PAMA, in coordination with generous industry partners, has made available three new opportunities for current and future aviation maintenance professionals.

Award winners will be announced at the Aerospace Maintenance Competition awards ceremony, taking place in conjunction with MRO Americas in Atlanta on April 11, 2019.

Future AMT Professional Award, provided by PistonPower™ by AEPC™ (AeroEngine Protection Corp.) 

This $1,000 award is provided to current or recent aviation maintenance students. Monetary Awards may be used towards the purchase of tools, tuition or other education-related expenses.

Aviation Mechanic Student Award, provided by JSfirm.com

This $1,500 award is provided to current or recent aviation maintenance students. Monetary Awards may be used towards the purchase of tools, tuition or other education-related expenses.

Recreational Pilot Certification, provided by Sporty’s Foundation
 
One award in the amount of $5,000 may be used to obtain a recreational or sport pilot certificate. Funds will be disbursed directly to the flight school.

For more information on supporting the maintenance professional awards and scholarships, email info@pama.org or contact PAMA scholarship chair Ron Zilberbrand.

The SoCal chapter provides scholarships to southern California residents currently enrolled in an A&P program, or seeking inspection authorization. 

Applications are due April 1, awards will be announced in June.

For more information and to apply, visit www.socalpama.org/scholarships/.

PAMA has joined industry allies urging the president and congressional leaders to end the U.S. government shutdown.

In its plea, the coalition highlighted the negative impacts created by personnel furloughs, including the degradation of moral for FAA personnel, the halting of certification and regulatory reform activities, hinderance and delays for mechanic testing, and stalls in workforce personnel training.

"This partial shutdown has already inflicted real damage to our nation’s aviation system and the impacts will only worsen over time,'' the letter says. "We urge you to act quickly to resolve these issues.''

Of the nearly 45,000 FAA personnel, roughly two thirds are currently working without pay, nearly all of those in air traffic control.

It is with sadness that PAMA shares the passing of Richard ("Mac") McVicar. Mac passed away on Saturday, December 15, 2018.  He was 91.

"Aviation was his life, Mac was talking about retirement but just couldn't do it," said John Stover, Mac's close friend and associate.

Mac grew up in Bergenfield, New Jersey and went into the Navy right after high school.  He held a commercial pilot single and multi-engine land, instrument, ground instructor and A&P certificate, and inspection authorization. He soloed in 1945 and got his A&P in 1947. He worked in the Teterboro area until 1964 when he moved to Randall Airport (06N) and opened up his own maintenance facility (MacVicar Aircraft Service). He was still working the week before his passing.

Mac was a member of PAMA, WAMA and the QB's. He was honored with the FAA Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award and the Teterboro PAMA Chapter Lifetime Achievement Award.
 
"Mac was a down to earth, straight forward, well-respected gentleman," says Clark Gordon, PAMA Secretary/Treasurer. "Humor and wit resonated from Mac. Always with a smile, he would look you in the eye while talking and listening to what you had to say."
 
Mac had deep knowledge of aviation in and around NJ and NY.  "It was always enjoyable to hear the history of airports long closed," said Gordon.

Mac co-wrote “The History of Aviation in Rockland County” published in 2015, and contributed to a website on Rockland airport history. More on Mac's life and contributions are highlighted in a July 2017 write up in AOPA magazine, and a YouTube video of Mac flying over his airport at age 86.
 
The aviation community lost a great man. The PAMA community will miss him.

If you know a very special flight instructor, maintenance technician, or FAASTeam representative, this is your chance to reward that aviation professional with the recognition he or she so richly deserves.

But you need to act fast! The deadline for submitting nominations and applications for the 2019 General Aviation Awards is November 30, 2018.

​For application forms and details on how to create an application packet, go to www.GeneralAviationAwards.com/nominations.

PAMA is a proud sponsor of the General Aviation Awards.

Get Black Friday savings Nov 12th – Nov 25th on dell.com. Use PAMA member ID 530011980801 to save more on top of select Black Friday Door Busters and sales up to 50% off.

 Jenks, OK (Nov. 13, 2018) — The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) and the Law Offices of Yodice Associates are pleased to announce a renewed partnership that will provide affordable legal services to aviation maintenance professionals.
 
