Legislation passed in December mandated that the FAA promulgate an interim final part 147 by March 27. That date has come and gone, but the council continues to push for promulgation of the community-drafted language that will reform how aviation maintenance technician schools teach would-be aviators.

In their response to a Feb. 25 letter from ATEC, FAA officials acknowledged the council's request for quick promulgation stating that the agency "is in the process of developing the appropriate course of action that best aligns with the part 147 directives and requirements." The response directed the community to the Dept. of Transportation's (DOT) semi-annual regulatory agenda, which is revised each spring with the agency's latest rulemaking priorities and dates. (According to the current part 147 rulemaking timetable on the Office of Management and Budget website, a final rule is expect in April.)

Congressional supporters have requested that the FAA provide a status report on the rulemaking in the coming weeks.

This month brought good news for delayed mechanic airman certification standards (ACS), an integral piece of the new regulatory framework that has also been held up in the FAA publication queue. The DOT revoked a regulation mandating excessive internal agency approvals, opening the door for publication of the mechanic ACS and eleven others that have been help up for the last two years (see related story).

While the trade association continues to advocate for quick promulgation of the interim final regulation and publication of the mechanic ACS, certificated programs are encouraged to assess their current curriculums for alignment with the new certification standards. Tools and resources in furtherance of that exercise are available at atec-amt.org/the-new-part-147

Get a briefing on two programs that engage academia in the agency’s efforts to further integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system. The webinar is free and open to the public. Register now.

How much will it cost to start a certificate aviation program? What equipment will I need? What funding opportunities are available? What are the regulatory requirements? Get answers to these questions and more from a panel of experts. Use the members-only password for free registration. Register now.

The council has hosted three live webinars on the new rule, expected to publish "any day now." Recordings of all three webinars, and other AMTS resources, are available on ATEC's issue page. Read more.

The FAA has assigned the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) a new task to make recommendations on the feasibly of allowing a repairman certificate issued under § 65.101 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to be portable from one employing certificate holder to another. The deadline to apply for membership is today. Read more.

After 16 years with FAA and more than 55 years as an aviator and maintenance human factors professional, Dr. William Johnson has retired from federal service. His contributions were celebrated with publication of the newsletter's "greatest hits," with a previous ATEC article among those selected. Read more.

ATEC Executive Director Crystal Maguire recently joined the team at Jet Blast, a business aviation podcast, to discuss upcoming changes to regulations governing aviation maintenance technical education. Check out season 2, episode 10, on  Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Listen In.

The Journal is currently accepting submissions of scholarly, research, application, or opinion articles. Standing suggestions for topics can be found on the Journal's homepage.

In addition to these, submissions discussing pivots to a virtual classroom, adoption of COVID safety procedures, or implementation of the new part 147 are welcome. Read More.

PAMA, in coordination with a generous industry partner, has made available award opportunities for current and future aviation maintenance professionals. Read More.

On April 2, the Dept. of Transportation issued a final rule revoking a Dec. 27, 2019 rulemaking that effectively halted publication of FAA airman certification standards. ACS working group members praised the move.  Read More.

JSfirm.com, an aviation job website, released their Hiring Trends Survey for 2021. Of the hiring professionals, executives, and business owners surveyed, over 50% are projecting growth in 2021. Additionally, 66% of those surveyed did not cut any jobs in 2020, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy. Read More.

In a new report, the Government Accountability Office describes devastating impacts to the air transportation sector workforce, and sets forth specific recommendations to support industry recovery. Read More.

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