Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced another bill to address the looming aviation maintenance technician shortage, highlighting the attention the issue has before Congress. The bill, the Aviation Maintenance Workforce Development Pilot Program Bill (H.R.5701), is designed to encourage government, industry, and academia to work together to develop strategies to develop technical talent.

 


The bill would create a pilot program that would offer $500,000 in grants for aviation maintenance workforce development activities. Applications must be jointly submitted by a business or labor organization, school, and government entity. The FAA would administer the program.

 


Introduced last week by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri) with co-sponsors Daniel Lipinski, (D-Illinois), Markwayne Mullin, (R-Oklahoma), and Brenda Lawrence (D-Michigan), the bill is similar to legislation that Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) unveiled in the Senate in March. But the House bill differs in that it permits high schools to participate. The legislation ranks among numerous workforce initiatives introduced or offered over the past year; several of those measures have been included in comprehensive FAA reauthorization legislation pending in Congress.

 


Graves noted that in four years, the industry is expected to experience maintenance technician shortage. “All of aviation, from general aviation to large commercial operations, will be affected if more people do not enter this vital field,” Graves said in introducing H.R.5701. “This legislation provides a viable path forward to address the skills gap and ensure the U.S. remains a world leader in the aviation industry.”

 


The bill will help recruit and train the next generation of mechanics, added Lipinski. “It is imperative that we ensure there is an adequate supply of trained and qualified individuals in this field,” he said.

 


The legislation has received nearly universal support from a cross-section of industry. Twenty associations representing business and general aviation, repair stations, commercial and regional airlines, cargo carriers, and state aviation agencies, among others, jointly wrote the lawmakers endorsing the bill.

 


“The U.S. aviation industry is facing a technical worker shortage that threatens to undermine the growth and competitiveness of one of the most important sectors of our economy,” the letter states. “Given the scale of the challenges facing companies around the country, the legislation could not be timelier.”

 


The letter points to a Boeing study estimating a need for 118,000 new maintenance technicians in North America over the next two decades, and a separate Oliver Wyman study projecting that 30 percent of the current workforce is approaching retirement age, positioning the industry for a shortage by 2022.

 


"The shortage of qualified maintenance workers touches all aspects of our industry, and we must all work together to find effective solutions,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.

 


"The Aircraft Electronics Association strongly endorses this legislation to provide a viable pathway for training our next generation of avionics technicians and aviation maintenance technicians," added AEA president Paula Derks. The bill “will instigate the creation of thousands of high-paying jobs employing skilled workers in the future,” she said.

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

New House Bill Aims To Boost Mx Workforce

The bill is similar to a measure introduced in the Senate by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma).

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Panel participants included Boeing, Gulfstream Aerospace, and West Star Aviation

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News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

What began 22 years ago as a Caravan project is now a busy multimillion-dollar business

Building Interiors at Yingling Aviation

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Executives share their experience with system

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News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

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