49 U.S. Code § 44515 - Advanced training facilities for maintenance technicians for air carrier aircraft

(a) General Authority.—

The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may make grants to not more than 4 vocational technical educational institutions to acquire or construct facilities to be used for the advanced training of maintenance technicians for air carrier aircraft.

(b) Eligibility.—

The Administrator may make a grant under this section to a vocational technical educational institution only if the institution has a training curriculum that prepares aircraft maintenance technicians who hold airframe and power plant certificates under subpart D of part 65 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, to maintain, without direct supervision, air carrier aircraft.

(c) Limitation.—

A vocational technical educational institution may not receive more than a total of $5,000,000 in grants under this section.

(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1184.)

Historical and Revision Notes
Revised Section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
44515	49 App.:1354 (note).	Oct., 31, 1992, Pub. L. 102–581, § 119(a)–(c), 106 Stat. 4883.

The words “vocational technical educational institution” are used throughout this section for consistency in this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Promoting Aviation Regulations for Technical Training

Pub. L. 116–260, div. V, title I, § 135, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2356, provided that:

“(a) New Regulations Required.—

“(1) Interim final regulations.—

Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this section [Dec. 27, 2020], the Administrator [of the Federal Aviation Administration] shall issue interim final regulations to establish requirements for issuing aviation maintenance technician school certificates and associated ratings and the general operating rules for the holders of those certificates and ratings in accordance with the requirements of this section.

“(2) Repeal of current regulations.—

Upon the effective date of the interim final regulations required under paragraph (1), part 147 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this title) and any regulations issued under section 624 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–254) [set out below] shall have no force or effect on or after the effective date of such interim final regulations.

“(b) Aviation Maintenance Technician School Certification Required.—

No person may operate an aviation maintenance technician school without, or in violation of, an aviation maintenance technician school certificate and the operations specifications issued under the interim final regulations required under subsection (a)(1), the requirements of this section, or in a manner that is inconsistent with information in the school’s operations specifications under subsection (c)(5).

“(c) Certificate and Operations Specifications Requirements.—

“(1) Application requirements.—

“(A) In general.—

An application for a certificate or rating to operate an aviation maintenance technician school shall include the following:

“(i) A description of the facilities, including the physical address of the certificate holder’s primary location for operation of the school, any additional fixed locations where training will be provided, and the equipment and materials to be used at each location.

“(ii) A description of the manner in which the school’s curriculum will ensure the student has the knowledge and skills necessary for attaining a mechanic certificate and associated ratings under subpart D of part 65 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation).

“(iii) A description of the manner in which the school will ensure it provides the necessary qualified instructors to meet the requirements of subsection (d)(4).

“(B) Documented in the school’s operations specifications.—

Upon issuance of the school’s certificate or rating, the information required under subparagraph (A) shall be documented in the school’s operations specifications.

“(2) Change applications.—

“(A) In general.—

An application for an additional rating or amended certificate shall include only the information necessary to substantiate the reason for the requested additional rating or change.

“(B) Approved changes.—

Any approved changes shall be documented in the school’s operations specifications.

“(3) Duration.—

An aviation maintenance technician school certificate or rating issued under the interim final regulations required under subsection (a)(1) shall be effective from the date of issue until the certificate or rating is surrendered, suspended, or revoked.

“(4) Certificate ratings.—

An aviation maintenance technician school certificate issued under the interim final regulations required under subsection (a)(1) shall specify which of the following ratings are held by the aviation maintenance technician school:

“(A) Airframe.

“(B) Powerplant.

“(C) Airframe and Powerplant.

“(5) Operations specifications.—

A certificated aviation maintenance technician school shall operate in accordance with operations specifications that include the following:

“(A) The certificate holder’s name.

“(B) The certificate holder’s air agency certificate number.

“(C) The name and contact information of the certificate holder’s primary point of contact.

“(D) The physical address of the certificate holder’s primary location, as provided under paragraph (1)(A).

“(E) The physical address of any additional location of the certificate holder, as provided under subsection (d)(2).

