Charles Taylor was the first aircraft mechanic and the original unsung hero of aviation. He worked for the Wright brothers in their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. When they could not find a company to build them an engine for their glider, Charlie made one from scratch in about 6 weeks.

In honor of AMT Day, hear a little more about his story at ​https://vimeo.com/420492939/e8535aa90a (brought to you by the Mechanical Dragons).

ATEC will hold a live webinar on Thursday, May 21 at 2 PM CT, the fourth in a series of webinars intended to assist aviation maintenance technician schools navigate part 147 programs in the current COVID-19 environment.

The webinar, entitled "Best Practices: Facilitating Lab Work During COVID-19," will look at how AMTS are adopting longer-term plans to address the reality for many localities—that social distancing measures will be in place through at least the summer, and likely the fall. Many schools have worked through FAA mandates and successfully implemented distance learning programs for lecture content, but finding ways for students to complete lab work is an ongoing struggle. Panelists will share what they are doing to facilitate safe student access to facilities and equipment so they can satisfy hands-on project requirements.

Preliminary results from an ATEC survey currently out in the field suggests facilitation of lab requirements is the biggest challenge facing part 147 schools today. The results are not surprising given the hands-on experience necessary to train aviation mechanics, and the restrictions on campus access during massive school closures.

A special thank you to the panelists that have offered to share their experiences with the community:

Dr. Raymond Thompson, Associate Dean and Interim Chair, Western Michigan University
Jeremiah Scarbrough, Regional Director, Aviation Institute of Maintenance
Ty Harrison, Aviation Maintenance Technology Program Director, Colorado Northwestern Community College

​ATEC is redoubling efforts to educate legislators about the Promoting Aviation Regulations for Technical Training (PARTT) 147 Act (S.3043/H.R.5427), bipartisan and bicameral legislation to modernize part 147 regulations dating back to 1962. 

A newly-published policy brief provides a thorough history of industry's advocacy efforts to update the rule, and highlights current FAA proposals that would have a toxic impact on an already inflexible framework.

The brief calls attention to the negative impact the current rule has on schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. FAA-mandated approvals of online delivery and limitations on what can be taught outside the classroom has hindered operations and innovations at part 147 schools. In the brief, the council argues that had the Act been passed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many aviation programs would be in a different position today.

ATEC encourages the community to share the brief with their legislative leaders on capitol hill, and encourage them to sign on as a co-sponsor to the PARTT 147 Act.

For the past several years, Premier Aircraft Service, Inc. has been converting Diamond aircraft to newer engine models. In doing this, Premier has obtained several of the older 1.7 diesel Thielert engines which are no longer needed for flying aircraft. Premier is therefore making the Continental basic 1.7 teardown engines available to schools for $4,950 plus shipping. Discounts are available for larger quantities.

Interested schools can contact Premier Vice President of Operations and ATEC Director Art Spengler for more information.

AMTS are adopting longer-term plans to address the reality for many localities—that social distancing measures will be in place through at least the summer, and likely the fall. Many schools have worked through FAA issues and successfully implemented distance learning programs for lecture content, but finding ways for students to complete lab work is an ongoing struggle. Hear what other schools are doing to facilitate safe student access to facilities and equipment so they can satisfy hands-on project requirements.

The live event is scheduled for Thu, May 21, 2020 at 2:00 PM CDT. Visit the link below to register and see a list of confirmed panelists.

ATEC is running a survey targeted at aviation maintenance technician schools. The objective is to gather information on COVID-19 impacts on school operations and graduate and enrollment expectations, and identify ways the council can support the community during the on-going pandemic.

All schools certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration under 14 CFR part 147 are encouraged to respond to the short, 15 question survey.

A new initiative in support of STEM education is being considered by Congress. The legislation would provide education funding for rural and underserved communities, something that has not been addressed in previous Coronavirus relief packages.

The bill, sponsored by Reps. TJ Cox and Troy Balderson is in response to a study showing the educational resource disparities in rural America as well as a the lack of internet-related infrastructure.  
 
The STEM Education Coalition, of which ATEC is a leadership council member, is a large supporter of the initiative. Get more information at ​www.stemedcoalition.org/2020/05/06/coalition-calls-on-congress-to-address-stem-education-and-infrastructure-in-next-coronavirus-response-bill/. 

FAA will publish a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) to provide relief for mechanic applicants who have testing periods expiring between March and June 2020. Title 14 CFR 65.71 requires that an FAA mechanic applicant pass all prescribed testing (i.e., written, oral and practical) within 24 months. The FAA SFAR extends the testing period by three months for those whose testing period has or will expire between March and June 2020. 

The SFAR also extends inspection authorization (IA) renewal deadlines for those FAA-certificated mechanics that hold IA. For those IA holders that were unable to meet renewal requirements by March 2020 (as required by 65.93), they will have until June 2020 to do so.

The SFAR, prompted by industry groups, also extends deadlines for pilots, crew members, and flight schools.
 
The SFAR is scheduled to publish in the federal register on May 4. The version available for public inspection as of May 1 is linked below.