FAA INTERPRETATION THREATENS GA MAINTENANCE SUST Source: https://www.avweb.com/, Mark Phelps, First Published Oct 04, 2024 A recent take on a decades-old rule has maintenance professionals worried for the future of the industry. The general aviation maintenance community is up in arms over the FAA’s so-called “Moss Interpretation” of how much direct, in-person supervision is required by FAA-certificated airframe and powerplant (A&P) technicians and inspectors when it comes to work being performed by owners or shop apprentices and trainees working toward certification. According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and others, the new ruling overrides policies in effect for more than 60 years that enable licensed mechanics to use their judgment in overseeing maintenance and modification work. In the language of the existing rule, 14 CFR 43.3(d), the technician holding the certificate can supervise someone else “to the extent necessary to ensure that [the work] is being done properly and if the supervisor is readily available, in person, for consultation.” Of course, any work being supervised must be inspected and signed off by the licensed technician, who remains liable for any discrepancies. In July 2022, Jonathan Moss, who was manager of the Little Rock Flight Standards District Office, requested an interpretation of 14 CFR §43.3(d), related to clarity on whether or not supervision and guidance could be performed remotely by video. More than two years later, the FAA returned the three-page Moss Interpretation. Even in the post-Covid world that has normalized Zoom and Facetime communication, it specified that video participation could not substitute for in-person Opening Lines 5 AVIATION VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 04, ISSUE 03
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