2026 – Edition 2 – March 6

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 2026 Annual Conference Preview
The President’s Desk
ARSA Works
Layman Lawyer
ARSA on the Hill
Training
Membership
ARSA Remembers
Resources
Industry Meetings & Events

The President’s Desk

Pre-State of the Association

On the last morning of ARSA’s Annual Conference, the association convenes its annual member meeting. Attendees, in-person and online, are updated on the state of the association before given an open floor for questions.

Each president takes a different approach. From dry reviews to costume-based jokes, the style of the member meeting reflects a little of the top volunteer. As the person in that position for a second year and an engineer, my preparation leading up to the Conference demands a review of the entire practice.

The finding: It’s entirely perfunctory.

Anyone applying critical thinking during the member breakfast will realize that the “president’s address” contains a recitation of the same topics and details covered during the previous three days of the Conference. Taking a step back, members should realize that those days of focused, useful discussion are a continuation of the daily work by ARSA’s team reported in its communications.

Looking through last year’s member meeting remarks, the structure reflects how ARSA serves the maintenance community.

(1) Gratitude. Thanks to attendees, fellow directors, event sponsors, and leading ally organizations the work for the maintenance industry continues.

(2) Analysis. A review of the current state of association membership and each way the team provides value to those member companies as well as the broader aerospace industry.

(3) Service. Connecting the key regulatory and legislative actions of the previous year to the business and safety needs of repair stations, manufacturers, operators, and all others represented by ARSA’s membership.

(4) Action. Pushing for each participant to make the most of the investment in ARSA’s value – every dues check, Conference registration, training session, advertising placement, publication, member referral, or benefit used is an investment that pays off in reasonable compliance and smart business practices.

I hope to see you at the members’ meeting and throughout the week preceding it. During those four days, pay attention to how the pillars of the association drive its work all year long.

John Riggs 2026 ARSA president | Director of Airworthiness, Chromalloy

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The 2026 Annual Conference Preview

Get Ready

March 17-20, 2026

Sponsors | Registration | Information

Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. with Livestream Options for Conference Ambassadors

What began decades ago as ARSA’s Annual Repair Symposium has evolved into a week-long event including executive branch briefings, grassroots legislative advocacy and world-class regulatory compliance and business content. The event provides a regular venue for members and invited guests from around the world to network and discuss issues that matter to the repair station community.

The Sponsors
The Event
The Technology

ARSA will make use of its well-honed tools for providing an engaging Conference; participants should prepare to make the most of the aviation maintenance industry’s premier substantive event. If you’ve never been (or it’s been a while), the time is now to see what you’ve been missing.

Review this special section of the hotline and make sure you’re registered to participate.

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The Sponsors

New Heights

Sponsors | Registration | Information

What is Administratium? An element these aerospace professionals see every day (click here to learn more). ARSA applauds these companies for investing their good humor in the association.

		AAR Corp is one of the association’s longest tenured member companies, regularly investing time, expertise and resources in furthering the industry’s interests through ARSA’s leadership.
		Chromalloy’s innovation is rooted in our technical investments and industry-leading expertise. From periodical advertising to Board leadership, this Enterprise Member knows the impact of ARSA’s message.

Platinum Hits

Sponsors | Registration | Information

ARSA thanks each of these five industry leaders for committing their own high achievement to the aviation world.

Click here to register and see the benefits of their investment.

		Coopesa has more than 60 years of experience providing heavy maintenance services. The company is a key international player in ARSA’s membership and a regular support of the association’s events.
		HEICO regularly puts itself (and its people) out front on ARSA’s behalf. From documentary starring roles to government affairs leadership, the Enterprise member is always front and center.
		Lufthansa Technik’s international leadership is evident from its position on ARSA’s Board and consistent support for the association’s global engagement.
		Moog, known professionally for high standards of innovation and trust, the company’s offerings start with design, development, test, and certification, and continue with support throughout the aircraft’s in-service life.
		MRO Holdings has long supported ARSA’s regulatory compliance leadership for the global industry. Association membership is a natural growth of its philosophy to recruit, train, and invest in the best.

