Brian Finnegan, A&P, AME Director, Professional Certification PAMA/SAE Institute

AM: Please provide us with an overview and update on the PAMA/SAE Certification Program for maintenance technicians.

Finnegan: Our vision is to be the third-party, neutral forum in which advanced aviation maintenance technician standards of competence are developed and monitored over time.

Aviation is an industry that long ago recognized the importance of maintenance certification through FAA’s mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings. With three years experience and successfully passing a rigorous FAA test, A&P mechanics can add an Inspection Authorization (IA) to their A&P and essentially reach the current summit of regulatory knowledge and skills certification. However, both the A&P and the IA are general designations that are not intended to identify or quantify the highly refined skills that are necessary to maintain the advanced technologies of modern aircraft. We are working to help raise the bar of technician excellence.

Our first certification, the aviation maintenance specialist/aviation maintenance engineer, establishes a new baseline of knowledge that all technical employees should have, regardless of their FAA certification status.

AM: How would a company sign up for the certifications?

Finnegan: Companies interested in learning about the program can visit the PAMA website at pama.org or they can contact us directly. Our program is excellent as an initial assessment of a company’s experienced workforce, as well as a pre-hire screening tool to establish essential knowledge. Each company has its own priorities and we can tailor the administration of the exams and subsequent training opportunities based on achieving each company’s specific goals.

AM: What are the biggest obstacles to full industry acceptance?

Finnegan: While many companies support this credentialing concept, it is still quite new. Our consensus standards are voluntary because our industry is averse to additional regulation. Our goal is to identify the many current regulations surrounding training and competency that can be achieved utilizing our program and working with each company’s FAA principal maintenance inspector (PMI). For example, initial and recurrent training is required for FAA repair stations. Our AMS/AME assessments help identify specific strengths and training opportunities for companies striving for excellence.

AM: What new certifications are in the pipeline and how soon can industry expect them?

Finnegan: On an industry-wide scale, we have identified composites repair, rotorcraft master technician, and avionics as certifications that stand a great chance of success. However, we must first establish industry support for the AMS/AME and then generate sufficient industry support for additional assessments and certifications before we can proceed with full scale development.

AM: Tell us more about composites certification.

Finnegan: We were approached by SAE International’s Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee (CACRC) some time ago about developing composite repair technician certifications. We have convened several industry consensus meetings and we have invested in a program design for composite repair competencies.

AM: Tell us more about the rotorcraft certification.

Finnegan: The military, particularly the U.S. Army, has expressed a strong interest in joint military/industry standards of competence for what is being called a master rotorcraft technician. Both have participated in a preliminary program design workshop and we have a first draft of a potential program. If industry and the military are willing to require certification of their employees and their service providers, we will develop the program. This is the essence of industry consensus and is what will drive further certification development.

AM: Is the FAA supportive?

Finnegan: The FAA is very interested and supportive of industry efforts to raise the bar of technician competence. We have kept FAA apprised of our efforts every step of the way.

They have accepted our 24-hour AMS/AME certification and refresher course for Inspection Authorization renewal and for Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards recognition. We are confident that as our program matures we will achieve the necessary recognition that provides significant return on investment for participating companies.

AM: What does it mean to have the support of SAE in the certification program?

Finnegan: SAE International is the world’s largest developer of aerospace standards. We are globally recognized and, as such, we have the ability to ensure global acceptance and respect for our program. At the end of the day, it is this affiliation that gives our program the credibility to earn the respect and trust that is critical to continually improving aviation safety and workforce productivity.