National Air Transportation Association (NATA) president James K. Coyne thanked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday for granting a requested 120-day extension to the implementation date for Part 145 of Title 14, Code of Regulations and Advisory Circular 145-9.

On July 22, 2003, NATA, along with the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) and the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA), formally requested a 120-day extension of the October 3, 2003, implementation date of Part 145 of Title 14, Code of Regulations and Advisory Circular 145-9 (AC).

The AC constitutes the FAA's primary guidance for developing and evaluating repair station and quality control manuals for Part 145 certificate holders.

The new implementation date is January 31, 2004, for most of the new rule. This extension will give FAA personnel and industry the opportunity to review, develop and implement this substantial document.

"We requested this delay from the FAA over concerns that the publication of the AC less than 90 days before the rule's implementation date would not afford the FAA or the industry adequate time to comply," Coyne said. "The AC and the revisions to Part 145 represent a complete overhaul of operational requirements that cannot be implemented in a mere 90 days.

"We are pleased that the FAA heeded our advice and granted this extension," Coyne concluded. "In doing so, the agency has provided small business repair stations a more reasonable time period within which to comply with this critical guidance."

FMI: www.nata-online.org; www.faa.gov