14 CFR part 147 NPRM Preamble ATEC Comments Recommended Language Responsible person §147.1 Applicability This part prescribes the requirements for issuing aviation maintenance technician school certificates and associated ratings and the general operating rules for the holders of those certificates and ratings § 147.1 Applicability. This part describes how to obtain an aviation maintenance technician school certificate and associated ratings. This part also contains the rules each FAA-certificated school must follow in conducting its operations. N/A §147.3 Certificate required. No person may operate as a certificated aviation maintenance technician school without, or in violation of, an aviation maintenance technician school certificate issued this part. § 147.3 Certificate and operations specifications requirements. No person may operate as a certificated aviation maintenance technician school without, or in violation of, an aviation maintenance technician school certificate, rating, or operations specifications issued under this part. Title change and addition of statement that the AMTS cannot operate outside of its operations specifications or ratings. N/A §147.5 Application and issue. (a) An application for a certificate and rating, or for an additional rating, under this part is made on a form and in a manner prescribed by the Administrator, and submitted with— (1) A description of the proposed curriculum; (2) A list of the facilities and materials to be used; (3) A list of its instructors, including the kind of certificate and ratings held and the certificate numbers; and (4) A statement of the maximum number of students § 147.5 Application and issue. (a) An application for a certificate and rating, or for an additional rating, must be made in a format acceptable to the FAA and must include the following: (1) A description of the proposed curriculum; (2) A list of the facilities, including their physical addresses, and the materials and equipment to be used; (3) A list of the instructors to be used, including the kind of certificate and ratings held Requires physical addresses for all facilities. Does this mean you can have facilities at other locations that are part of the AMTS certificate but not physically adjacent? Paragraph (a)(4) changes reporting of how many students the AMTS expects to teach to identifying the maximum enrollment. Crystal
(7) A current list of instructors and their qualifications. (8) Any other information the Administrator determines is necessary. No existing 147.10 § 147.10 Amendment, suspension, and termination of operations specifications. (a) The FAA may any operations specifications issued under this part if― (1) The operations specification was issued erroneously; (2) The FAA revises the operations specifications template; (3) The FAA determines that safety in air commerce and the public interest require the amendment; or (4) The certificate holder applies for the amendment and the FAA determines that safety in air commerce and the public interest allows the amendment. (b) Except for an amendment involving a rating, which would be considered a certificate action, the FAA may amend, suspend, or terminate any operations specification issued under this part if the district office determines that safety in air commerce and the public interest require the holding [I]n order to facilitate keeping course content and other items included in the schools' operations specifications up to date, we are proposing a new § 147.10 that would provide processes for amending, suspending, or terminating operations specifications, including processes for petitioning for reconsideration of a decision adverse to the certificate holder. Whenever a proposed process states the submission must be written or in writing, the FAA contemplates that the submission could be a paper submission, one filed electronically, or both. In a case the district office found, under proposed§ 147.10(f), that an emergency existed that required immediate action with respect to safety in air transportation or air commerce, the administrative processes would not apply. The affected certificate holder could appeal the New section outlines the administrative process for operations specifications. Overly prescriptive.
