Aircraft_Maintenance_Technology_January-February_2020 - 34

PART 147 UPDATE

Aviation Education Demands Better,
Presents Regulatory Solution to
Modernize Maintenance Training
by Crystal Maguire

W
A new FAA part 147 program at Southern Utah University
utilized the ACS as the basis for its approved curriculum. SUU Director of Global Aviation Maintenance
Training Jared Britt will share the school's certification
story and its roadmap for navigating future regulatory
change at the upcoming ATEC Annual Conference.
LUKE WAGLER PHOTOGRAPHY

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020

hile school was out, the Aviation Technician Education
Council (ATEC) spent the summer break drafting
a proposal that would mandate Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) revision of long-outdated
mechanic training mandates. The work paid off.
Right before the holiday recess, congressional
leaders unveiled a bill that, if passed, would replace
aviation maintenance training regulations with the communitydrafted language.
The Promoting Aviation Regulations for Technical Training (PARTT) 147
Act (S.3043/H.R.5427) - a bipartisan and bicameral bill championed by Sen.
Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Sen. Tommy Duckworth (D-IL), Rep. Don Young (R-AK) and
Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) - would direct the FAA to revise the current training
mandates in Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 147. The regulation and
its curriculum directives have not been significantly updated in more than 50
years, resulting in grossly inadequate teaching standards considering the knowledge and skill required for today's airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic.
Industry is left holding the bag, forced to retrain new graduates to ensure they
can complete basic tasks required to maintain a modern, sophisticated aircraft.
The bill has received broad support from industry. In a joint letter, 20 trade
groups including the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, the Aerospace
Industries Association, the Aircraft Electronics Association, Airlines for America,
the Experimental Aircraft Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers
Association, the International Air Transport Association and the National
Business Aviation Association, voiced their frustration with continued regulatory inaction and encouraged passage of the legislation.
"Seeing no regulatory relief in sight, the undersigned organizations acknowledge that this legislative "fix" is intended to further escalate the issue after
decades of pushing for a new rule to modernize aviation maintenance technician training," said the group in its letter to congressional leaders. The coalition went on to say that the bill would "ensure a performance-based approach
to regulatory oversight and provide flexibility for part 147 schools to develop
pipeline programs with high schools and employers."
Since it was introduced, the PARTT 147 Act has picked up four more cosponsors, including Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC),
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK). The bill is expected to garner

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

Aircraft_Maintenance_Technology_January-February_2020

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