//By Kristy Gilligan 

The vibe around the general aviation industry is that a category of aviation fondly referred to as MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) is in a volatile state and in need of some new blood and resuscitation before it dies, taking the rest of GA with it.

I thought a starting point might be to better understand the importance of MRO’s and how they fit into the GA picture. With better understanding we can all help this vital sector remain strong, safe and, who knows, maybe even grow?

There is any number of organisations that can be classified under the MRO banner. The obvious are engine overhaul companies, aircraft maintenance organisations and parts suppliers who we have all dealt with at some point. There are also other engineering companies who deal with design and have maintenance approvals and even manufacturers who provide ongoing support for their aircraft once in the market. The trouble with understanding and regulating this sector starts simply because of this wide class of operators and their many and varied needs.

Just as aircrew take passengers’ lives into their responsibility, so too do MRO’s. The work completed during regular maintenance or a repair is vital to the ongoing safety of an aircraft and, left unattended, a maintenance issue can rear its head either a few hours or a few hundred hours down the track. In addition to regular maintenance, an MRO may have some engineering responsibility to assist in modifying an aircraft for the purposes of enhanced performance, an airworthiness directive, or in some cases even being responsible for creating a new airworthiness directive via CASA as the authority.

The wide scope of work performed under the MRO banner makes it a tricky area to administrate and govern: a problem faced daily by both operators and CASA. How, for instance, does one regulation cover a small two man maintenance organisation performing hundred hourly inspections and, at the same time, suit a large charter company with its own maintenance division or an engineer who consults to aircraft owners? There are many specialisations in the field of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, jobs which require lengthy training and, once again, that ever present responsibility for safety.

MRO’s fall under what was Civil Aviation Regulation (CAR) 30 and is being changed over to the new Civil Aviation Safety Regulation (CASR) 145 – pertaining to maintenance organisations. This CASA regulation covers current CAR 30 approval holders, current maintenance organisations and prospective maintenance organisations. The concerns long held by MRO’s seem to be mostly due to lack of an even application of the regulations and therefore an uneven and almost prohibitive playing field for participating businesses. The good news is that CASA is on the move to improve the regs and organisations like the Australian Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Business Association (AMROBA) are fighting to make it suit the unique needs of Australian MRO’s.

Of greatest concern to those involved is the issue of attracting, training and keeping participants. The average age of Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers in Australia is becoming higher every day, reflecting the lack of young people training and coming into the industry.

How to attract new blood is a question no one has been able to answer properly to date, and it's not just MRO’s or CASA that are dealing with this issue. Trades in areas from carpentry to electronics are suffering the same under a booming economy.

Another issue faced by Maintenance organisations is one of contrast between GA and the less regulated Recreational Aviation. RA is ground-breaking in the freedom and understanding it gives its pilots and aircraft owners with regards to regular maintenance and RA generally doesn’t seem to suffer the regulatory babble often felt by MRO’s. The question of how to level this playing field is a bit beyond the scope of this overview, but it must be pointed out that this is a big issue within the industry today.

On the upside, the demand for LAMEs and such means good money is there once a young person gains their qualifications. Most operators will tell you the speed hump is somewhere during that training period where the cost to the student and teacher becomes more than a business can bear. The call is out for CASA to ease the financial pressure in order to smooth the speed hump and allow the heroes that are good enough to take on an apprentice to do it without dragging their business into the dirt.

Beyond the industry is a need for improved education of young people about pursuing aviation as a career. Kids aren’t thinking of it as a career path and that is an issue that must also be addressed. The question to be asked is who should be doing the educating and incurring the cost and how do we educate young people about the many and varied rolls that can be undertaken in the fields of maintenance, repair and overhaul? Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers are in short supply, but what is it that is so great about the job and how do you attract people to an industry that pays so poorly? The questions never end but without answers there is soon to be only a handful of 80 year old LAMEs left in Australia.

Within MRO’s there is any number of positions from basic maintainers to highly specialised avionics technicians and engineers. Take, for example, the much needed and often overlooked LAME. To become a Licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineer in Australia you must be over 21 years of age and have had at least four years experience in aircraft maintenance or aircraft component maintenance. You must also have had at least two years experience in the category that the license is for. A category is classed as Airframe, Engine or Electrical, Instrument and Radio.

You then need to have completed the appropriate CASA endorsed type training course for the aircraft you will work on. Prior to completing aircraft type training you must have all of the Basic Knowledge requirements for the license rating. Basic knowledge is related to things such as aircraft systems, structures and theory of flight. You must demonstrate to CASA practical experience on the aircraft type that the licence is sought on before submitting an application to CASA for a license.

CASA describes the term LAME as, ‘Many aviation professionals holding suitable qualifications in either an avionic and/or mechanical discipline are licensed by CASA so they may certify that work has been properly completed by signing a document, after completion of maintenance, to release the aircraft back into service.’ Not exactly an inspiring description.

Perhaps we could start thinking of MRO’s as the doctors and hospitals for the skies. After all they are responsible for our lives, for the health of our aircraft and the ongoing productiveness of the industry. The people involved should be thought of as GP’s, surgeons and specialists, all qualified to perform a specific and vital role in our health. Maintenance hangars can be hospitals and line maintenance can be thought of as physio or a quick check up. With a new level of respect from aircraft owners, operators and CASA, maybe we can attract more new recruits to the industry, because who doesn’t like being given a bit of credit for a job well done?