amendment, suspension, or termination. (c) Except as provided in paragraph (f) of this section for an amendment, suspension, or termination of an operations specification in the certificate-holding district office finds that an emergency exists requiring immediate action, when the FAA initiates an amendment, suspension, or termination of an operations specification, the following procedure applies: (1) The certificate-holding district office notifies the certificate holder in writing of the proposed amendment, suspension, or termination. (2) The certificate-holding district office sets a reasonable period (but not less than 7 days) within which the certificate holder may submit written information, views, and arguments on the proposed amendment, suspension, or termination. (3) After considering the material presented, the certificate-holding district office notifies the certificate holder of― (i) The adoption of the proposed amendment, suspension, or termination; action that amended, suspended, or terminated the operation specification to the appropriate United States Court of Appeals as a final order of the Administrator under 49 U.S.C. 46110(a). Because the FAA is proposing to remove the course curriculum items from the appendices of part 147 and require that all course curriculum items be placed in each school's operations specifications, all certificated aviation maintenance technician schools would be required to submit new curriculums to the FAA for approval. Current FAA Advisory Circular AC 147-3A (Certification and Operation of Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools) lists the course curriculum items from the appendices, and suggests acceptable options to the curriculums. This Advisory Circular is currently undergoing revision by the FAA. If this proposed rule becomes final, the FAA will further revise this Advisory Circular to provide guidance on how the schools can develop the required curriculums based on the existing course content
additional rating, must have such of the following properly heated, lighted, and ventilated facilities as are appropriate to the rating he seeks and as the Administrator determines are appropriate for the maximum number of students expected to be taught at any time: (a) An enclosed classroom suitable for teaching theory classes. (b) Suitable facilities, either central or located in training areas, arranged to assure proper separation from the working space, for parts, tools, materials, and similar articles. (c) Suitable area for application of finishing materials, including paint spraying. (d) Suitable equipped with washtank and degreasing equipment with air pressure or other adequate cleaning equipment. (e) Suitable facilities for running engines. (f) Suitable area with adequate equipment, including benches, tables, and test equipment, to disassemble, service, and inspect. (1) Ignition, electrical equipment, and appliances; (2) Carburetors and fuel systems; and (3) Hydraulic and vacuum systems for aircraft, aircraft engines, and their appliances. maintain properly heated, lighted, and ventilated facilities for the rating or ratings held that the FAA determines are appropriate for the maximum number of students expected to be taught at any time for the following and classrooms: (a) An enclosed classroom suitable for teaching theory classes. (b) Suitable facilities, either central or located in training areas, arranged to assure proper separation from the working space, for parts, tools, materials, and similar articles. (c) Suitable area for application of finishing materials, including spraying. (d) Suitable areas equipped with washtank and degreasing equipment with air pressure or other adequate cleaning equipment. (e) Suitable facilities for running engines. (f) A suitable area and space with adequate equipment, including benches, tables, and test equipment, to disassemble, service, and inspect: (1) Ignition, electrical equipment, and appliances; will put a neutral and universally accepted standard in place for both the school and the FAA to consult. technician school must provide and maintain properly heated, lighted, and ventilated facilities, in accordance with applicable state, and national building codes, for the rating or ratings held that the FAA determines are appropriate for the maximum number of students expected to be taught at any time for the following areas and classrooms ***
navigation and communications equipment, landing lights, and other equipment and accessories on which a maintenance technician might be required to work and with which the technician should be familiar. (b) The equipment required by paragraph (a) of this section need not be in an airworthy condition. However, if it was damaged, it must have been repaired enough for complete assembly. (c) Airframes, powerplants, propellers, appliances, and components thereof, on which instruction is to be given, and from which practical working experience is to be gained, must be so diversified as to show the different methods of construction, assembly, inspection, and operation when installed in an aircraft for use. There must be enough units so that not more than eight students will work on any one unit at a time. (d) If the aircraft used for instructional purposes does not have retractable landing gear and wing flaps, the school must provide training aids, or operational mock-ups of them. powerplant, propeller, instruments, navigation and communications equipment, landing lights, and other equipment and accessories on which a maintenance technician might be required to work and with which the technician should be familiar. (b) The equipment required by paragraph (a) of this section need not be in an airworthy condition. However, if it was damaged, it must have been repaired enough for complete assembly. (c) Airframes, powerplants, propellers, appliances, and components thereof, on which instruction is to be given, and from which practical working experience is to be gained, must be so diversified as to show the different methods of construction, assembly, inspection, and operation when installed in an aircraft for use. There must be enough units so that not more than eight students will work on any one unit at a time. (d) If the aircraft used for instructional purposes does not have retractable landing gear and wing the school must provide training
