AC: 147-3A
DATE: 1/18/05
ADVISORY CIRCULAR
CERTIFICATION AND OPERATION OF
AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN
SCHOOLS
Flight Standards Service Washington, D.C.
Initiated By: AFS-350
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION1
1. Purpose1
2. Document This AC Cancels1
3. Principal Changes1
4. Applicability1
5. Background1
6. Discussion2
CHAPTER 2. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOLS CERTIFICATED
UNDER PART 1471
1. AMTS Ratings1
2. Duration of Certificate1
3. Display of Certificate1
4. Advertising1
5. Inspection Requirements1
6. Curriculum Requirements1
7. Facilities9
8. Technical Data Library Requirements10
9. Instructional Aids and Aircraft10
10. Shop Equipment Requirements11
11. Special Tools Standards11
12. Student Handtool Requirements11
13. Material Requirements11
14. Instructor Requirements and Responsibilities12
15. Foreign Schools12
16. Satellite Schools12
CHAPTER 3. OPERATING RULES1
1. Change of Location1
2. Time and Attendance1
3. Enrollm ent1
4. Records, Transcripts, and Graduation Certificates1
5. Maintenance of Facilities2
6. Maintenance of Instructor Requirements2
7. Maintenance of Instructional Aids2
8. Maintenance of Technical Data Reference Materials2
9. Maintenance of Shop Equipment2
10. Maintenance of Tools and Special Tools Supply3
11. Maintenance of Instructional Materials3
12. Maintenance of Quality of Instruction3
13. Availability of Type-Certificated Aircraft3
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CHAPTER 4. CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES1
1. General Information on Certification Procedures1
2. Preapplication Phase2
3. Formal Application Phase9
4. Document Compliance Phase9
5. Demonstration and Inspection Phase9
6. Certification Phase10
APPENDIX 1. GLOSSARY OF TERMS (3 pages)1
APPENDIX 2. RELATED REFERENCES (2 pages)1
APPENDIX 3. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) REGARDING AMTS
CERTIFICATION AND OPERATION (8 pages)1
APPENDIX 4. OPTIONAL AMT CURRICULUM (13 pages)1
APPENDIX 5. ADDITIONAL COURSE MATERIAL RECOMMENDATIONS
(1 page)1
APPENDIX 6. SAMPLE CURRICULUM OUTLINES (14 pages)1
APPENDIX 7. MAINTENANCE OF THE GENERAL CURRICULUM (2 pages)1
APPENDIX 8. SAMPLE FACILITY LAYOUT (2 pages)1
APPENDIX 9. CERTIFICATION SCHEDULE FLOWCHART (1 page)1
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1. PURPOSE.
a. This advisory circular (AC) provides guidance to assist persons in obtaining and maintaining Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification of an aviation maintenance technician school (AMTS). This AC is not mandatory and does not constitute a regulation. This AC describes an acceptable means, but not the only means, to meet the requirements of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), part 147 Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools. However, if you choose to follow this AC as the means to meet the provisions of part 147, then you must follow the AC carefully.
b. All definitions and references relevant to this AC are listed in the appendixes. In addition, Appendix 3, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Regarding Amts Certification And Operation, contains a list of frequently asked questions regarding AMTS certification and operation.
2. DOCUMENT THIS AC CANCELS. AC 147-3, Certification And Operation Of Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools, dated May 22, 1991, is canceled.
3. PRINCIPAL CHANGES. This AC was edited to apply the formatting and language requirements of FAA Order 1320.46C, Advisory Circular System. In addition, this version includes new language regarding an optional aviation maintenance technician (AMT) curriculum that would be acceptable to the FAA, which is included as Appendix 4, Optional Amt Curriculum.
4. APPLICABILITY. Currently certificated AMTSs should use this AC to increase the understanding of part 147. This AC also provides information on suggested curriculum modifications. A person seeking FAA certification for an AMTS program should use this AC as a tool to understand the certification process and the requirements of part 147.
5. BACKGROUND.
a. Part 147 specifies requirements for the certification and operation of an AMTS. The regulation includes both the curriculum requirements and the operating rules for all certificated AMTSs. The regulation’s origin was in Civil Air Regulations (CAR) part 53. When the CARs were recodified in 1962, CAR part 53 became 14 CFR part 147. In 1970, part 147 was completely revised. The revision increased the required core curriculum hours from 1,500 to 1,900 and further defined the subject content and teaching guidelines.
b. Frequently, the FAA-approved program is only part of a school’s overall instruction program (for example, bachelor degrees that include an FAA airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic certificate). The requirements of part 147 should not be interpreted as applicable for any courses other than those required by the part 147 curriculum.