The MxPro Legal Services Plan provides consultation and representation to mechanics and repairmen facing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enforcement action. PAMA members can take advantage of legal services provided under the program at the discounted annual rate of $125. Participants are encouraged to sign up by Jan. 1 to receive plan benefits for the coming year.
 
With more than 30 years’ experience representing airman in FAA enforcement actions, regulatory compliance matters, accident investigations, and aviation-related business issues, Yodice Associates Managing Partner Kathy Yodice is considered an expert in the field. As part of the partnership, Ms. Yodice will also provide informational articles and insights on aviation-related legal matters on the AMT Lawyer blog, available at https://www.pama.org/the-amt-laywer#/.
 
More information on the program is available at https://www.pama.org/mx-pro.html#/. To join PAMA, visit https://www.pama.org/join.html.
 
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About the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association: PAMA’s mission is to continuously improve aviation safety by promoting a high degree of professionalism among aviation maintenance personnel. Association activities focus on recognition, education, communication, collaboration and regulatory accountability from industry and government.
 
About the Law Offices of Yodice Associates: Founded in 1960, Yodice Associates is engaged in the private practice of law with special emphasis on aviation. The firm represents individuals and companies engaged in all manner of aviation-related activities and it administers several aviation-specific legal services plans, including MxPro.

The board of directors have approved the appointment of two new directors, both of which will serve two-year terms.

​See a directory of all our volunteer leaders at www.pama.org/leadership.

Gregory Feith is a former NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator and “Go-Team” captain, and spent more than 21 years with the Safety Board serving as the Investigator-In-Charge or U.S. Accredited Representative for numerous high profile aircraft accidents, including Valujet in the Florida Everglades; American Eagle ATR-72 in Roselawn; Korean Air Boeing 747 in Guam; among many others. He led a team of mountain climbers to 21,000 feet on Mt. Illimani in Bolivia to investigate Eastern Airlines Flight 980, the highest controlled-flight into terrain (CFIT) crash in aviation history.
 
Greg received a BS Degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; he holds Airline Transport Pilot (ATP), Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), Instrument Instructor (CFII), and Small Unmanned Vehicles pilot certificates. He has won numerous NTSB and aviation industry awards including the Aviation Week and Space Technology Laurel Award in 1996, and the 2001 ERAU Distinguished Alumni Award.
 
In addition, Greg is the Co-Inventor of the LapKidz (LapKidz.com), an aviation child safety restraint (ACSD) device for infant/toddlers under the age of 24 months; and he is a partner in In-Flight Labs (inflightlabs.com), a company that has developed a suite of “SMART” electronic systems which include SMART ELT, a distressed aircraft tracking system utilizing the on-board aircraft ELT.

Greg conducts safety lectures world-wide, appears regularly in aviation safety-related television programs such as MAYDAY, Seconds to Disaster, and Why Airplanes Crash, and he is the Aviation Safety Analyst for NBC News (winning a National Emmy Award as part of the NBC News team). In January 2016, Greg was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation, an elite group of professionals who have made significant contributions in aviation and aerospace.

Ric Peri has more than 45 years in aviation maintenance as a mechanic, instructor, writer, consultant and auditor. In his current role as vice president of government and industry affairs with the Aircraft Electronics Association, Peri advocates for the avionics and maintenance industries before the aviation authorities worldwide with a primary focus on the Americas, Europe and the South Pacific regions.

Peri has more than 20 years in association management and supports the AEA membership through consultation and advocacy of aviation issues, with an emphasis on global maintenance, manufacturing and certification regulations.  As an award-winning journalist, Peri has been communicating issues pertinent to the aviation industry since the mid-1980s in a wide range of aviation and engineering publications.

As an instructor, Peri has supported the aviation industry as adjunct professor at two universities and currently conducts organized training and education for the association’s membership. He also has been a guest speaker at several industry events worldwide.

Peri is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a USCG veteran having served in various maintenance and aircrew roles throughout his career.

Texas-based association representatives exhibited at the recent Aviation & Transportation Career Expo, which took place at the DFW airport, American Airlines Hanger #5 on Oct. 26, 2018.
 
The Expo is one of the largest educational events in north Texas and provides an opportunity for thousands of area students to see the latest technology and learn about aviation careers. Exhibitors highlighted myriad career opportunities, from piloting and maintaining a plane to managing a rail line and responding to emergencies.