Gold Medalists

Sponsors | Registration | Information

Fresh off the Winter Olympics, ARSA recognizes these companies whose regular commitment to the association has them high on the industry’s leadership podium.

Click here to get all event information and to register.

		AeroKool Aviation has served every corner of the aviation market since 1959 and been represented on ARSA’s board since 2022.
		First Aviation Services helps ARSA to lead from the front through its proactive legislative and regulatory engagement in support of key industry initiatives.
		The HAECO Group offers “nose to tail” solutions for air carriers across the world. The global company has recommitted in 2026 to ARSA membership and the industry’s premier substantive event.
		NORDAM is a family-owned global aerospace firm and another one of ARSA’s original members long represented on the associaton’s board.
		StandardAero has been known for its “workmanship, efficient personnel, and effectiveness of equipment” since 1911 and ARSA enterprise membership for years.
		ST Engineering boasts facilities across the world and a half century of success that is bolstered by ARSA’s compliance and advocacy expertise.

Sponsoring Conference Success

Thank you to the 20 organizations that have committed (so far) to sponsor ARSA’s 2026 Annual Conference.

Administratium

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Platinum

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Gold

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Silver

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Contributors

 

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The Event

Attendance Experience

The Agenda

Sponsors | Registration | Information

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

The “Digital Companion”

Sponsors | Registration | Information

Since 2019, all participant materials and references related to the Annual Conference have been made available on a special page on ARSA.org.

How do participants access the Digital Companion?

A registrant prep email sent in advance of the Conference includes the web address and password to the Digital Companion. The address may be used in any web browser; when the page loads it will ask for the password and then allow access to the page, which is viewable on either desktop or mobile device.

What information is available on the Digital Companion?

(1) The event agenda, including session information, time and location for all events.

(2) Speaker names with links to online bios (where available).

(3) Presentation resources and materials (uploaded after sessions are complete).

(4) General information and resources (ARSA action resources, team member contacts, etc.)

(5) Access to the Conference livestream (For registrants and Conference Ambassadors).

Late Registrations

Sponsors | Registration | Information

Interested attendees may sign up to participate on premises or to view the livestream at any time through the event’s completion.

Click here to go to the event page and complete the form or follow the instructions provided.

Member Meeting Notice

Sponsors | Registration | Information

The ARSA Annual Member Meeting is held in conjunction with the association’s Annual Conference; this year the Member Meeting will take place during the Breakfast and Annual Report on Friday, March 20 at 8:00 a.m.

ARSA leadership will address members regarding the state of the association. Attendees are welcomed and encouraged to raise matters relevant to ARSA and the aerospace maintenance industry it represents.

If you are unable to attend – conference registration is open – but would like to submit comments/questions to ARSA’s leadership, please do so via the mechanisms available on arsa.org/contact.

A recording of the presentation will be made available to members in the March edition of hotline newsletter.

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The Technology

ARSA’s Partners and Platforms

ARSA has tapped into its broad network of online content providers – contacts developed from years of providing online training and participating in remotely-produced event content – to provide the 2025 Annual Conference. 

ARSA.org – Participant Resources & Access

Conference participants will be able to access all event-related information via specially-designed pages on the ARSA website. Both the “Digital Companion” (which will contain agenda and sponsor information as well as event materials) and the embedded livestream will be available on ARSA.org. What could make these resources better? Tell ARSA.

Microsoft Teams – Speaker Coordination

Presenters and panelists unable to be physically present will interact and engage their material using Microsoft Teams, which has become the association’s go-to online meeting platform. 

Vimeo – Live Stream

Livestreamed portions of the Conference will be delivered to event participants via a Vimeo player embedded on an ARSA.org webpage. Once online attendees and Conference Ambassadors have accessed the page, they can save the location on their favorite browser for repeated access. Every portion of the event will play on the same stream.

