The PARTT 147 Act, legislation that rewrites Title 14 CFR part 147, is awaiting presidential signature and expected to become law before Christmas.

Introduced last December, the Act reached a major milestone when it endured Senate and House committee markup and was subsequently made part of the Aviation Safety Act earlier this month. That aviation bill was ultimately rolled into the massive "CoronaBus" bill (see part 147 on page 3030 of 5593), which includes--among a host of other provisions--funding extensions and coronavirus relief.

The law will direct the FAA to remove the current part 147 and replace it with language drafted by the ATEC community. The new regulation will rely heavily on emerging airman certification standards, which will be the basis for part 147 program curriculum moving forward. The regulation also provides for "additional fixed locations" (e.g., to facilitate high school partnership programs), removes all reference to static curriculum and hour requirements, and, for federally-accredited institutions, no longer requires FAA approval of curriculum and grading systems.

"This was a monumental win for the aviation industry, and will forever change the landscape of aviation technical education," said ATEC legislative committee chair and Southern Utah University Director of Global Aviation Maintenance Training Jared Britt. "After advocating for FAA regulatory relief for over a decade, a coalition of academia, labor, and industry came together to demand change. It is amazing what we were able to accomplish."

Indeed, earlier this month a group of 23 organizations sent a letter to House committee leadership, urging committee members to retain PARTT 147 Act language adopted in the Senate Commerce Committee's aviation certification reform bill. The coalition was backed by a steadfast and bipartisan group of congressional champions including Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rep. Don Young (R-AK), and Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL).

"Our champions worked tirelessly on our behalf. Their staffers are first-class, and we could not thank them enough for the time and effort they dedicated to the betterment of our industry over the last 18 months," said Britt. "The community is also indebted to ATEC's legislative and regulatory committee members, who worked tirelessly to draft and refine the legislative language, and to the scores that educated congressional leaders on the need for reform."

ATEC extends a special thanks to its Change Masters (you know who you are!), the ones with the ideas that moved our community beyond its established practice, and forced their ideas into visions.

A webinar is scheduled for Jan. 13 @ 1 PM CT to review and discuss the new rule (register below). Under the law, the FAA is directed to issue the new part 147 on or about April 1 (no joke).

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The PARTT 147 Act directs the agency to remove and replace the current regulation with language set forth in the bill. See how the text will read once promulgated, expected this spring. Download Now.

Get a line-by-line overview of the new rule, learn what it means for aviation technical education, and how industry and schools (both certificated and non-certificated) can get prepared. The webinar is free and open to all. Register now.

Get background on the long-standing issue, and view ATEC's "advocacy timeline," which began in 2009 with an FAA-industry working group recommendation to revise the rule governing aviation maintenance technical education. Learn More.

A Nov. 18 webinar provided a briefing on the status of imminent mechanic airman certification standards and a revised part 147. While the webinar was recorded before the passage of the PARTT 147 Act, it gives a good overview on the changes, tips on how to prepare, and a summary of recently published Safety Assurance System guidance impacting part 147 certificate holders. The recorded version is free for members (member password required). Listen In.

The ATEC Annual Conference will not take plan in-person this spring. While dates for the next in-person event are TBD, mark your calendar for a one-day, online professional development seminar taking place on March 30 (details coming soon). All exhibitor and sponsorships committed for the in-person event will be automatically rolled to the new dates. To make alternative arrangements, email us.

The effects of COVID-19, the corresponding recovery, and the emergence of Advanced Air Mobility will contribute to a growing shortage of qualified aviation maintenance technicians. Authors give a high-level overview of the need to address changes to aircraft technician competency requirements and associated training curriculum and standards to meet the increased need. Read more.

The scholarship page was one of the most heavily visited resources on the ATEC website, so you may have noticed it moved. Choose Aerospace will maintain the improved resource for students seeking aid. The compilation includes a number of industry-supported opportunities. Bookmark it.

A new initiative is brewing, next year committee leaders will regularly spotlight all the good things our members are doing on ATEC's LinkedIn page. Have something to share? Contact us.

ATEC's sister organization, Choose Aerospace--a coalition of stakeholders pursuing greater awareness of opportunities in aviation maintenance--announced its inaugural slate of scholarship and award recipients. A host of partner organizations sponsored $25,000 worth of scholarships, textbooks, training systems, and testing fee credits for educators and future aviators. Read More.

The Safety Assurance System (SAS) is an FAA oversight tool for certification and surveillance. It is most well known by industry as a software tool to collect data through utilization of Data Collection Tools (DCTs), which part 147 certificate holders and applicants will now likely be expected to complete. Read more.

In November, the Aeronautical Repair Station Association partnered with Choose Aerospace to award its annual scholarship to C. Owen Ritzman of Southern Utah University. Ritzman is an AMT student whose love of getting his hands dirty is matched only by his excitement at solving complex engineering problems. Read More.

In October, members received renewal invoices for 2021 membership, due by Jan. 1. See everything membership has to offer on our benefits page, some of which are highlighted below. Not a member? Join today.

New affinity partners offer discounts on test prep, online training, graphic design, and job ads. More partners are being added so come back often to see what your membership can do for you. Learn more.

The entire library of ATEC on-demand webinars is available for free to ATEC members. Previous seminars have addressed topics such as navigating COVID-related challenges, emerging technologies, and workforce demand reports. We've also added ALL the content from fall's online ATEC annual conference. Read more.

ATEC's model document sets forth all the elements necessary to obtain FAA authorization to provide part 147 content via distance learning. All model resources are offered at 50% off for ATEC members. Read more.

The matrix provides a compilation of online tools for use in the classroom, and will be updated as additional sources are identified. Many of the resources are open source and available for free, but the member password is required to access the spreadsheet. Learn more.