ATEC Working Group Advances Recommended Updates to FAA Mechanic Airman Certification Standards

ATEC’s Airman Certification Standards (ACS) working group is actively developing recommended updates to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Mechanic Airman Certification Standards—an effort aimed at ensuring today’s aviation mechanics are prepared for a rapidly evolving aerospace industry.

The Mechanic ACS defines what mechanic applicants must know, consider, and be able to do to earn FAA certification. The certification standard serves as the foundation that training programs and assessments are built around. Since its initial publication in March 2022—accompanied by the new part 147—educators, examiners, and industry partners have identified areas where the current Mechanic ACS could be clearer, more consistent, and better aligned with how maintenance is performed in the real world.

To support that goal, the ATEC working group—comprised of volunteer subject matter experts from schools, industry, and the designee community—has been meeting regularly to review the current ACS line by line and propose targeted improvements. The work incorporates feedback from a range of stakeholders, including Airlines for America’s Maintenance Training Network, and is informed in part by a NASA-funded research study designed to capture data on the skills and knowledge today’s aviation mechanics need.

The working group’s proposed approach focuses on improving clarity and usability. Among the updates under consideration:

• Clearer, measurable knowledge expectations using more precise action verbs to reduce ambiguity for instructors, students, and examiners.
• More consistent risk management language to better identify safety hazards and support performance-based assessment.
• Better alignment and organization of skill tasks to reduce duplication and place tasks in the most logical systems-based sections.
• Cross-referencing knowledge, risk, and skill elements to identify gaps and ensure each skill is properly supported by the related knowledge and risk considerations.
• A proposed “competency domains” framework to provide a shared performance philosophy across the ACS—intended to improve interpretation and consistency.

The working group emphasized that this effort is a community-driven recommendation intended to support the FAA’s ongoing ACS revision process. Any recommendation to the Mechanic ACS ultimately require FAA review and adoption through the rulemaking process.

ATEC plans to share working Mechanic ACS Revision 1 documents for community review and feedback in the coming weeks, and the proposal will also be featured at the ATEC Annual Conference. Stakeholders interested in reviewing the work or providing input are encouraged to engage—because broad awareness and participation is key to ensuring the final recommendation reflects the needs of schools, employers, and the future workforce.

To learn more about the effort and its progress, stakeholders are encouraged to listen to the working group’s recent project briefing and review the accompanying slide deck, which outline the proposed direction and key areas of focus.

Those interested in participating in the process or submitting feedback are invited to contact ATEC Executive Director Crystal Maguire to get involved.