Hothouse Media – Onsite Production

The filming team has been onsite since the 2019 ARSA Annual Conference returns. Alongside the ARSA team at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, Hothouse’s professionals will oversee all production on site to ensure the best audio, video and entertainment possible for livestream participants and provide recorded versions of sessions for access after the event.

TextSpot – Attendee Updates

Annual Conference participants who provided a text-enabled phone number during registration will receive event updates via SMS. Responses to these texts will be monitored by an ARSA team via the TextSpot platform. Attendees need not download or access any technology, exchanges will be the same as normal SMS texts sent via their mobile device.

See how all of these pieces fit together during the Conference from March 13-15. 

Participant Support

ARSA’s team worked hard to prevent issues before they occur. Still, things happen.

If any attendee needs assistance during the event, they should refer to the ARSA team contact information in the Digital Companion. If you cannot or do not know how to access that resource, use the general contact information on the team member directory or arsa.org/contact. Team members may not be immediately attentive to all messages, but will be monitoring and prioritizing Conference-related communications.

The After Party

Session recordings will be made available to registrants after the event is over (please allow time for production). Also, ARSA’s team will work with its technology partners to create special content based on activities during the Conference, so stay tuned to future web updates and periodicals.

ARSA Works

Preventing Baseless Electronic Recordkeeping Requirements

On Feb. 26, ARSA and the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) jointly commented on the FAA’s Draft Advisory Circular (AC) 120-78B, “Electronic Signatures, Electronic Recordkeeping, and Electronic Manuals.” The associations acknowledged the draft AC’s “valuable technical instruction” but directed the FAA to amend language creating recordkeeping requirements inconsistent with the aviation safety rules.

“The draft AC confuses the agency’s limited authority to approve electronic recordkeeping systems of certain certificate holders with a guidance-created requirement for FAA ‘acceptance of’ those systems where there is no regulatory basis or need,” the comments said.

The joint comments overviewed the absence of language in parts 43 or 145 directing persons performing maintenance to seek FAA approval or acceptance of their recordkeeping systems. Citing the Code of Federal Regulations, statutes limiting paperwork burdens and guaranteeing the validity of digitalized records, and Department of Transportation Guidance, ARSA and AEA then described how administrative statements in the draft AC created wide latitude for FAA personnel to impose burden certificate holders without regulatory basis. Pushing back against “legislation by guidance,” through which the government imposes responsibilities not found in the plain language of the rules (and without the notice and comment burden imposed on rulemaking activities by the Administrative Procedure Act), is a fundamental tenet of the associations’ regulatory advocacy.

The submission recommend four basic amendments to ensure the guidance may be utilized by industry without imposing any additional requirements:

(1) Clarify the guidance itself creates no requirement for approval, acceptance, or authorization of an electronic recordkeeping or manual system.

(2) State that electronic recordkeeping methods utilized by repair stations (among other certificate holders) will be found acceptable provided they meet the applicable elements of 14 CFR.

(3) Eliminate language making system corrections “incumbent upon the certificate holder” when the rules didn’t require FAA approval or acceptance.

(4) Eliminate language apparently requiring FAA approval or acceptance for use of an electronic signature on a regulatorily required record.

“Advisory circulars are tools to provide compliance assistance for certificate holders,” the comments concluded. “As written, Draft AC 120-78B provides useful technical instruction for persons required or choosing to establish electronic recordkeeping systems and submit their related procedures to the FAA. The draft must be amended to avoid creating any requirement for action by certificate holders, e.g., part 145 repair stations, or the FAA.”

To read the draft AC as made available for comment, click here.

To read ARSA and AEA’s joint comments, click here.

Draft Tool for International D&A Cross-Reference

In its ongoing work to mitigate issues related to the FAA’s new rule imposing drug and alcohol testing requirements outside the United States, ARSA has released for industry comment a draft cross-reference matrix. The worksheet contains the entirety of 14 CFR part 120, “Drug and Alcohol Testing Program,” providing columns for users to assess American requirements against the relevant laws of their international jurisdiction.

