A coalition of aviation trade associations petitioned the FAA on Friday to restore the right for a repair station to surrender its certificate voluntarily. In its new repair station rule, which became effective last November, the FAA took the unprecedented step of subjecting surrendered certificates to “acceptance for cancellation.” The coalition is calling for the removal of the requirement, which it says is unique among aviation certificates, runs counter to the interest of aviation safety and adds to the regulatory administrative burden without any agency explanation as to how the new discretion will be used.

Brett Levanto, operations director for the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), told AIN, “When the new repair station rule was announced last August, our regulatory team scoured it for every little corner that could snag a repair station. We then set about putting all those little problems right. In November we had a big victory with the re-insertion of 'serious' into the service difficulty reporting requirement, but before the Federal Register had even posted the correction we were already working on reinstating the right to [a] voluntary surrender. Even now, we already know what’s up next. We’ve got work to do before the rule is right.”

The group points out that the FAA’s ability to investigate individuals is unaffected by the surrender of the entity’s certificate. Therefore, denying a repair station’s right to surrender its certificate voluntarily bears no rational connection to the aim of ensuring safety through the investigation and banishment of “bad actors.”

“We do not support individuals who use any certificate irresponsibly or in a manner that jeopardizes safety,” said Sarah MacLeod, ARSA’s executive director. “We do, however, have to deal in the real world; business demands make it too problematic for surrendered certificates to depend on the administrative whims of the FAA.”

In addition to ARSA, the group includes the Aerospace Industries Association, the Aircraft Electronics Association, the Aviation Suppliers Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Helicopter Association International, the Modification and Replacement Parts Association, the National Air Carrier Association, the National Air Transportation Association and the Regional Airline Association.