primary category aircraft type certificated under §21.24(b) of this chapter. The school may also issue certificates of competency to persons successfully completing such courses provided that all other requirements of this part are met and the certificate of competency specifies the aircraft make and model to which the certificate applies. airframe and 15 credit hours power plant). (c) The curriculum must cover the subjects and items prescribed in appendices B, C, or D, and the items included under those subject headings in each school’s operations specifications as applicable for the school’s ratings. Each item must be taught to at least the indicated level of proficiency, defined in Appendix A and set forth in the corresponding operations specification item. (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section and §147.11, the holder of a certificate issued under subpart B of this part may apply for and receive approval of special courses in the performance of special inspection and preventive maintenance programs for a primary category aircraft type certificated under §21.24(b) of this chapter. The school may also issue certificates of competency to persons successfully completing such courses provided that all other requirements of this part are met and the certificate of competency specifies the which include a minimum of 10 credit hours for the General curriculum, 18 credit hours for the Airframe curriculum, and 15 credit hours for the Powerplant curriculum. Each school would have the option to be approved for either an instructional hours curriculum or a credit hours curriculum, but not both. A credit hour is a unit of measure that gives value to the level of instruction, academic rigor, and time requirements for a course taken at an educational institution. At its most basic, a credit hour is a proxy measure of a quantity of student learning. The higher education community has long used the credit hour, as defined by the “Carnegie unit,” as part of a process to establish a standard measure of faculty workloads, costs of instruction, and rates of educational efficiencies, as well as a measure of student work for transfer students. A credit hour for purposes of part 147 is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates some minimum amount of student work reflective of the amount of work somehow made a part of the NPRM.
that school or who leaves it before being graduated. An official of the school shall authenticate the transcript. The transcript must state the curriculum in which the student was enrolled, whether the student satisfactorily completed that curriculum, and the final grades the student received. (b) Each school shall give a graduation certificate or certificate of completion to each student that it graduates. An official of the school shall authenticate the certificate. The certificate must show the date of graduation and the approved curriculum title. the school before being graduated, provide a transcript of the student’s grades to the student. An official of the school must authenticate the transcript. The transcript must state the curriculum in which the student was enrolled, whether the student satisfactorily completed that curriculum, and the final grades the student received. (b) Each school must provide a graduation certificate or certificate of completion to every student it graduates. An official of the school must authenticate the certificate. The certificate must show the date of graduation and the approved curriculum. the school and the school was forced to provide a transcript. Not in concert with Dept of Ed standards that allow a school to hold the transcript until the bills are paid. Add “in accordance with school policy”. Look into what happened with Hallmark. §147.36 Maintenance of instructor requirements. Each certificated aviation maintenance technician school shall, after certification or addition of a rating, continue to provide the number of instructors holding appropriate mechanic certificates and ratings that the Administrator determines necessary to provide adequate instruction to the students, including at least one such instructor for each 25 students in each shop class. The school may continue to provide specialized instructors who are not § 147.36 [Removed and Reserved]. The FAA proposes to remove current §§ 147.36, 147.37, and 147.38 because they are unnecessary in light of the corresponding initial certification requirements, which are continuing and ongoing. For example, current §§ 147.13, 147.21, and 147.23 each require an “applicant” to have or provide certain things, whereas the sections that would be removed require the continuation the initial requirement. Moves instructor requirements to section 147.23. N/A