The purpose of the cross-reference matrix is to demonstrate consistencies and conflicts between U.S. rules and the laws of the sovereign nations in which foreign repair stations operate. ARSA encourages its international members to:

(1) Click here to download the draft matrix (your browser will place the .xls file in your downloads folder).

(2) Review the content of 14 CFR part 120.

(3) Consider the questions and narrative placed in the column titled “Consistency w/ Local Laws.”

(4) Research (or refer to HR or legal assistance) legal references associated with each element of part 120.

(5) Email ARSA with a copy of your matrix after review/update as well as your feedback. In particular, explain what kind of instructions would best support use of the document as well as who in your organization was involved in its review.

This hard work of coordinating and cross-referencing U.S. aviation safety regulation against the legal realities facing repair stations outside the United States will provide association members with tools for creating clear compliance references.

ARSA, AEA Release Draft Canadian Compliance Guidance

ARSA and the Aircraft Electronics Association have produced an updated matrix supporting compliance of U.S. repair stations with the special conditions of the Maintenance Implementation Procedures (MIP) issued under the bilateral aviation safety agreement between the United States and Canada.

The advisory explains how to: 

(1) Determine whether the repair station operations or quality manuals and other documents show compliance with the Revision 2 to the Special Conditions contained in the U.S.-Canadian MIP dated Sept. 9, 2025.
(B) Request authority to work on articles destined to be installed on Canadian-registered products under a FAA foreign repair station certificate.

The associations’ seek feedback regarding the new guidance. ARSA members should review the document and send comments to arsa@arsa.org.

To download the draft guidance document, click here (your browser will download the .doc file and place it in your downloads folder).

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.

To view the list, click here.

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Layman Lawyer

The Lessons Continue

Last month’s “Lesson in Civics” (and special “bonus”) highlighted attention to government guidance documents. The answer to many ARSA member questions boils down to “comply with the rules.” Changes in orders or advisories or even directives from inspectors will never change the responsibility of certificate holders to demonstrate compliance with 14 CFR.

ARSA and the Aircraft Electronics Association jointly pushed back in February against the government’s tendance to “legislate by guidance.” The associations’ comments on Draft FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 120-78B, “Electronic Signatures, Electronic Recordkeeping, and Electronic Manuals” requested amendments to prevent guidance-based requirements inconsistent with the rules.

As ARSA and AEA worked on that nuance, the U.S. government made a better publicized pronouncement showcasing agency overreach:

“[Notice 8900.767] announces the publication of a new mandatory Operations Specification (OpSpec) A134, Merit Based Pilot Hiring, for certificate holders conducting operations under Title 14 [CFR] part 121.” (Emphasis added.)

The notice cites the Administrator’s statutory responsibility to prescribe minimum standards for aviation safety. The Secretary of Transportation acted “in accordance with” an executive order to manipulate hiring practices totally unrelated to airman competency.

The certification requirements of part 119, which controls the applicability of part 121, set standards for Operations Specifications. OpSpecs must include the elements identified in § 119.49; the list does not include personnel qualification practices. Should the Administrator, under the direction of DOT in this case, execute authority of § 119.49(b)(14) to issue an OpSpec for “any other item the Administrator deems necessary,” the amendment would be subject to § 119.51’s procedures.

Those amendment procedures effectively include a notice and comment period specific to each certificate holder. Except for emergency situations, § 119.51(b) subjects an Administrator directed amendment to the following procedure:

(1) Notification to a certificate holder,

(2) Allowance of a period for submitting “written information, views, and arguments” by the air carrier,

(3) Notification by the FAA of adoption/partial adoption/withdrawal.

Notice 8900.767 allows for these steps to take place, then directs the issuance of OpSpec A134. The government’s pre-supposed determination uses the guidance to impose a requirement on certificate holders outside the competency based requirements of the rules. When the FAA uses a notice, order, or other proclamation to impose standards but avoids the rulemaking process, the aerospace industry must pay attention. At the end of the process, air carriers must stand on the requirement to show compliance with the “rigorous training and qualification standards” (to use the terminology of the notice) imposed by part 121, not on a blanket operations specifications paragraph that has nothing to do with aviation safety.

