Story ID: 
Industry to Congress: Leave Alternative Parts Alone
By: David A. Lombardo
Caption: The curent regulatory framework for life-limited aircraft parts has a proven safety records, say industry groups.
Word Count: 277
The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) joined six other aviation trade associations in urging Congress to refrain from mandating a duplicative and unnecessary FAA regulation. Specifically, the coalition is concerned about efforts on Capitol Hill to require the FAA to initiate a rulemaking pertaining to the identification and marking of “influencing parts.” Joining ARSA on the letter are Airlines for America, the National Air Transportation Association, the Cargo Airline Association, the Regional Airline Association, the National Air Carrier Association and the Modification and Replacement Parts Association.

The current regulatory framework, which includes rules and related guidance dealing with all aircraft parts—particularly “life limited” and so-called “influencing parts”—has a proven safety record. “The FAA has limited resources and many congressional mandates,” the group’s letter said. “Forcing the agency to initiate an unnecessary rulemaking in an area it has already issued regulations and guidance is a misallocation of scarce resources and creates inefficiencies.” The associations also warned that many aviation companies, including small businesses, would ultimately bear the economic burden.

Brett Levanto, director of operations for Obadal, Filler, MacLeod and Klein, the firm that manages ARSA, told AIN, “When bad ideas are introduced in Congress, they never go away. So every time lawmakers have to reauthorize the FAA, we get to exercise ourselves in limiting unnecessary, duplicative demands on the aviation regulatory framework. Obviously, doing so is vital to the mostly small businesses that keep the world in flight, but it’s even necessary to protect our regulators; they’re stretched thin enough with existing congressional mandates, and there is no need to pile on simply to score political points.”