ATEC Working with FAA to Clarify DME Guidance

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.
​
The Order is expected to go into effect early 2016.