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ARSA on the Hill

Legislative Priorities

Legislative Day will find members roaming Capitol Hill representing the international aviation maintenance community. Each participant will personalize the industry’s story and connect individual experience to broad needs.

The priorities set by ARSA have a basic structure. Specific “asks” regarding bill support may vary, but regardless of a “yes” vote or co-sponsoring signature the standing policy needs of repair stations are consistent:

Improve FAA rulemaking and oversight. The most recent FAA reauthorization included numerous provisions to improve the development of aviation safety regulations and guidance materials, with a particular focus on transparency, consistency, and public engagement.

Expanding the Aviation Maintenance Workforce. Emphasis on Congress’ aggressive actions to address the chronic aviation technician shortage.

Enhancing access to maintenance data. For decades, ARSA members have complained about FAA’s failure to enforce regulations requiring design approval holders to share maintenance instructions (Instructions for Continued Airworthiness or ICA).

Ensuring U.S. operators have access to maintenance, wherever they fly. Policies requiring “surprise” overseas inspections, drug and alcohol testing programs, and other aggressive oversight actions disincentive foreign companies from providing services to U.S. operators, curtailing international operations, and heightening the risk of retaliation against the small business-dominated U.S. maintenance sector.

Improve Department of Defense contracting. Enhancing competition for DOD aviation maintenance services to reduce maintenance costs, improve readiness, reduce bureaucratic duplication, and expand government contracting opportunities for small and medium-sized companies.

Legislative Day registrants should prepare to put their personal spin on these items. Those in their home states can learn how to engage their elected officials every day at arsa.org/congress.

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Training

SMS Integration Webinar Series Continues March 10

On Feb. 10, ARSA and the Aircraft Electronics Association presented the fifth of six planned webinars – a monthly series concluding in March – explaining effective integration of a safety management system within the operations of an FAA-certificated repair station. These hour-long virtual sessions will help U.S.-based repair stations holding European approval to implement a part 5 compliant SMS programs as required by the special conditions of the bilateral agreement between the United States and European Union. This requirement to “design, implement, and maintain” an SMS should be met by effectively and efficiently integrating SMS into the facility’s existing quality system and daily operations.

The session materials and recording from completed webinars are available within the SMS tools managed by AEA and available for discounted access to ARSA members. Interested participants should mark their calendars for the remaining sessions, each beginning at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time:

• October 29, 2025 – SMS Integration Overview – COMPLETE
• November 18, 2025 – SMS Compliance Elements: Part 5 Subparts A & B – COMPLETE
• December 16, 2025 – SMS Compliance Elements: Part 5 Subparts C & D – COMPLETE
• January 20, 2026 – SMS Compliance Elements: Part 5 Subparts E & F – COMPLETE
• February 10, 2026 – SMS Integration Review – COMPLETE
• March 10, 2026 – Part 5 Gap Analysis in Total – Click here to register.

Session 5

Title: Part 5 Gap Analysis in Total
Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm EST
Registration: Click here.

For more information about webinar logistics, contact Ric Peri, AEA vice president of government and industry affairs, at ricp@aea.net.

Interested ARSA members should learn about access to SMS tools available through the association’s partnership with AEA.

Regulatory Compliance Training

Test your knowledge of 14 CFR § 21.50(b), DAH responsibilities for ICA.

Click here to download the training sheet.

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Membership

Conference Participants & Ambassadors

ARSA is proud to acknowledge the companies that have registrants attending the Annual Conference in person.

The association encourages those registrants to name an “Ambassador” to manage the livestream link that can be shared within the company to view the Conference as it happens.

In-person registrants can designate an “Ambassador” by using this link to submit a “Change an existing registration”. Merely make notes in the comments section to add the full name, email, and mobile number of the Ambassador.

If your company has an “Ambassador” find out who that is is so you can livestream the Conference and stay up to date.