“(F) The ratings held, as provided under paragraph (4).

“(G) Any regulatory exemption granted to the school by the Administrator.

“(d) Operations Requirements.—

“(1) Facilities, equipment, and material requirements.—

Each certificated aviation maintenance technician school shall provide and maintain the facilities, equipment, and materials that are appropriate to the 1 or more ratings held by the school and the number of students taught.

“(2) Training provided at another location.—

A certificated aviation maintenance technician school may provide training at any additional location that meets the requirements of the interim final regulations required under subsection (a)(1) and is listed in the certificate holder’s operations specifications.

“(3) Training requirements.—

Each certificated aviation maintenance technician school shall—

“(A) establish, maintain, and utilize a curriculum designed to continually align with mechanic airman certification standards as appropriate for the ratings held;

“(B) provide training of a quality that meets the requirements of subsection (f)(1); and

“(C) ensure students have the knowledge and skills necessary to be eligible to test for a mechanic certificate and associated ratings under subpart D of part 65 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation).

“(4) Instructor requirements.—

Each certificated aviation maintenance technician school shall—

“(A) provide qualified instructors to teach in a manner that ensures positive educational outcomes are achieved;

“(B) ensure instructors hold a mechanic certificate with 1 or more appropriate ratings (or, with respect to instructors who are not certified mechanics, ensure instructors are otherwise specifically qualified to teach their assigned content); and

“(C) ensure the student-to-instructor ratio does not exceed 25:1 for any shop class.

“(5) Certificate of completion.—

Each certificated aviation maintenance technician school shall provide authenticated documentation to each graduating student, indicating the student’s date of graduation and curriculum completed, as described in paragraph (3)(A).

“(e) Quality Control System.—

“(1) Accreditation.—

Each aviation maintenance technician school shall—

“(A) be accredited as meeting the definition of an institution of higher education provided for in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); or

“(B) establish and maintain a quality control system that meets the requirements specified in paragraph (2) and is approved by the Administrator.

“(2) FAA-approved system requirements.—

In the case of an aviation maintenance technician school that is not accredited as set forth in paragraph (1), the Administrator shall approve a quality control system that provides procedures for recordkeeping, assessment, issuing credit, issuing of final course grades, attendance, ensuring sufficient number of instructors, granting of graduation documentation, and corrective action for addressing deficiencies.

“(f) Additional Requirements.—

“(1) Minimum passage rate.—

A certificated aviation maintenance technician school shall maintain a pass rate of at least 70 percent of students who took a written, oral, or practical (or any combination thereof) FAA mechanic tests within 60 days of graduation for the most recent 3-year period .

“(2) FAA inspection.—

A certificated aviation maintenance technician school shall allow the Administrator such access as the Administrator determines necessary to inspect the 1 or more locations of the school for purposes of determining the school’s compliance with the interim final regulations required under subsection (a)(1), the procedures and information outlined in the school’s operations specifications according to subsection (c)(5), and the aviation maintenance technician school certificate issued for the school.

“(3) Display of certificate.—

A certificated aviation maintenance technician school shall display its aviation maintenance technician school certificate at a location in the school that is visible by and normally accessible to the public.

“(4) Early testing.—

A certificated aviation maintenance technician school may issue authenticated documentation demonstrating a student’s satisfactory progress, completion of corresponding portions of the curriculum, and preparedness to take the aviation mechanic written general knowledge test, even if the student has not met the experience requirements of section 65.77 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation). Any such documentation shall specify the curriculum the student completed and the completion date.”

Aviation Maintenance Industry Technical Workforce

Pub. L. 115–254, div. B, title VI, § 624, Oct. 5, 2018, 132 Stat. 3404, provided that:

“(a) Regulations.—

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 5, 2018], the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall issue a final rule to modernize training programs at aviation maintenance technician schools governed by part 147 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

“(b) Guidance.—

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall coordinate with government, educational institutions, labor organizations representing aviation maintenance workers, and businesses to develop and publish guidance or model curricula for aviation maintenance technician schools referred to in subsection (a) to ensure workforce readiness for industry needs, including curricula related to training in avionics, troubleshooting, and other areas of industry needs.

