Mon, May 18, 2009
Produced just before the FAA had a sudden and unexpected moment
of good sense and killed off the current NPRM covering an
aggressive Repair Station regs, AEA's Ric Peri held forth on a
number of ponderous topics... Part 145 included. While the
withdrawal plays into the sentiments expressed by much of the
avionics industry, there remains a lot of turmoil over the future
of the FAA's regulatory interface with Maintenance operations.
With some 4000 repair Stations around the globe under the FAA's
supervision and the cost/complexities of their operations showing
NO signs of slowing, any new regulatory input is a serious topic,
indeed.
There are a number of permutations to the concerns about Part
145 Operations and we suppose it wasn';t going to be long before
the TSA stuck its nose into the International certification issues
affecting FAA certified Repair Stations operating outside the US.
Their interest and potential effect is like the Sword of Damocles
for many... who worry that TSA's overt over-reaction and subsequent
over-regulation may come to haunt them as well... We can certainly
understand THOSE concerns.
Ric also discussed Field Approvals... which once "flowed like
water," but now, in an era where the FAA staff is over-taxed and
under-staffed, they're much harder to come by. Field Approvals are
now being worked on a "priority" basis and GA is finding itself,
increasingly, nowhere near the top of the list. Still, Ric sees the
situation improving for a number of reasons... listen to what he
says and see if you don't agree with his guarded optimism...
Ric Peri is AEA's Vice President Of Government & Industry
Affairs and an astute observer of the Washington regulatory scene.
The Aircraft Electronics Association represents more than 1,300
aviation businesses, including repair stations that specialize in
maintenance, repair and installation of avionics and electronic
systems in general aviation aircraft. AEA membership also includes
instruments facilities, manufacturers of avionics equipment,
instrument manufacturers, airframe manufacturers, test equipment
manufacturers, major distributors, and educational
institutions.
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