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6. DISCUSSION. An AMTS is an educational facility certificated by the FAA to train AMTs for careers in the airline industry, in aviation maintenance facilities, and in commercial and general aviation. The knowledge, skills, and abilities required of AMTs are considerable and demand high quality training. Therefore, the FAA requires high standards of AMTSs.
a. From the initiation of the AMTS certification process to the issuance of the certificate, the amount of time and capital for required facilities, equipment, and curriculum development can be significant.
b. AMTS applicants are encouraged to exceed the FAA minimum standards for facilities, curriculum, and teaching levels. AMTS applicants are encouraged to teach subjects beyond those required by the regulations; for example, make enhancements in composite material repair, solid-state electronics, nondestructive inspection techniques, and built-in test equipment, and add courses in human factors and inspection principles. (See Appendix 5 for additional course material recommendations.) However, when an AMTS chooses to exceed FAA minimum standards, this new standard must be approved by the FAA and, if approved, becomes part of an FAA-approved curriculum. The new standard becomes a mandatory compliance requirement and remains mandatory until the school modifies the curriculum in accordance with section 147.38.
c. Because an AMTS is certificated and inspected by the FAA, satisfying part 147 requirements should be the primary concern of an AMTS. When local and state educational requirements conflict with the FAA’s regulation of an AMTS, FAA regulations take precedence over those requirements.
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CHAPTER 2. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOLS CERTIFICATED UNDER PART 147
1. AMTS RATINGS. An AMTS may be FAA-certificated for the following ratings: airframe, powerplant, or combined A&P. The general portion of the curriculum is not a rating, but it is a required part of all the ratings. Schools certificated for only combined A&P ratings cannot grant single ratings such as airframe or powerplant. Students enrolled in a combined curriculum are required to finish the entire combined curriculum before becoming eligible for FAA certification testing.
2. DURATION OF CERTIFICATE. An AMTS’s FAA certificate remains in effect until it is surrendered, suspended, or revoked. However, if an AMTS changes location, facilities, or ratings, or adds or deletes a rating, the school must be recertificated by the FAA.
3. DISPLAY OF CERTIFICATE. An AMTS is required to display its FAA certificate in a prominent location that is accessible and visible to the public. The AMTS must also make the certificate available for FAA inspection.
4. ADVERTISING. In all advertising and brochures, an AMTS is required to indicate that it is an FAA-certificated school. Course literature must clearly distinguish between those courses that have been approved by the FAA and those that have not. For example, an FAA-certificated AMTS that is part of a junior college system may offer courses in aviation management but must clearly state in its literature that those courses are not FAA-approved.
5. INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS. When an application is made to the FAA for certification, the applicant must be ready for the FAA to inspect its facilities and equipment.
Normally, after certification, FAA inspections are conducted annually to determine whether the school continues to meet its certification requirements. However, the FAA will perform more inspections if required (reference section 147.43).
6. CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS. The AMTS curriculum is comprised of the courses needed to meet part 147 requirements. The curriculum is the single most important document an AMTS applicant will submit. Once approved by the FAA, the curriculum shows how the AMTS will train students for certification as AMTs, and how it will meet the academic and regulatory requirements of the regulations. Elements comprising an AMTS curriculum can vary widely.
However, many AMTSs include all or some of the required operating rule compliance documents in their curriculums. Because these documents must be supplied to the FAA in any case, this has an advantage in that it incorporates all part 147 school requirements in a single document. Because revisions may be required periodically and those revisions must be FAA- approved, curriculum documents should have a format that permits easy revision. The curriculum document should have a revision control chart or page that indicates the location of each revision and includes the approving FAA official’s signature.
a. Curriculum Background. Part 147, section 147.21 provides the minimum curriculum requirements. Maintenance of curriculum requirements is stated in part 147, section 147.38.
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(1) An AMTS is required to adhere to its approved curriculum. Any part 147 course material the school wishes to add must be incorporated into the approved curriculum and approved by the FAA before it may be used. This does not prohibit an AMTS from teaching non-FAA-approved courses such as refresher courses or academic courses required to complete a degree program. However, those courses must be clearly distinguishable from FAA-approved AMTS courses.
(2) An AMTS should strive to keep its approved AMTS curriculum current to meet industry needs by revising courses as appropriate. These revisions require FAA approval before they can be implemented.
(3) Practical projects, referred to in section 147.21(d), include all functions specified in the curriculum that involve hands-on tasks. Therefore, practical projects include virtually any task taught at level 2 or level 3, because all of these require some practical application, as specified in part 147 appendixes.
b. Curriculum Development. Curriculum development generally progresses through several stages, as discussed below. Practical examples may be found in Appendixes 4 and 6 to this AC.
