Avionics News July 2012 - 16

F R O M R I C P E R I A EA V I C E P R ES I D E N T O F G OV E R N M E N T & I N D U ST RY A F FA I RS

The Aircraft Electronics Association’s international membership continues to grow. Currently, the AEA represents avionics businesses in more than 40 countries throughout the world. To better serve the needs of the AEA’s international membership, the “International News and Regulatory Updates” section of Avionics News offers a greater focus on international regulatory activity, international industry news and an international “Frequently Asked Questions” column to help promote standardization. If you have comments about this section, send emails to avionicsnews@aea.net.

News & Regulatory Updates
FAA Proposes a Significant and Potentially Damaging Rewrite of Part 145
For the third time in 10 years, the Federal Aviation Administration is overhauling the repair station regulations. This proposal makes wholesale changes directly impacting the avionics industry with damaging and costly repercussions. The FAA proposes to remove radio and instrument ratings and replace them with a component rating for bench work and an airframe rating for on-wing maintenance and installations. The proposal eliminates many of the currently utilized opportunities for mobile maintenance operations. The FAA proposes to replace the current requirement of § 145.103 that each certificated repair station must provide housing with “Each certificated repair station must provide and maintain suitable permanent housing” for the facilities, equipment, materials and personnel consistent with its ratings. This simple word change brings into question the continued business practice of mobile avionics businesses, since a mobile business, while having a fixed location, does not have nor maintain suitable permanent housing, nor do many of the avionics businesses that have a business arrangement of using hanger space on an as-needed, space-available basis. Under this proposal, the system of ratings would be reduced from eight ratings to five ratings. The ratings definitions would be revised to clearly indicate the type of work that a repair station is authorized to perform. The required ratings for a typical avionics shop would increase from three to six.
16
avionics news

UNITED STATES

This proposal would not require a capability list, but it would require a repair station to document its capabilities on either a capability list or on the ops specs. This is a potentially marked change for repair stations with class ratings that do not currently have a capability list of the items they maintain. This is a major overhaul of how avionics businesses operate. Your comments are essential, and the Aircraft Electronics Association will assist members in drafting comments, if needed. Comments are due no later than Aug. 20, 2012.

Sequencing
The FAA is requesting comments on its SOP #: AIR100-001 Standard Operating Procedure Aircraft Certification Service Project Sequencing. This standard operating procedure describes the Aircraft Certification Service process for the sequencing of certification and validation projects. The draft policy can be viewed at www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/policy/. Comments are due no later than Oct. 31, 2012.

False and Misleading Statements Regarding Aircraft Products, Parts, Appliances & Materials
The FAA recently published internal policy on the oversight and enforcement of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 3. This section provides preliminary guidance for conducting investigations and enforcement of 14 CFR Part 3, which discusses false and misleading statements regarding aircraft products, parts, appliances and materials. This section applies to any person who makes a record regarding a type-certificated product or a product, part, appliance or material that may be used on a type-certificated product.

•

july

2012

http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/policy/ http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/policy/

Avionics News July 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News July 2012