer are the perfect ‘bookends’ for the board,” ARSA Executive Director Sarah 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.”

A Member Asked…

A Member Asked…A Moving Experience?

February: We will be moving to a new facility at the end of Q2 2023. Is there a checklist for regulatory items that need to be accomplished?

A Member Asked…Audits for EASA?

June: Our new PMI wants us to delete the EASA Supplement matrix and replace it with a Product Audit Checklist. Did EASA change its guidance? Does ARSA have a template? (Spoiler: Yes.)

A Member Asked…DER Approval Authority?

July: Every now and then we are asked and must explain to a foreign company what DER-approved repairs are and that they are FAA approved. Can you provide a resource to help?

A Member Asked…I’m no longer qualified?

December: I have been employed with a company for 44+ years and supporting the repair station for 25+ years. I recently discovered that I am “no longer qualified” to sign an approval for return to service for work performed for our customers because I hold an FAA repairman’s certificate in lieu of a mechanic’s. Is there any direction or information you can provide that would help validate this?

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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.

The FAA Enforcement Process

There are several reasons the agency may open an enforcement investigative report (EIR). Complaints from former or current employees, routine surveillance of your operations or a problem from a customer are all examples of how an “investigation” starts.

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Industry Calendar

the hotline is the monthly publication of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), the not-for-profit international trade association for certificated repair stations. It is for the exclusive use of ARSA members and federal employees on the ARSA mailing list. For a membership application, please call 703.739.9543 or visit http://arsa.org/membership/join/. This material is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, consulting, tax or any other type of professional advice. Law, regulations, guidance and government policies change frequently. While ARSA updates this material, we do not guarantee its accuracy. In addition, the application of this material to a particular situation is always dependent on the facts and circumstances involved. The use of this material is therefore at your own risk. All content in the hotline, except where indicated otherwise, is the property of ARSA. This content may not be reproduced, distributed or displayed, nor may derivatives or presentations be created from it in whole or in part, in any manner without the prior written consent of ARSA. ARSA grants its members a non-exclusive license to reproduce the content of the hotline. Employees of member organizations are the only parties authorized to receive a duplicate of the hotline. ARSA reserves all remaining rights and will use any means necessary to protect its intellectual property.

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