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Symposium Concludes with Praise from FAA Chief

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA – On March 22 ARSA President Gary Fortner  opened the Association’s annual meeting expressing confidence in the group’s continuing efforts to aggressively address key issues before regulatory and business leaders. Fortner, the vice president of quality control at Fortner Engineering, also praised the Association for its legislative advocacy, regulatory activism, and efforts championing the industry’s safety and economic achievements through ARSA’s Positive Publicity Campaign.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta then addressed a packed room of aviation maintenance professionals highlighting the important role ARSA plays with the FAA and crediting the Association’s executive director, Sarah MacLeod, for her leadership. “The way to enhance safety is to keep the lines of communication open between business and government – to foster the ability and willingness to share information about any challenges we might be facing,” stated Huerta. “In addition to certification, we are also benefiting greatly from the sharing of ideas on aviation rulemaking committees. You are helping us to solve problems and I want to thank members of ARSA, including Executive Director Sarah MacLeod, for your service on these aviation rulemaking committees.”

The Annual Repair Symposium began on Wednesday with a successful Legislative Day on Capitol Hill, continued with panels featuring regulatory updates, and concluded with breakout sessions to discuss improving members’ interaction with regulators.

“This week clearly demonstrated ARSA’s role in shaping policy before the administration and on Capitol Hill,” MacLeod concluded. “We are gratified that we are helping ARSA’s member companies run their operations more efficiently and effectively, while continuing to ensure the safety of aircraft worldwide.”

To read Huerta’s full speech, click here.

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ARSA is an Alexandria, Virginia-based trade association that represents aviation maintenance and manufacturing companies. Founded in 1984, the association has a distinguished record of advocating for repair stations, providing regulatory compliance assistance to the industry, and representing repair stations on Capitol Hill and in the media.

Contact: Josh Pudnos
703 739 9543



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