The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) has announced that it is prepared to work closely with the FAA in the agency’s effort to mandate human-factors training programs in aviation.

In a September letter issued to ARSA, the FAA stated its intention to mandate human-factors training for FAA-certified repair stations by changing title 14 CFR Part 145, the Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) that covers repair stations “to ensure human-factors training is included.” According to ARSA executive director Sarah MacLeod, the letter said “not all repair stations will require the same level of training in human factors.”

The FAA’s letter was in response to a July 27 request from ARSA asking the agency to clarify the FAR requirements for human-factors training in repair stations. The association’s letter was prompted by concerns about how the repair station training program requirements, which became effective in April, are being interpreted in the field.

ARSA learned from several members that FAA inspectors, referencing language in Advisory Circular 145-10 and related inspector guidance, were taking the position that repair stations are required to have human factors in their training programs. ARSA wrote to the FAA seeking a definitive clarification. The September 12 letter pledges to fix the guidance material.