March-April_2022 - 46

A R S A INS IG H T
Moving Up the Field
The larger
lesson from
this year's
conference
is one of
progress...
In early March, ARSA hosted its 2022 annual conference.
Being together in the same room as members and
colleagues was an incredible thrill: In 2020, the association's
annual event was likely the last aviation industry
gathering to wrap before the world slid into pandemicinduced
lockdown - many of this year's attendees were
traveling for the first time since.
Much like the rest of the world, the last two years
changed the conference. After going entirely online in
2021 - " the ARSA Morning Show, " as several viewers
called it - the return to in-person attendance was
welcome but demanded a livestream option for participants
who couldn't or weren't ready to gather. To
make good on the additional complexity, the association's
team included online access as a bonus for
in-person registration: Each attendee could identify
a " Conference Ambassador " to set up online access
back at the facility.
Regardless of how each person got there - or for
those online, how the content got to them, which was
an adventure in and of itself - the conference experience
returned to the norm. For four days, attendees
met with U.S. executive branch officials and engaged
elected lawmakers, heard from international regulators
- once again spanning four continents thanks
to virtual presentation options - and connected with
ARSA's team on key matters worked by the association.
There were questions about bilateral agreements
By Brett Levanto
Brett Levanto is
vice president of
operations of Obadal,
Filler, MacLeod &
Klein, P.L.C. 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.
46 MARCH/APRIL 2022
and parts documentation, as well as the implementation
of Safety Management Systems. Discussions also
explored " ripped from the headlines " subjects like an
international trade in the shadow of war in Ukraine,
reemergence from the pandemic and continued economic
uncertainty. Threaded through each topic were
concerns about regulatory consistency, workforce
development and business compliance.
The larger lesson from this year's conference is one
of progress - slow, sure; halting at times, of course;
hard to trust, yes; but progress nonetheless. The event
showcased pandemic recovery, as highlighted during
Oliver Wyman CAVOK's release of ARSA's 2022 Market
Report, better government relationships, on display
during the Executive to Executive Briefings, when
each agency leader produced their own punch list of
questions for the industry, and even steps towards
long overdue rulemaking action.
This last example was delivered via keynote address
by FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety
Billy Nolen. Nolen is an industry veteran making his
first pass through the agency's headquarters - at least
as an employee - who was able to arrive at the ARSA
Conference with news in hand: The government was
in the final phase of publishing its overhaul of the rule
governing Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools
(14 CFR Part 147).
This was exciting and interesting. On the one hand,
reforming the 50+ year old rule has been " pressing "
since at least 2003, when the GAO issued the government's
first report on the subject. On the other, the
unifying regulatory factor of ARSA's work is the Repair
Station Rule (Part 145), so should Nolen's announcement
be important news for us?
Of course.
There is no aviation safety rule that exists in
vacuum. Each works together with those around it
to inform the function of the system and carve the
scope of each actor within it. Repair stations employ
Part 147 graduates - as well as a host of other professionals
- who must understand compliance issues
across all of 14 CFR.
As a result, ARSA has worked closely with industry
colleagues - the Aviation Technician Education
Council in particular - to press for action on the rule.
The effort even reached the U.S. Congress, which mandated
FAA action when it provided statutory language
for the new rule as part of a large spending package
in 2020.
Collaborating across the collective interests of
industry is why we come together. At events like the
conference, that community is on clear display. In reality,
though, the team is always at work, submitting
petitions and requests, conducting side meetings and
asking questions ... and re-asking questions ... in order
to get to long sought-after outcomes.
Just like your favorite sports team, the aviation community
keeps moving the ball up the field. Regardless
of the specifics, each little advancement is a score on
behalf of the entire industry.
You can see particulars about the Conference at arsa.
org/conference. If you attended, you should relive the
experience by accessing materials, presentation slides
and recordings of each session. Remember the Digital
Companion? It's got it all I promise.
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
March-April_2022

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