written tests on their first attempt during the period of 24 calendar months described in this section. (c) As used in this section, “national passing norm” is the number representing the percentage of all graduates (of a curriculum for a particular rating) of all certificated aviation maintenance technician schools who for a mechanic certificate or additional rating within 60 days after they are graduated and pass the applicable FAA written tests on their first attempt during the period of 24 calendar months described in this section. §147.39 Display of certificate. Each holder of an aviation maintenance technician school certificate and ratings shall display them at a place in the school that is normally accessible to the public and is not obscured. The certificate must be available for inspection by the Administrator § 147.39 Display of certificates. Each certificated aviation maintenance technician school must display the school’s certificate, along with its associated ratings, at a place in the school that is normally accessible to the public and where its view is not obscured. The certificate must be available for inspection by the FAA. No substantive change. N/A §147.41 Change of location. The holder of an aviation maintenance technician school certificate may not make any change in the school's location unless the change is approved in advance. If the holder desires to change the location he shall notify the § 147.41 Change of location. The holder of an aviation maintenance technician school certificate may not make any change in the school’s physical location unless the change is approved by the FAA in advance. If the certificate The FAA proposes to amend § 147.41 to retain the requirement that an aviation maintenance technician school certificate holder may not change the school's physical location unless the change is approved in advance by the Clarifies changes in physical location rather than administrative. Fred
to determine its compliance with this part. Such an inspection is normally made once each six months to determine if the school continues to meet the requirements under which it was originally certificated. After such an inspection is made, the school is notified, in writing, of any deficiencies found during the inspection. Other informal inspections may be made from time to time. inspect the school at any time to determine compliance with this part. policies (e.g., on expected frequency of and procedures related to inspections of aviation maintenance technician schools). The section, as proposed, would require only that a school allow the FAA to inspect it at any time to determine compliance with the applicable regulations. §147.45 Advertising. (a) A certificated aviation maintenance technician school may not make any statement relating to itself that is false or is designed to mislead any person considering enrollment therein. (b) Whenever an aviation maintenance technician school indicates in advertising that it is a certificated school, it shall clearly distinguish between its approved courses and those that are not approved § 147.45 [Removed and Reserved]. The FAA proposes to remove this section in its entirety. The FAA believes that Federal and State laws adequately protect the public from false and misleading advertising. Moreover, the FAA's mandate is to regulate aviation safety, not the advertising of the entities it regulates. Removes the provision from the rule. N/A Appendix A to Part Requirements This appendix defines terms used in appendices B, C, and D of this part, and describes the levels of proficiency at which items under each subject in each curriculum must be taught, as outlined in appendices B, C, and D. Appendix A to Part Requirements This appendix defines terms used in appendices B, C, and D of this part, and describes the levels of proficiency at which items under each subject in each curriculum must be taught, as outlined in appendices B, C, and D. Adds reference to distance learning equipment. Discussion in the ARAC about changing teaching levels? Pull the definitions since they are contained in the operations specifications Crystal Curriculum Curriculum
(a) Definitions. As used in appendices B, C, and D: (1) Inspect means to examine by sight and touch. (2) Check means to verify proper operation. (3) Troubleshoot means to analyze and identify malfunctions. (4) Service means to perform functions that assure continued operation. (5) Repair means to correct a defective condition. Repair of an airframe or powerplant system includes component replacement and adjustment, but not component repair. (6) Overhaul to disassemble, inspect, repair as necessary, and check. (b) Teaching levels. (1) 1 requires: (i) Knowledge of general principles, but no practical application. (ii) No development of manipulative skill. (iii) Instruction by lecture, demonstration, and discussion. (2) Level 2 requires: (i) Knowledge of general principles, and limited practical application. (ii) Development of sufficient manipulative skill to perform basic operations. (iii) Instruction by lecture, demonstration, discussion, and limited practical application. (a) Definitions. As used in appendices B, C, and D: (1) Inspect means to examine by sight and touch. (2) means to verify proper operation. (3) Troubleshoot means to analyze and identify malfunctions. (4) Service means to perform functions that assure continued operation. (5) Repair means to correct a defective condition. Repair of an airframe or powerplant system includes component replacement and adjustment, but not component repair. (6) Overhaul to disassemble, inspect, repair as necessary, and check. (b) Teaching levels. (1) Level 1 requires: (i) Knowledge of general principles, but no practical application. (ii) No development of manipulative skill. (iii) Instruction by lecture, demonstration, and discussion. (2) Level 2 requires: (i) Knowledge of general principles, and limited practical application. (ii) Development of sufficient manipulative skill to perform basic operations. or referred to in another part. At a minimum the teaching levels must be removed to ensure there is some flexibility for modification on those levels in the future without a rule change. The definitions are also duplicated in AC 147-3B, Appendix 1, Glossary of item 33