Companies registered:

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 February:

New Members
Precision Airparts Support Services, Inc., R03
Technical Services Unlimited Corp., R01

Returning Members
AeroParts Manufacturing & Repair, Inc., R04, 2016
AeroRepair Corp., R03, 2012
AerSale Roswell Aircraft MRO Operations Center, R05, 2011
AEVEX Aerospace dba Ikhana Aircraft Services, R04, 2003
Air-Cert, LLC, R01, 1990
Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services dba PEMCO World Air Services, R05, 2014
Alirio Aircraft Services, Inc. dba 24Jet, R01, 2019
Apex Heli-Support, LLC, R01, 2024
Aviation Avionics & Instruments, Inc., R03, 2012
Barfield, Inc., R05, 1995
Carpe Diem Aviation Services of Missouri, Inc., R02, 2012
Compressed Gas Systems, LLC, R03, 2012
Continental Aircraft Support, Inc., R94, 2004
Corporate Air Parts, Inc., R03, 2018
IHI Corporation, R06, 2019
INAir Aviation Services Company, R02, 2003
FLG Technics, Inc., R02, 2025
Global Engine Maintenance, LLC, R04, 2025
Lufthansa Technik AG, Enterprise, 2001
Mid-Continent Instrument Co., Inc. dba Mid-Continent Instruments & Avionics, R04, 1998
Michael Daniel, Edu, 2020
Mingo Aerospace, L.L.C, R03, 2005
QAI Aerospace, R03, 2012
QT Aerospace, LLC, R01, 2025
Rotortech Services, Inc., R02, 2019
S.E.A.L Aviation LLC, R03, 2014
Skytech Aviation, Inc., R01, 2013
Spirit Aerosystems, Inc., R04, 2005
TAIGLOBAL Group, LLC, R01, 2023
Toddcoe Aviation dba Alpha Aircraft Services of America, Inc., R01, 2012
TSA Rewinds Florida, Inc dba Aircraft Armature Inc., R02, 2019
Up North Aerospace Solutions LLC, 2025, R01
Windsor Airmotive West Chester Division-Barnes Aerospace, R04, 1995
World Class Accessory, Inc., R01, 2007

ARSA Survey Invite Sent

On Feb. 17, an invitation to complete ARSA’s member survey was sent to the email address of every primary contact. The message was subjected “ARSA 2026 Member Survey Invitation” and was sent by Vice President of Operations Brett Levanto. Ensure the invitation makes it to your primary contact and gets the attention it deserves. The survey takes between 10-15 minutes to complete; informed estimates are acceptable for quantitative questions like revenue or employment figures.

The association’s annual member survey gathers intelligence on issues facing the international maintenance community. Responses improve ARSA’s services and provide data to support advocacy on behalf of the global aviation industry. Please help by submitting…or stimulating your primary contact to submit on your company’s behalf. (If you don’t know who the primary contact is, or don’t think the invitation got through, we can help.)

Initial response data is used by the ARSA team to present the state of the industry at the association’s Annual Conference. Click here to register now.

Quality Advertising

Year after year, ARSA members come up strong in supporting events, advertising in ARSA Periodicals and ARSA Training. It’s certainly not for the glitz and glamour; it’s the recognition of the value. Please continue that effort by making ARSA part of a quality advertising strategy.

Member Asked – Recordkeeping Guidance?

Note: This question and response also ran as a special full distribution “Mid-Month Member Asked.”

Q: This question concerns the FAA’s recent update to its guidance concerning Form 8130-3:

Order 8130.21H was for use by ALL types of 8130’s by original manufacture and repair stations. It was cancelled in September 2025.

The replacement, Order 8130.21J, is for Completion of FAA Form 8130-3 under Part 21. It does not provide instructions for using the form to issue an approval for return to service after maintenance or alteration.

Seems like a Catch 22 in the fact that an auditor could have a finding for a repair station completing an FAA Order 8130 without any order/instructions from the FAA now that Order 8130.21H is cancelled.

