​On Oct. 26, a team of aviation and education industry groups requested an extension to the comment period for the FAA’s proposed update to 14 CFR part 147. The group requested more time to consider and analyze the long-awaited notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to help the agency produce an effective final rule, which has not been substantively updated since the 1970s.
 
The effort, led by ATEC, was supported by representatives from aviation groups and technical education interests:
 
Aeronautical Repair Station Association
Aerospace Maintenance Council
Aircraft Electronics Association
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
Airlines for America
Aviation Suppliers Association
Helicopter Association International
Modification and Replacement Parts Association
National Air Carrier Association
National Air Transportation Association
Regional Airline Association
STEM Education Coalition
University Aviation Association
 
“[The final rule will impact] not only the hundreds of institutions that educate our workforce, but also the thousands of businesses that rely on AMTS graduates to keep aircraft in flight,” the group explained. “With the additional time requested, the aviation industry and its partners in technical education will help the agency develop a rule that supports schools, aids students at the beginning of a rewarding career and serves an important and growing industry.”
 
As the agency reconsiders the deadline, the council and its allies can now focus on substantive comments. Members are encouraged to review the proposal (see ATEC’s side-by-side comparison) and submit feedback to atec@atec-amt.org.

Helicopter Foundation International (HFI) has long recognized the need for qualified commercial helicopter pilots and maintenance technicians — the current shortage is very real and many experienced pilots and maintenance technicians are nearing retirement age.

HFI annually offers up to 19 scholarships to help support students studying to become part of tomorrow's vertical aviation industry. These resources will help answer the need for both qualified helicopter pilots and maintenance technicians and provide further training for safety managers and other professionals in the safety field. To apply, visit this website.

For a comprehensive listing of organizations that provide AMT scholarships, please visit www.atec-amt.org/scholarships.

On Oct. 9, ATEC submitted comments on Draft Order 8000.95 CHG 2. The Order sets forth proposed revisions to the FAA’s Designee Management Policy.

ATEC’s board met with FAA officials in September to discuss the most vexing issues regarding the appointment of Designated Mechanic Examiners (DMEs) and the administration of the A&P exams. With regard to the appointment issue, current inspector guidance (i.e., Order 8900.2A) provides DME qualifications that eviscerate the DME corps by removing virtually every AMTS instructor’s eligibility for designation. Draft Order 8000.95, which will eventually replace DME provisions in Order 8900.2A, resolves some of these issues.

Under the new draft order, AMTS instructors with five years’ experience are qualified. Current language in Order 8900.2A providing that an AMTS instructor concurrently exercise the privileges of a mechanic certificate has been eliminated. This revision is essential to ensuring there are enough DMEs across the country and will hopefully facilitate appointment of new designees.

The remainder of ATEC’s comments focuses on the recentness of past experience prior to designation and the inability to examine more than one A&P applicant at a time. The council has taken the position that if a DME applicant has the requisite experience (e.g., five years performing maintenance under a part 145 certificate, exercising the privileges of a mechanic certificate or giving instruction at a part 147 school), it should not matter whether three of those years were immediately before designation.
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The Order is expected to go into effect early 2016.

The council’s director nomination and election process has begun: The three-member nominating committee – a current board director and two member representatives– has been established. As outlined in ATEC’s bylaws, the committee “will provide a slate of qualified director and officer nominees for board consideration at the Annual Meeting.” In April, the board will consider each nomination and elect the council’s newest leaders.

For both institutional and industry members, reading this alert could be the first step towards service on ATEC’s Board of Directors. Keep going:

(1) Get to know the nominating committee by reading their bios below.
(2) Review and consider the council’s board member qualifications and responsibilities.
(3) Stay tuned to ATEC’s newsletter for an overview of the nominating process.
(4) Prepare to submit a nomination package in December. The nominating period will close Feb. 1, 2016.

Now, an introduction of the nominating committee members:

Bernard (Butch) Adams
Butch Adams is the campus director for the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) in Hagerstown, Maryland. Adams earned his own degree at Pennsylvania Technical Institute and then worked as a field service technician and bench technician for a major electronics repair firm until 2001. During that time Adams was also an adjunct instructor at a local community college where he taught electronics/electronic troubleshooting and served on the advisory board.

In 2001, Adams joined PIA to teach electricity and electronics. During that time he was the athletic director and field trip coordinator for the annual event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 2011 he became the assistant director of campus operations overseeing PIA’s four locations and serving as the campus liaison for the Aircraft Electronics Association. In August of 2012, Adams moved to Maryland and became campus director at the Hagerstown location.

He serves on the board of directors for Horizon Goodwill Industries and on the advisory panel of James Rumsey Technical Institute. Adams is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Sons of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Longmeadow Rotary in Hagerstown.

Joseph Dudek
Joseph Dudek is an assistant professor in the Aviation Maintenance Technician Program at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. Over the course of his career Dudek was a maintenance technician for Horizon Helicopters, the Corpus Christi Army Depot, Beech Aerospace, Beechcraft and Fairchild Swearingen Aircraft.

Dudek has extensive aviation maintenance and technical education experience and training. He holds an associate’s degree in aviation maintenance from St. Philip’s College, a certificate in aviation maintenance from the Hallmark Institute and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in technical education from Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Donald Stark
Donald Stark is the airframe and powerplant coordinator at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio.

Stark is involved in an outreach program at Sinclair to educate young people about opportunities in aviation maintenance. He is a simulator and water survival instructor at Air Camp Dayton and reviews military courses for college credit for the American Council on Education.
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Stark is a member of ATEC’s Board of Directors. His current term expires in 2017.

Part 147 is finally getting an update: On Oct. 2, the Federal Register published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) soliciting public feedback. The deadline to submit comments is Dec. 30; ATEC will file an extension request to ensure time for a thorough analysis of the proposed rule as well as proper coordination with industry allies.

To aid member review and understanding of the proposal, ATEC leadership created a side-by-side comparison (click here to download a copy for use) of the current vs. proposed rule including preliminary analysis of each change. Review this document along with the NPRM and send general comments to atec@atec-amt.org for consideration in the council's submission.