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ATEC INSIGHT by Crystal Maguire 44 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY T HE PURPOSE OF THE AIRFRAME AND POWERPLANT (A&P;) mechanic test is pretty simple: to ensure an applicant possesses the basic knowledge and skill required to perform or supervise the maintenance, preven- tive maintenance, or alteration of an aircraft or appliance (within the privileges and limitations of §65.81). The written test assesses the applicant's knowledge (see §65.75) and the oral and practical test assesses his or her skill level (see §65.79). FAA and industry agree that the A&P; mechanic test in its current form no longer meets its intended purpose. The reasons are also pretty simple: 1) the current practical test standards (PTS) do not reflect what is actually expected of a newly minted mechanic in the "real world", 2) there is no standard to guide the development and review of the written test, resulting in a question bank rife with inaccurate and outdated questions, and 3) the written and oral and practical tests don't complement one another given one references a standard (the PTS) and the other does not. The aviation community has a solution that will continu- ously improve the readiness of our incoming workforce. AIRMAN CERTIFICATION STANDARD (ACS) Introducing the Airman Certification Standard (ACS). The ACS is fundamentally an enhanced version of the PTS; it adds knowledge and risk management elements to each subject area. The result is a comprehensive document that outlines what an applicant needs to know, consider, and do in order to pass both the knowledge and practical tests for a mechanic certificate. The ACS is the brainchild of the Airman Testing Standards and Training Aviation Rulemaking Committee, a group cre- ated in 2011 and made up of pilot community and FAA representatives. Aviation Supplies & Academics curriculum director Jackie Spanitz described the reason the ACS was created and some very familiar challenges that industry faced: "The first ACS was initiated as an effort to fix the pilot knowledge tests. With many questions that seemed outdated, irrelevant, and more "tricky" than "meaningful," test preparation became an exercise in memorizing cor- rect answers solely for the purpose of passing the test." Over the past five years a committee working group developed processes and procedures to create, imple- ment, and continuously improve the ACS. The first ACS for pilot private airplane and instrument airplane ratings was effective June 2016 (making ineffective the previous PTS), and standards for commercial, ATP, and flight instructor are in development. INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION Seeing the need for similar reforms in other sectors of the industry, and an opportunity to utilize the infrastructure created, a new task was assigned to address the mechanic testing shortcomings. The following AMT community rep- resentatives were thereafter selected to participate: • Mike Busch, Savvy Aircraft Maintenance Management • David Dagenais, Florida State College at Jacksonville • Chuck Horning, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University • David Jones, Praxis Aerospace Concepts Intl. • Crystal Maguire, ATEC • Joaquin Villarreal, FedEx Express The working group's goal is to develop general, air- frame, and powerplant testing standards that clearly and succinctly communicate the knowledge and skill required to pass the written and practical tests for a mechanic cer- tificate. Once the AMT ACS is complete, industry and FAA officials will review and modify handbooks, written test questions and oral and practical projects to ensure adher- ence with the standard. That means outdated questions and projects will be replaced with relevant assessment material, and incorrect, incomplete, or inadequate ques- tions and projects will be updated or removed. Thereafter, the ACS and tests will be periodically reviewed and updat- ed to ensure the standard is in line with mechanic knowl- edge and skill requirements as technology evolves, and that the written, oral, and practical tests are consistently and correctly assessing to that standard. As representative of the aviation maintenance technician schools certificated by part 147, the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) will push even further to ensure future rulemakings governing teaching requirements (i.e., part 147) are in line with updated testing standards. Once the standard is set (via the ACS), certificated AMTS should have the ability to teach to that standard free of prescriptive requirements and defined subject areas. The ACS would naturally be the basis and framework for every AMTS teach- ing curriculum. ACS development will continue over the coming months, visit www.atec-amt.org to review initial drafts and provide comment. MECHANIC TESTING: INDUSTRY CAN INFLUENCE CHANGE FAA and industry work toward a new A&P; mechanic test standard MS. MAGUIRE began her tenure with ATEC as business manager in 2014. Since that time she has been named executive director, managing the trade association under the direction of ATEC's board of directors.