(3) Level 3 requires: (i) Knowledge of general principles, and performance of a high degree of practical application. (ii) Development of sufficient manipulative skills to simulate return to service. (iii) Instruction by lecture, demonstration, discussion, and a high degree of practical application. (c) Teaching materials and equipment. The curriculum may be presented utilizing currently accepted educational materials and equipment, including, but not limited to: calculators, computers, and audio-visual equipment. (iii) Instruction by lecture, demonstration, discussion, and limited practical application. (3) Level 3 requires: (i) Knowledge of general principles, and performance of a high degree of practical application. (ii) Development of sufficient manipulative skills to simulate return to service. (iii) Instruction by lecture, demonstration, discussion, and a high degree of practical application. (c) Teaching Materials and Equipment. The curriculum may be presented utilizing currently accepted educational materials and equipment, including but not limited to: calculators, computers, distance learning delivery equipment/methods and audio-visual equipment. EDITOR NOTE: ONLY SUBJECT HEADINGS ARE REPRINTED HERE, SPECIFIC ITEMS AND LEVELS OF PROFICIENCY ARE OMITTED. Appendix B to Part Subjects This appendix the subjects required in at least 400 hours in general curriculum subjects. The number in parentheses before each item listed under each subject heading indicates the level of proficiency at Appendix B to Part Subjects A. Fundamental Electricity and Electronics B. Aircraft Drawings C. Weight and Balance D. Fluid Lines and Fittings E. Aircraft Material, Hardware, and Processes As proposed, the “General Curriculum Subjects” headings, including proposed new and revised subject headings, would remain in Appendix B of part 147. In addition, those same subject headings would be included in each school's For all appendices, only the subject areas remain, most retained, some combined and some new areas as recommended by the part 147 ARAC. Specific elements will be contained in the operations specifications.
and techniques in a school's curriculum is a positive first step in foreign object damage elimination. A new subject heading “O” is proposed entitled “Alerts, Cautions, and Warning Indications.” Current and future flight deck designs incorporate sophisticated flight crew alerting systems. The existing curriculums do not take into consideration this of the art technology, or associated safety and implementation issues associated with maintaining these alerting systems. Appendix C to Part Curriculum Subjects This appendix lists the subjects required in at least 750 hours of each airframe curriculum, in addition to at least 400 hours in general curriculum subjects. The number in parentheses before each item listed under each subject heading indicates the level of proficiency at which that item must be taught. I. Airframe Structures a. wood structures b. aircraft covering c. aircraft finishes d. sheet metal and structures e. welding f. assembly and rigging Appendix C to Part Curriculum Subjects A. Metallic Structures B. Non-Metallic Structures C. Flight Controls D. Airframe Inspection E. Landing Gear Systems F. Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems G. Environmental Systems H. Aircraft Instrument Systems I. Communication and Navigation Systems J. Aircraft Fuel Systems K. Aircraft Electrical Systems L. Ice and Rain Control Systems M. Airframe Fire Protection Systems N. Rotorcraft Fundamentals Similar to the General Curriculum Subjects headings amendments proposed above, the Airframe Curriculum Subject headings, including proposed new and revised subject headings, would remain in part 147, in this case, in Appendix C. In addition, those same subject headings would be included in each school's Operations Specification B003, captioned “Airframe Curriculum Subjects.” The FAA proposes to delete the course content items currently included under each curriculum subject heading in the appendix. metallic Airframe I and II combined into single section. New order of subject areas. All previous subject areas combined into proposed A – M. Areas N and O new subject areas.
they would move to subject heading “K.” While the subject matters included in the current heading “Position and Warning Systems” would remain in Appendix C, they would no longer be in subject heading “II.H.” Under this proposal, they would be included in proposed subject heading “E” (“Landing Gear Systems”) because its course content items are appropriate to be covered in that subject. Accordingly, “Position and Warning Systems” would be deleted as a separate subject heading. While the subject matters included in the current heading “Ice and Rain Control Systems” would remain in Appendix C, they would no longer be in subject heading “II.I.” Under this proposal, they would move to subject heading “L.” the subject matters included in the current heading “Fire Protection Systems” would remain in Appendix C, they would no longer be in subject heading “II.J.” Under this proposal, they would move to subject heading “M” and be retitled