The Journal is currently accepting submissions of scholarly, research, application, or opinion articles. 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

In addition to these, submissions discussing the current situation in classrooms or industry regarding the effects of COVID restrictions or the implementation of the new FAR 147 are welcome. 
 
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 fall issue is October 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. 

In response to the pandemic and education's immediate need to deploy online learning in the midst of school closures, on March 12, 2020, the FAA published a memo directing its inspector workforce to provide regulatory relief for part 147 schools electing to provide A&P program content to students online (see related story).

Since the deviation memo and a subsequent revision (see M330-8000.1-G-2003-0718, dated April 1, 2020) were published, the number of certificated aviation maintenance training schools that received permanent and/or temporary authorization to provide provide content online has grown to 61 percent. (Before COVID, less than 5 percent of the 184 certificated schools had permanent distance learning authorization from the FAA.)

FAA officials have stated that the agency does not intend to terminate the deviation memo anytime soon, and that barring any unforeseeable circumstances, it will remain in force through the 2021-2022 academic year. As a reminder, the memo alone does not provide schools the authority to provide FAA-approved curriculum online, but instead directs the FAA inspector workforce to approve distance learning programs using less stringent guidelines than what is currently directed in the 8900.1 guidance.

While the deviation memo was welcome news for schools last spring, the part 147 interim direct rule (expected to publish in November 2021) will provide further relief. If promulgated as directed, distance learning programs will no longer require FAA approval. That is, schools will have the freedom to deliver content in whatever manner deemed most appropriate, and in line with their accredited programs. The FAA will check the quality of the education through assessment of the school's mechanic test passing rates, and by ensuring that the A&P curriculum aligns with airman certification standards. Get the latest information on the The New Part 147 landing page.

This year at EAA's 2021 Air Venture at OshKosh, AFS-600 Division Manager Robert Reckert and the Branch Manager Kieran O'Farrell will be on site and look forward to hearing from attendees. Details are as follows: 

Rob and Kieran will be hosting listening sessions at EAA’s Heritage Gallery.  The Heritage Gallery is outside and just south of the main gate, along Forest Home and across from the T-33 mounted on a pole. Follow signs to the “PHP Center” and continue up the driveway until you see a brown building with a Heritage Gallery sign in front.

            The schedule for the listening sessions is as follows:

            Monday, July 26, 2021:
            •    9:00-12:00          DPE’s and SAE’s (3) 1 hour sessions
            •    1:00-3:00              DAR’s (2) 1 hour sessions
            •    3:00-4:00              DME’s/ DPRE’s (1) session

            Tuesday, July 27, 2021
            •    9:00-11:00           Open make-up session for anyone who was unable to attend on the 26th.

Unfortunately the Heritage Gallery has a maximum occupancy of 20.  Therefore if the room is full, please come back for the next session that begins at the top of the hour, or please attend the make-up session on the 27th. If you would like to discuss anything with them next week, please reach out via email to: robert.reckert@faa.gov and/or Kieran.OFarrell@faa.gov
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Due to venue capacity limits, EAA was unable to list the meeting information on their public website.

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The soon-to-launch Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) program operated jointly by Marshall University and Mountwest Community & Technical College in Huntington, W.Va., will be the first Part 147 school in the United States to use a virtual reality system to meet FAA training requirements for aviation paint and coating labs.

In early July, the program received the go-ahead from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deploy the new system that simulates an aviation paint shop environment and allows instructors greater ability to simulate diverse painting scenarios and precisely measure students’ abilities.

As with all instructional aides and equipment for aviation training, the virtual 3D paint system will be evaluated during the FAA design performance phase of Marshall’s certification to ensure it meets federal requirements.

The 3D system provides a versatile platform for instructors to measure student performance, including such metrics as millimeters of paint thickness, cost of materials used, gun distance, overspray and angle in relation to the parts being painted. Manufactured by VirtualPaint Products of Cedar Falls, Iowa, it is the same training system used by the U.S. Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command at facilities including Hill Air Force Base in Utah as well as the U.S. Coast Guard's Aviation Technical Training Center in North Carolina.

“This innovative, virtual-reality system will save our program considerable money by eliminating the need for consumables such as paint and personal protective gear while reducing setup and cleanup time,” said Jim Smith, interim director of the Marshall/Mountwest AMT program.   

"The VirtualPaint team is excited for the opportunity to partner with Marshall and Mountwest to implement virtual reality spray finishing simulation technology into their aviation educational programs,” said Jeremiah Treloar, CEO of VirtualPaint Products. “Through this collaboration between software developers and educators, we will deliver an engaging, hands-on learning experience that prepares students to advance into successful careers in the aerospace industry."
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Located at Huntington Tri-State Airport, the AMT program’s inaugural class is scheduled to begin in January 2022. The program is administered by Marshall’s Robert C. Byrd Institute and is branch of the university’s Division of Aviation, which also includes the Bill Noe Flight School at Yeager Airport in Charleston, W.Va., which will launch this August.