(1) Stage 1. The first stage is to conceptualize the knowledge, skills, and abilities an aviation mechanic must acquire to become certificated by the FAA. To determine the knowledge, skills, and abilities requirements, the FAA commissioned a study of the AMT occupation. Some of the results of the study, A Survey of the Aviation Mechanic Occupation,” were used in developing part 147. This study is often called “The Allen Study,” after the chief researcher, Dr. David Allen. Although it does not constitute an AMTS curriculum, the Allen Study does provide a partial foundation for developing a sound curriculum that addresses the requirements of the regulations. The study also identifies the training, knowledge, skills, and abilities a student must acquire to qualify as an A&P mechanic.
NOTE: Al though useful, the Allen St udy is not technically curren t for all topics. You may also refer to th e Northwestern University study, Job Task Analysis of the Aviatio n Maintenance Technician, May 1999, w hich updated the tasks of the Allen Study.
(2) Stage 2. The second stage of curriculum development involves identifying which specific tasks must be performed, determining the specific performance standard that must be reached for each task in each subject area, and assigning the amount of instructional time in theory, laboratory, and shop that will achieve that performance standard.
(3) Stage 3. The third stage in curriculum development must produce a curriculum that contains all the elements required to teach, test, and conform to the rule. Stage 3 must also develop practical projects and objective project grading criteria. Practical projects and associated tests may be presented within the main body of the curriculum or in associated workbooks, workbook supplements, or project guides. Wherever the practical projects are presented, they ultimately must be submitted to the FAA for approval and become part of an Page 2 Par 6
FAA-approved curriculum. The testing and evaluation of practical projects may represent the most difficult task in curriculum development. No one method is “best.” Instead, there are a number of methods used by AMTSs that have proven to be valid. Appendix 6, Sample Curriculum Outlines, offers a brief description of practical project guides and the various methods AMTSs use to objectively grade practical projects. Minimally, a complete curriculum should:
(a) Conform to part 147.
(b) Provide a method to teach the knowledge, skills, and abilities an AMT student is required to learn.
(c) Have clearly expressed objectives.
(d) Provide objective test criteria that conform to subjects studied in the laboratory, shop, and in the classroom.
(e) Show the appropriate teaching level and number of required laboratory, shop, and theoretical hours to complete the program for a given rating.
(f) Include a complete description of each practical project and the methods and materials required to accomplish each one.
(g) Show the relationship of practical projects to the required subjects.
c. Curriculum Components. An acceptable part 147 curriculum consists of at least the following elements:
(1) Subjects conforming to part 147, appendixes B, C, and D.
(2) Course content conforming to part 147, appendixes A, B, C, and D.
(3) Teaching level requirements conforming to appendixes A, B, C, D, and to part 147.
(4) Objective testing and grading criteria.
(5) Classroom or theory hours conforming to section 147.21.
(6) Laboratory or shop hours conforming to section 147.21.
(7) Total number of hours conforming to section 147.21.
(8) A schedule of required tests that shows the sequence of examinations for each subject in the curriculum.
(9) The order of instruction for each subject.
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d. Additional Requirements.
(1) Each subject item must be taught at least at the indicated level of proficiency as defined in part 147 appendixes. When the school wishes to teach a subject item to a level beyond the requirements, the teaching level must be approved by the FAA and made part of the FAA-approved curriculum. As an example, a subject required by part 147 to be taught at level 1 may be taught at level 2 by a school that has obtained FAA approval at a level beyond the requirements. Subject items cannot be taught at a level less than that shown in the FAA- approved curriculum or less than those shown in the part 147 appendixes.
(2) Additional subjects/courses required by the school for its own purposes, e.g., degree program subjects such as geography, should not be submitted for FAA approval as part of the curriculum.
(3) Subjects such as basic aerodynamics or theory of flight can be taught within pertinent, related subjects such as physics and aircraft rigging. This would not necessarily increase required instruction hours.
(4) The teaching of additional subject material beyond the requirements of appendixes B, C, and D to part 147 may require additional instruction hours beyond those required to be offered by section 147.21.
e. Curriculum Focus.
(1) Many AMTSs enhance portions of their curriculums to develop graduates who are directed toward particular areas of the aviation industry. Examples are schools that tend to train graduates specifically for employment at commercial airlines, helicopter operations, repair stations, or agricultural aircraft operations. Enhancement of the curriculum generally results in a curriculum with more hours of instruction than the minimum that must be offered under section 147.21 for airframe and powerplant (A&P) ratings. Schools with directed curriculums may be permitted by the FAA to reduce teaching hours (but not teaching levels) in areas they want to deemphasize and increase teaching hours (and sometimes teaching levels) in areas targeted for enhancement. The following are two examples of focused curriculums:
(a) Example 1. A small AMTS in a rural area may want to direct AMT students toward general aviation and agricultural applicator aircraft operations. In this case, airframe subjects such as wood, dope, fabric, welding, rigging, and corrosion control would be emphasized by increasing the teaching hours and perhaps teaching levels for these subjects.
