MARPA staff and members met with House and Senate staff from the Armed Services Committees to discuss the value that PMA parts can add to civilian derivative aircraft flown by the armed services.
MARPA joined MARPA members Chromalliy and Heico, as well as PMA ally Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA).
In a bipartisan move, members of the House and Senate agreed to statutory language that makes it easier for the United States to use PMA parts on United States aircraft. The next step is to establish language in the Source Approval Request (SAR) guidance. The SAR guidance provides the armed services with instructions about how to process potential vendors. A SAR is a technical data package submitted by a prospective supplier to prove they can manufacture a specific part to the same or better quality as the current approved source. This can entail a technical review that mirrors the technical review already performed by the FAA for PMA parts. Congress issued statutory language in December that requires the armed services to defer to the FAA’s determination of compliance unless there is a verifiable technical reason to invalidate the FAA’s technical rationale.
The committee staffers on Capital Hill were very helpful, and offered guidance on next steps for ensuring that Congressional intent can be accomplished. They recognized the readiness and supply chain advantages of PMA, and they also asked about the cost savings for the United States associated with multi-source competition.
