AFS-15-4041-E January 22, 2016 Exemption No. 14592 Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2013-0495

Mr. Fred D. Dyen

Professor & Coordinator Aviation Maintenance Technology Program Blue Ridge Community College 43 Aviation Circle, Hangar 4 East Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport Weyers Cave, VA 24486

Dear Mr. Dyen:

This letter is to inform you th at we are granting your request for exemption. It transmits our decision, explains its basis, and gives you th e conditions and limitations of the exemption, including the date it ends.

The Basis for Our Decision

By letter dated March 30, 2015, you petitioned th e Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on

behalf of BRCC for an extension of Exem ption No. 10836, as amended. That exemption from 14 CFR § 65.75(a) allowed BRCC to admini ster the AMG written test to students immediately following successful completion of the general curriculum, and before meeting the experience requirements of § 65.77.

The FAA has determined that good cause exists for not publishing a summary of the petition in the Federal Register because the requested extension of the exemption would not set a precedent, and any delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to BRCC.

Although you requested an extension of Exemption 10836, as amended, that exemption expired on June 30, 2015. Therefore, we are issuing BRCC a new exemption.

The FAA has issued a grant of exemption in circ umstances similar in all material respects to those presented in your petition. In Gr ant of Exemption No. 10836, as amended (copy enclosed), the FAA agrees that learning will be enhanced and reinforced by immediate testing after learning and is a universally accepted instructional principle.AFS-15-4041-E 2

Having reviewed your reasons for re questing an exemption, I find that—

 they are similar in all material respects to relief previously granted in Exemption No. 10836, as amended;

 the reasons stated by the FAA for granting the enclosed Grant of Exemption No. 10836 also apply to the situ ation you present; and

 a grant of exemption is in the public interest.

Our Decision

In consideration of the foregoing, I find in the pres ent case that a grant of exemption is in the public interest. Specifically, ce rtain conditions and limitations have been included in this exemption to ensure an equivalent level of safety with 14 CFR §65.75(a). The conditions and limitations require Blue Ridge Community College ( BRCC) to develop written testing procedures, include those procedures in its operating document or manual, and obtain approval of those procedures from its Certific ate Holding District O ffice (CHDO) to ensure that BRCC’s educational program and curricula con tinue to meet FAA regul atory standards.

The additional conditions and limitations of this exemption also require that BRCC must retrain any student on the specifi c instructional items associated with a failed AMG test and

authorize the student to retake the test. This would be appli cable prior to any BRCC retesting

of a student who has failed the AMG test and who also does not meet the experience requirements of 14 CFR § 65.77.

To be clear, any student who is eligible to take the AMG te st, on the basis of his/her own experience, and who does not need to rely on this exemption, may retrain according to 14 CFR § 65.19 - including with any appropriately certifi cated airmen. However, this exemption also creates a population of st udents who do not satisfy the experience requi rements of § 65.77 and who are eligible to retake the AMG te st, only because of the exemption granted to BRCC. To maintain an equivalent level of safety, this exemption requires BRCC to retrain those students itself, using its written procedures, its FAA-approved curricula, and in accordance with the FAA’s AMTS standards, incl uding the quality of instruction standards, codified in §147.38(a).

The FAA has determined that the justificati on for the issuance of Exemption No. 10836, as amended, remains valid with respect to this exemption and is in the public interest. Therefore, under the authority provided by 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 40113 and 44701, which the FAA Administrator has delegate d to me, I grant Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) an exemption from 14 CFR § 65.75(a) to the extent necessary to allow BRCC to administer the Aviation Mechanic General (AMG) written test to students immediatel y following successful completion of the general curriculum, and befo re meeting the experience requirements of 14 CFR § 65.77, subject to the condi tions and limitations below.

Conditions and LimitationsAFS-15-4041-E 3

1. BRCC must develop written procedures for administering the AMG written test following successful completion of the general curriculum.

2. BRCC must ensure these procedures are ava ilable for use in its approved operating or curriculum procedures document or manual.

3. Before retesting a student who has faile d the AMG examination, and also does not meet the experience requirements of 14 CFR § 65.77, BRCC must require the student to repeat each instructional item asso ciated with the failed test and receive

authorization from BRCC to retake th e test. BRCC must have procedures for documenting and tracking compliance with all retesting procedures.

4. Before exercising the privileges of th is exemption, BRCC mu st provide revised procedures to its CHDO fo r review and approval.

The Effect of Our Decision

This exemption is effective immediately a nd terminates on January 31, 2018, unless sooner superseded or rescinded.

Sincerely,

//s//

John Barbagallo Deputy Director, Flight Standards Service

Enclosure: Exemption No. 10836