The ATEC Journal editorial committee welcomes scholarly submissions on any issue relevant to aviation maintenance education, curriculum, and pedagogy. ATEC is specifically calling for papers that support the council’s regulatory and legislative agenda, and generates content for online webinars and annual conference sessions.
 
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to--

• Technical and soft-skills curriculum integration
• Innovative teaching methods
• A history of legislative actions affecting aviation maintenance workforce development
• A study on implementation of employer-education partnerships
• Funding implications stemming from Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational outlooks
• Highlighted innovations in the aviation maintenance industry
• A look at successful online teaching methods and/or subject matter in other technical fields
• Surveying currently used computer-based teaching across aviation maintenance training schools

 
Professionals from all segments of the aviation maintenance industry, members and non-members alike, are invited to submit a paper for publication. The submission deadline for the spring issue is May 1.

Authors may be offered the opportunity to present their research via an ATEC webinar and thereafter be considered for live presentations at the next annual ATEC conference. 
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For more information and to submit a paper, visit http://www.atec-amt.org/the-journal.html. 

​Congratulations to Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Norfolk student Jason Gries and Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology student Anthony Kinsey who were co-recipients of this year’s Student of the Year award.
 
In partnership with the Northrop Rice Foundation (NRF), each year the council presents the Rardon Award in recognition of an aviation maintenance technician student’s outstanding achievements demonstrated through academics and involvement that directly impacts the student’s associates, school and/or community.
 
This year, NRF and ATEC recognized two students.
 
Kinsey is president of the Spartan student council and organizes study groups and weekend hands-on learning. He volunteers his time to promote aviation through events such as Spartan Aviation Day, student BBQs, and the Wounded Warrior 5K, and assists with creating new training and refurbished training aids. He also set up a Veterans social group to help students with PTSD and veterans related issues. According to nominator and Spartan campus directory Nicholas Brown, Kinsey is adamant about his studies, at the top of his class, and has achieved a 90% or better on all of his exams.
 
Gries is an active member of the Student Veteran Organization, and volunteers for a variety of activities including student cookouts, fundraisers, and meetings to help support the veteran community. Nominator and AIM program coordinator Tim Murray describes him as “the most talented student currently attending [AIM]” and as the “type of mechanic who fixes problems before they happen.” Gries boasts a 4.0 GPA and has earned a reputation for picking his instructors brains before and after class, taking on extra shops projects when he finishes his assigned tasks early.
 
Both students were presented their awards at the ATEC Annual Conference Awards Luncheon, sponsored by AVOTEK. Congratulations to Jason and Anthony, and best of luck in all your endeavors!

Each February and June, the FAA releases a revised sample exam as representation of the current mechanic written test. The agency supplements the sample with an explanation of any revisions made to the test bank. The latest sample exam and "what's new" document is available at www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_questions/.

The February "what's new" document indicated that no changes were made to the test bank. In March, after inquires from industry, the agency released a revised "what's new," communicating the following changes:

• Knowledge test questions covering the new 14 CFR part 23 rule that went into effect on August 30, 2017 will be developed for future versions of the AMT General Knowledge Exam.
• AMT applicants should be prepared to be tested on Helicopter Aerodynamics on the AMT General Knowledge Exam.
• AMT applicants taking the AMT General Knowledge Exam should be prepared to be tested on the following topics: 14 CFR part 1, coil inductor construction, human errors, maintenance manual documentation, and special flight permits.
• AMT knowledge test applicants should be prepared for calculations that require interpolation.

Aviation Supplies and Academics, Inc. (ASA) publishes specific changes made to sample exams for each test roll. That analysis can be found at www.asa2fly.com/FAA-Knowledge-Exams-W22C162.aspx.

The council continues to work through the ACS working group to ensure a documented and transparent process for creating, vetting and revising test bank questions. The FAA is currently utilizing the ACS to review and edit the test bank. ATEC Treasurer and Embry-Riddle University Aviation Maintenance Science Department Chairman Chuck Horning is the industry representative on that review board.

Members are encouraged to provide feedback on student experiences while the test bank undergoes revision to coincide with the new ACS. Send comments to atec@atec-amt.org.

Helicopter Association International has released a workforce needs forecast. The trade group concluded that “unless there are some fundamental changes in policy, outreach, scholarships, and access to financing, the helicopter industry faces large-scale deficits in the amount of available and qualified licensed and certificated pilots and mechanics.”
 
While the study projects a shortage of 7,469 helicopter pilots in the U.S. between 2018 and 2036, the deficit is even more concerning for maintenance technicians. The industry is projected to be short 40,613 certificated aviation mechanics by 2036.
 
More than 50 percent of surveyed operators said the shortage will “definitely or probably” interfere with their company’s ability to grow over the next five years.
 
"Our industry needs to take a hard look at how we do things,” says Matt Zuccaro, HAI president and CEO. “We really don’t have a choice. These numbers show a future where the growth of our industry will be curtailed because operators won’t have the workforce they need. But we have the option to change that future by acting proactively now to recruit the next generation of pilots and maintainers.”
 
Study results and an executive summary are available for download. Helicopter Foundation International Vice President Allison McKay will present the report at this month’s ATEC annual conference in Washington DC. Don’t miss it.