The FAA has issued a proposed policy change that would clarify the definition of the words "actively engaged" as they relate to application for and renewal of the Inspection Authorization (IA) certificate. Airframe and powerplant mechanics (A&Ps) can qualify to take the IA test if they have held their mechanic certificate for at least three years and have been "actively engaged" as a mechanic for the previous two. The two-year actively engaged requirement also applies to IAs who seek to renew their certificate, which expires after two years. According to the FAA, "an individual must be actively engaged, for at least the prior two-year period, in maintaining aircraft to be eligible to either obtain or renew an IA." In the past, FAA aviation safety inspectors (ASIs) have allowed IAs who don't work on the shop floor or who clearly don't work full time with aircraft to renew after complying with the minimum annual eight-hour training requirement. The FAA is soliciting comments on the proposed policy change, and these are due by December 6.
The plans to change the policy began in 1988. Before then, the FAA applied a full-time-employment-in-aircraft-maintenance standard to the definition of actively engaged. The FAA allowed ASIs to evaluate part-time employment on an individual basis. After 1988, the agency issued new guidance "tightening the definition of actively engaged to include only those individuals employed full-time in inspecting, supervising, overhauling, repairing, preserving or replacing parts on certified aircraft," according to the FAA. In April this year, the FAA rescinded that policy because it found that it was applied inconsistently. The new policy change is a result of efforts to clarify the situation.
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