“(c) Review and Periodic Updates.—

The Administrator shall—

“(1) ensure training programs referred to in subsection (a) are revised and updated in correlation with aviation maintenance technician airman certification standards as necessary to reflect current technology and maintenance practices; and

“(2) publish updates to the guidance or model curricula required under subsection (b) at least once every 2 years, as necessary, from the date of initial publication.

“(d) Report to Congress.—

If the Administrator does not issue such final rule by the deadline specified in subsection (a), the Administrator shall, not later than 30 days after such deadline, submit to the appropriate committees of Congress [Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives] a report containing—

“(1) an explanation as to why such final rule was not issued by such deadline; and

“(2) a schedule for issuing such final rule.

“(e) Study.—

The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on technical workers in the aviation maintenance industry.

“(f) Contents.—

In conducting the study under subsection (e), the Comptroller General shall—

“(1) analyze the current Standard Occupational Classification system with regard to the aviation profession, particularly technical workers in the aviation maintenance industry;

“(2) analyze how changes to the Federal employment classification of aviation maintenance industry workers might affect government data on unemployment rates and wages;

“(3) analyze how changes to the Federal employment classification of aviation maintenance industry workers might affect projections for future aviation maintenance industry workforce needs and project technical worker shortfalls;

“(4) analyze the impact of Federal regulation, including Federal Aviation Administration oversight of certification, testing, and education programs, on employment of technical workers in the aviation maintenance industry;

“(5) develop recommendations on how Federal Aviation Administration regulations and policies could be improved to modernize training programs at aviation maintenance technical schools and address aviation maintenance industry needs for technical workers;

“(6) develop recommendations for better coordinating actions by government, educational institutions, and businesses to support workforce growth in the aviation maintenance industry; and

“(7) develop recommendations for addressing the needs for government funding, private investment, equipment for training purposes, and other resources necessary to strengthen existing training programs or develop new training programs to support workforce growth in the aviation industry.

“(g) Report.—

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the results of the study.

“(h) Definitions.—

In this section, the following definitions apply:

“(1) Aviation maintenance industry.—

The term ‘aviation maintenance industry’ means repair stations certificated under part 145 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

“(2) Technical worker.—

The term ‘technical worker’ means an individual authorized under part 43 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, to maintain, rebuild, alter, or perform preventive maintenance on an aircraft, airframe, aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, or component part or employed by an entity so authorized to perform such a function.”

Improvement of Curriculum Standards for Aviation Maintenance Technicians

Pub. L. 108–176, title V, § 504, Dec. 12, 2003, 117 Stat. 2559, provided that:

“(a) In General.—

The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall ensure that the training standards for airframe and powerplant mechanics under part 65 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, are updated and revised in accordance with this section. The Administrator may update and revise the training standards through the initiation of a formal rulemaking or by issuing an advisory circular or other agency guidance.

“(b) Elements for Consideration.—

The updated and revised standards required under subsection (a) shall include those curriculum adjustments that are necessary to more accurately reflect current technology and maintenance practices.

“(c) Certification.—

Any adjustment or modification of current curriculum standards made pursuant to this section shall be reflected in the certification examinations of airframe and powerplant mechanics.

“(d) Completion.—

The revised and updated training standards required by subsection (a) shall be completed not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 12, 2003].

“(e) Periodic Reviews and Updates.—

The Administrator shall review the content of the curriculum standards for training airframe and powerplant mechanics referred to in subsection (a) every 3 years after completion of the revised and updated training standards required under subsection (a) as necessary to reflect current technology and maintenance practices.”

Improved Training for Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics

Pub. L. 106–181, title V, § 517, Apr. 5, 2000, 114 Stat. 145, provided that:

“The Administrator [of the Federal Aviation Administration] shall form a partnership with industry and labor to develop a model program to improve the curricula, teaching methods, and quality of instructors for training individuals that need certification as airframe and powerplant mechanics.”