Powerplant courses such as propellers and reciprocating powerplants, including radial and opposed, would also be emphasized in the same ways and further by exploring better or more efficient instruction and/or methods. On the other hand, turbine engines, electronics, and air conditioning may be reduced in teaching hours. Part 147 does not permit a reduction in teaching level.
(b) Example 2. A large AMTS in a metropolitan area may concentrate on preparing AMT students for employment at major airlines. This AMTS would tend to emphasize areas Page 4 Par 6
such as turbine engines, nondestructive inspection, air conditioning systems, autoflight, electronics, and airline maintenance systems. This AMTS may want to reduce its teaching hours in wood, dope, fabric, welding, and reciprocating engine subjects.
(2) In both examples, the number of teaching hours for certain subjects may be either reduced or increased, as appropriate. However, course content cannot be lowered in teaching levels, and the number of teaching hours for each subject would require FAA approval. It is obvious from this discussion that it is permissible to concentrate curriculums toward certain areas to prepare the students for the appropriate service market. It is recommended that the AMTS develop its curriculum direction during the initial certification.
(3) It is important to note that the teaching level of each subject in the curriculum directly affects the number of hours required to teach that subject. An AMTS must offer a sufficient number of hours for each subject to permit an average student to perform at the required subject level.
f. Curriculum Format. There is not a format specifically required for a curriculum.
However, as testing is part of the teaching validation process, the curriculum is required to show testing and grading, as stated in section 147.21(d)(3).
g. Hours of Instruction. The number of hours of instruction offered for any rating must be at least the minimum specified by section 147.21. The school may offer more hours of instruction than the FAA requires. The following blocks of time are not to be included in calculating the minimum number of instructional hours specified in section 147.21:
(1) Time used to take the FAA oral and practical test.
(2) Time spent in taking the FAA knowledge test or time spent registering for the test.
(3) Time set aside for FAA test review and testing at the conclusion of the course. This is not to preclude review and testing for curriculum courses but to differentiate between the time spent in learning approved curriculum material and that spent in review for the FAA certification test.
(4) Time used for meals, breaks, or class changes.
h. Order of Instruction. The curriculum should list the order of course progression in a logical sequence for each rating offered. For example, basic electricity would be completed before taking aircraft electrical systems.
i. Curriculum Structure. An AMTS offering separate ratings of airframe or powerplant, but not combined A&P, is required to have a clearly defined general subject curriculum. It is recommended that the general curriculum follow the format prescribed in appendix B to part
147. This ensures a student graduating from one rating curriculum meets the FAA requirements to receive the same general curriculum courses a student graduating from another rating curriculum receives (see Appendix 7, Maintenance of the General Curriculum).
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j. Testing and Grading. Testing should be included as part of the required curriculum hours and must be directly related to the subject matter covered (see sample 3 in Appendix 6).
(1) Passing grades must be sufficient to achieve the required teaching level in part 147.
Within the requirements, an AMTS can set its own standards for passing grades in the laboratory, shop, and classroom. Theoretical portions may have different grading standards from those required in laboratory and shop classes. A common academic standard for passing is a minimum score of 70 percent. FAA written tests also use the 70-percent standard. An AMTS may choose to require a different minimum passing grade, although many AMTSs elect to use the 70-percent passing standard.
(2) All theoretical and practical portions of each subject listed in the curriculum are required to be individually passed to the AMTS-approved grading standard. Each practical project must also be separately passed to the approved standard. Students must complete all required laboratory and shop projects with passing grades. Practical project testing and grading criteria must be explicit. The requirements for successful completion must be sufficient to maximize objective grading and reduce any subjective project grading to a minimum.
(3) Upon completion of each curriculum subject, a test must be scheduled. In addition, at the school’s discretion, quizzes may be scheduled at any time. From an educational standpoint, it is more effective and appropriate to schedule a test after a subject unit such as welding rather than after a comprehensive subject such as airframe structures that contains welding and six other subject units. When testing for subjects that have many hours of instruction (for example, sheet metal structures), an AMTS should consider planning more than one test or quiz during the instructional unit.
(4) The AMTS should have a system to provide test security. This system may include provisions for regular test changes and secure storage of tests and quizzes.
k. Practical Application Projects.
(1) The curriculum must list each of the practical projects that must be completed for each subject item. There must be a sufficient number of practical projects to address the requirements of appendixes B, C, and D to part 147, as applicable. The curriculum should include enough detail to identify the practical projects for the correct teaching level and to clearly define performance standards and objective grading criteria.
(2) The AMTS must specify the teaching level (2 or 3) for each practical project to be covered in each subject item. The minimum teaching level is specified in part 147 appendixes.
If the teaching level for practical projects is to exceed those requirements, it must be specified as such in the curriculum.
(3) The curriculum must show an appropriate amount of time for an average student to complete each project. Data contained in the Allen Study provides useful information on project completion times. However, the Allen Study guidelines are only suggestions.
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