Aircraft Maintenance Technology - 44

ARSA INSIGHT

What Relief Looks Like
As I'm writing this, it's hard to know what the world will be like for you when reading it.

In the
face of this
uncertainty,
we focus on
planning and
preparing for a
"new" reality.

By Brett Levanto

Brett Levanto is
vice president of
operations of OFM&K
managing firm and
client communications
in conjunction with
regulatory and
legislative policy
initiatives. He provides
strategic and logistical
support for the
Aeronautical Repair
Station Association.

APRIL/MAY 2020

Producing editorial content is always challenging,
though usually in an entertaining way: Write a piece
that contributes to a larger message while serving the
general topic of the publication and doing so in a way
that makes it interesting and timely for a reader 30 or
more days later.
Usually we're able to get it right - though sometimes there is a period of last-minute scrambling back
to editors (thanks to them for constant patience and
responsiveness) for updates. In aviation, the issues
are consistent and the work to address them is slow.
Like weathermen, we know that the immediate forecast might change but the overall climate is fairly
predictable.
Now, there's an international crisis that requires
social distancing and business closures with extreme
volatility in financial markets and a seeming reversal
in aviation industry outlook.
In the face of this uncertainty, we focus on planning
and preparing for a "new" reality. In mid-March, ARSA
took actions and provided resources for responding to
the national and international emergency.
We didn't try to predict the specific results of those
efforts a month later, but we will be using them as general instructions for what relief looks like.

Business planning and
investment in people

In a March 17, 2020 letter directed to President Donald
Trump and House and Senate leaders and distributed
to all congressional offices, ARSA expressed its members' concerns in light of maintenance cancellations and
customers potentially unable to pay bills. Regardless
of what the government's intervention looks like, businesses have to focus on the continuity of operations
and the safety of personnel. ARSA encourages its members to use business disruptions for training and other
human development investments to bolster employee
competency and productivity.

2. Training and development

Obviously, training takes a big commitment...
and the ability to keep people employed in the first
place. The ARSA team has been heartened by the growing list of businesses and service providers offering additional benefits to the public as the world responds to
the spread of the current virus. Though the association

can't invest in keeping workers productive, the team
issued a 50 percent discount on all price levels for ARSA
online training sessions.

on...and be...
3. Focus
essential services
As federal and provincial/state government grows more
and more prescriptive in virus-related policies; "nonessential" operations will be curtailed, keeping people
home and shuttering businesses that don't directly serve
the public good.
While business leaders should let people work
from home to the maximum extent possible and
shuffle resources to cut back on non-mission-centric
expenses - on the policy scale aviation businesses
are clearly essential.
Repair stations and their business partners support
needed government functions, such as emergency and
police services, commercial air carrier passenger and
cargo operations, general and business aviation operations, including humanitarian relief and essential health
services. Repair stations maintain aircraft used by state
and local governments (including law enforcement and
medical services) and the U.S. military.

4. Continuing government work

This one seems obvious, but there can be roadblocks to continuing work because of government workers curtailed from one-on-one contacts. In March, the
White House directed government agencies to "maximize telework...while maintaining mission critical
workforce needs." Should this initiative - or additional
"distancing" efforts - limit opportunity to interact with
government employees, remote connectivity options to
continue oversight (and related work) must be utilized.
To assist in "remote" engagement, ARSA is referring
certificate holders to the industry-supported draft advisory circular outlining standards for oversight, inspections and testing performed using connectivity systems
as readily available as a personal mobile device.
This is the structure of ARSA's work for the industry
during our time and a roadmap for continued operations in yours. No matter what changes between the
completion of this writing and your coming upon the
words, there's one thing that will never change:
The world can't fly without you.

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

Aircraft Maintenance Technology

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