Small Business Meeting on Repair Station Rule

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a major proposed revision to the Repair Stations rules in the Federal Register on May 21, 2012.  FAA’s proposed rule would amend FAA regulations for aviation repair stations by revising the system of ratings, repair station certification requirements, the regulations on repair stations providing maintenance for air carriers, and even the way that repair stations record maintenance.  The rule is expected to have a secondary affect on repair station customers and business partners, including aircraft parts distributors.

The FAA has stated that the proposed rule is necessary because portions of the existing repair station regulations do not reflect current repair station aircraft maintenance and business practices, or advances in aircraft technology, and that the proposed rule would modernize FAA regulations to keep pace with current industry standards and practices.

The comment period for the proposed rule was scheduled to close on August 20, 2012; however, FAA extended the comment period until November 19, 2012.

The Small Business Administration has recognized that there is significant small business interest in this proposed rule.  Therefore, the SBA Office of Advocacy will host a roundtable meeting to discuss the proposed rule.  Typically, SBA will write and file a comment in response to industry concerns, and these comments tend to carry significant weight, so this is an excellent opportunity to get your voice heard on the issues that matter to you.

The meeting will be held at SBA on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the 7^th Floor Conference Room.  SBA is located at 409 Third Street, SW Washington, DC 20416 (at the Federal Center SW Metro stops on the Orange and Blue lines).

This meeting is open to the public.  Please RSVP to Bruce Lundgren by email if you would like to attend the roundtable meeting.  A conference call in option is usually available upon request – if you would like to dial-in to participate, please contact Bruce Lundgren before the date of the meeting so he can make appropriate arrangements.

SBA Contact Information:

Bruce E. Lundegren, Assistant Chief Counsel, SBA Office of Advocacy

U.S. Small Business Administration

409 3^rd St. SW, Washington, DC 20416

tel: (202) 205-6144

email: bruce.lundegren@sba.gov