ATEC is conducting a survey of FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools (AMTS) to assess key trends in aviation maintenance education and guide future association activities and priorities. Survey response requests were sent to the primary contact at each AMTS location on March 24. A copy of the survey is available here.
Responses to the survey populate the ATEC Pipeline Report, the primary source of information on AMTS supply vs. workforce demand for certificated mechanics. Data is also used to populate ATEC's Online School Directory, which provides real time program and contact information for industry representatives seeking educational partners. If your school did not receive an invitation to participate or would like to confirm your school's primary contact, please email atec@atec-amt.org. The deadline to response is May 1.
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In a letter to congressional leaders, the council and its allies asked for the advancement of regulatory process reforms to support the transition of military members with maintenance experience into the civil commercial aviation industry. The group pointed to the cumbersome process exiting military service men and women face when seeking civilian mechanic certification and the need for a better way.
ATEC joined with Airlines for America, the Aerospace Industries Association, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and the Aeronautical Repair Station Association recommending reforms to part 65 to harmonize maintenance pathways with those available to pilots under part 61. Namely, the coalition called for Congress to direct the FAA to expand the pilot military competency testing process so that it is available to those veterans seeking mechanic certification. "It is an unfortunate fact that military members with maintenance experience are not making the transition from active military service to the civil commercial aviation industry in large numbers," said the group. "What’s more, there is a significant disparity between military aviators and maintainers when it comes to pursuing careers in commercial aviation. It is reported that the commercial aviation industry is capturing 70% of military aviators as commercial pilots while only 10% of maintainers are succeeding in pursuing careers in commercial aviation maintenance." The effort is intended to spur support from transportation committee leadership for legislative language in the upcoming FAA reauthorization bill. ATEC has long called on the FAA to develop a more efficient pathway to mechanic certification for military veterans (see Legislative issues page). While the mil comp test opportunity would likely divert some exiting military from full A&P school enrollment, it would also provide opportunities for schools to support military competency test preparation, and capture more of our exiting military to meet industry workforce demand. In preparation for the Annual Conference, ATEC is conducting a survey of aviation technical personnel recruiters. Responses to the questionnaire will support council activities and the upcoming "Plane Talk" panel discussion at the conference on personnel hiring and candidate needs.
Survey responses are confidential, results will be reported in the aggregate. Employer representatives are encouraged to submit a response by March 22. The FAA recently published the new part 147 online training course for its inspector workforce. The approximately 2-hour asynchronous course is available to industry for a $150 registration fee. Participants can use the instructions below to enroll for the course.
Attendees must first register for an account in the FAA's Designee Registration System if they do not already have one:
When logged into your DRS account:
Once you have the invitation code, you will receive payment instructions and once processed, the course will be available under the "Enrollments" menu. ATEC members are encouraged to provide any feedback to the FAA course directly to the agency, or to ATEC Executive Director Crystal Maguire. Reauthorization is the process by which Congress provides funding and operating authority for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and typically serves as a vehicle to address a range of aviation issues. The last reauthorization bill was approved in 2018 and authorized the FAA for five years (it was the first five-year authorization since 1982). That authorization is set to expire September 30, 2023.
Ahead of the October deadline, Congress is actively soliciting industry input. These deliberations provide a relatively rare opportunity for the council to propose and move legislative priorities that further aviation technical workforce initiatives. The council’s legislative committee has identified and communicated the following priorities for consideration in the next FAA reauthorization bill:
For more detail on the above priorities, click here. Plan to join us to push these important initiatives at the Fly-In, taking place September 19-22 in Washington DC. As follow on to previous advocacy efforts (see related story), a coalition of aviation organizations sent a letter to the FAA's regulatory support division, voicing joint concerns for the future state of the FAA testing system.
The group highlighted the recent change in PSI's third-party testing reimbursement rates as one example of recent missteps by the government contractor that negatively impacts access to testing. "PSI maintains that the fee reductions will not impact applicants, yet the contractor avoids transparency and refuses to provide data necessary for third parties to validate its assertions," said the group. "Specifically, our request for a complete list of testing locations, seating capacity, and the distribution of PSI-owned vs. third-party testing facilities was denied by the contractor." The letter, signed by a coalition including ATEC, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Aviation Supplies & Academics, the National Air Transportation Association, and the National Association of Flight Instructors, made several recommendations:
The letter was accompanied by two Freedom of Information requests filed by AOPA last month, asking for the FAA to make available a copy of the FAA-PSI government contract and a full list of all testing centers, before and after the Jan. 1 change so that industry could make it's own assessment on capacity changes. |
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