A: Start with the rules. Part 43 contains the requirements for content of releases after maintenance (§ 43.9) or inspection (§ 43.11). These are the minimum standards for maintenance records and include the signature constituting approval for return to service. Regardless of the form used or the specific guidance for its completion, compliance with rules is the standard upheld by the repair station as well as the basis for any finding by an auditor or inspector.

Now considering the appropriate guidance for aligning your procedures: The information regarding a repair station’s approval for return to service on an FAA Form 8130-3 is now available through AC 43-9D. An FAA correction is in the works on the prohibition against having more than one part on the form as stated in B.9, unless it is a life limited part.

ARSA fought hard to have its version of the AC published to no avail (see below). The association’s version of the advisory on maintenance records will be released separately as it focuses solely on sections §§ 43.9 and 43.11, rather than § 91.417! Stay tuned for that release and be prepared to share comments with ARSA.

Have questions about aviation regulatory compliance, legislative policy, or ARSA resources? Ask ARSA first!

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ARSA Remembers

Mark Swearingin

Mark Swearingin, long-time industry veteran and friend of the association who participated in and spoke at multiple ARSA events died on Feb. 20.

Mark’s wife, Liz, alerted colleagues and friends of his passing after shoulder surgery complications. In place of an obituary, Liz shared a biography Mark wrote about himself, which is a fitting memory and testament to his legacy:

I was born in Portland, Oregon. Conceived in the back of a pickup truck, I am the bastard child of a Norwegian lumber jack and an Irish cocktail waitress. Adopted by a Dutchman from Illinois who was married to a born again Southern Baptist Cherokee Indian woman from Missouri.

I have lived in Oregon, Washington, Missouri, Illinois, Indian, Minnesota, Kentucky, New York, Alaska, Montreal, and Brazil.

I am 20 years into a wonderful second marriage. I had four children with my first wife of 25 years, and we successfully raised three to adulthood; one never making it past infancy and one dying tragically in a car accident.

I worked full time since I was 14 years old. I put myself through college while supporting a family. I have been a farmer, a grain bin builder, a crop duster, a bus boy, a scuba diver, a lumberjack, a waiter, an airplane mechanic, a car mechanic, a machine worker, a contractor, an FBO Operator, a planner, a foreman, a Director, a VP, an EVP, and a COO.

Over 45 years I helped to build one of the world’s largest airlines at UPS. I have been through an airline merger, an airline bankruptcy, and a couple of airline re-births.

I love canoeing, snowshoeing, hiking and sled dog races. The Kentucky Derby is the closest thing to a religious experience that I know and Alaska is the most beautiful place on earth.

I respond well to challenges and poorly to ineptitude. I am very tolerant of honest mistakes and fiercely intolerant of laziness or excuses. Honesty, integrity, creativity, a sense of personal accountability and a good work ethic are what I value.

I enjoy early mornings and hate late evenings. A glass of fine small batch Kentucky Bourbon, a great sunrise or sunset, the chance to view a classic impressionist painting, listening to Sinatra or Dino, a small jazz ensemble, a blue grass group or staring into my wife’s beautiful eyes over a candlelit dinner, completes my list of pleasures.

As an association that also responds well to challenges and poorly to ineptitude, ARSA’s team is grateful for Mark’s hard work and good humor and will miss his collegial support. He declined a formal funeral service in favor of a private family gathering.

Donations in honor of Mark’s memory may be made to the Friends of the Boundary Waters. The organization’s goal is to establish a protected area where all people can experience the magic of Minnesota’s wilderness and support its protection. To learn more and give, visit www.friends-bwca.org/donate.

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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.

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.)

ARSA Member Benefits

From access to industry expertise to growing your own through education and training, ensure your company gets the most out of its investment in ARSA.

U.S. Legislative Action Center

ARSA requests its members’ assistance to keep FAA reauthorization front and center on the congressional agenda and ensure our workforce priorities are included. Please use ARSA’s grassroots action center to send a quick note to your elected representatives in support of our efforts.

Industry Meetings & Events

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 arsa.org/membership/join. For information about previous editions, submit a request through arsa.org/contact. 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.

© 2026 Aeronautical Repair Station Association