Organization Concerned With Direction Of Agency's Review

Last Friday, February 27th, the TSA held a public meeting to discuss proposed new security requirements for domestic and foreign Part 145 repair stations. However, NATA is expressing cocnern with the direction its review is taking. This initiative is the result of a provision that was included within the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act that Congress approved and the President signed into law late last falls. The new law directs the TSA to conduct security audits of all foreign repair stations. These audits must then be completed within 18 months.

Two members from NATA's Aircraft Maintenance and System Technology Committee, Michael Mertens from Duncan Aviation in Lincoln (NE) and Ed Green from Garrett Aviation in Ronkonkoma (NY) attended the hearing to provide witness testimony. 

"While we greatly appreciated the opportunity for our members to participate in this public meeting, we are concerned about the path this process may take," Eric Byer, NATA's director of government & industry affairs explained. 

Referencing the FAA reauthorization bill, he continued, "Congressional intent clearly states that security audits should take place for foreign repair stations, not domestic." We hope that as this process progresses, TSA, as they have done so well in the past, will work with this critical segment of the aviation industry to ensure that whatever security measures come about as a result of this process are fair and recognize the unique and varying sizes of repair stations, both at home and abroad," Byer concluded.

FMI: www.nata-online.org