661 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 145.160 

(1) Thoroughly familiar with the ap-

plicable regulations in this chapter and 
with the inspection methods, tech-
niques, practices, aids, equipment, and 
tools used to determine the airworthi-
ness of the article on which mainte-
nance, preventive maintenance, or al-
terations are being performed; and 

(2) Proficient in using the various 

types of inspection equipment and vis-
ual inspection aids appropriate for the 
article being inspected. 

(b) A certificated repair station must 

ensure its inspectors understand, read, 
and write English. 

[Doc. No. FAA–1999–5836, 66 FR 41117, Aug. 6, 
2001, as amended by Amdt. 145–30, 79 FR 
46985, Aug. 12, 2014] 

§ 145.157 Personnel authorized to ap-

prove an article for return to serv-
ice. 

(a) A certificated repair station lo-

cated inside the United States must en-
sure each person authorized to approve 
an article for return to service under 
the repair station certificate and oper-
ations specifications is appropriately 
certificated as a mechanic or repair-
man under part 65. 

(b) A certificated repair station lo-

cated outside the United States must 
ensure each person authorized to ap-
prove an article for return to service 
under the repair station certificate and 
operations specifications is— 

(1) Trained in or has 18 months prac-

tical experience with the methods, 
techniques, practices, aids, equipment, 
and tools used to perform the mainte-
nance, preventive maintenance, or al-
terations; and 

(2) Thoroughly familiar with the ap-

plicable regulations in this chapter and 
proficient in the use of the various in-
spection methods, techniques, prac-
tices, aids, equipment, and tools appro-
priate for the work being performed 
and approved for return to service. 

(c) A certificated repair station must 

ensure each person authorized to ap-
prove an article for return to service 
understands, reads, and writes English. 

[Doc. No. FAA–1999–5836, 66 FR 41117, Aug. 6, 
2001, as amended by Amdt. 145–30, 79 FR 
46985, Aug. 12, 2014] 

§ 145.159 Recommendation of a person 

for certification as a repairman. 

A certificated repair station that 

chooses to use repairmen to meet the 
applicable personnel requirements of 
this part must certify in a format ac-
ceptable to the FAA that each person 
recommended for certification as a re-
pairman— 

(a) Is employed by the repair station, 

and 

(b) Meets the eligibility requirements 

of § 65.101. 

§ 145.160 Employment of former FAA 

employees. 

(a) Except as specified in paragraph 

(c) of this section, no holder of a repair 
station certificate may knowingly em-
ploy or make a contractual arrange-
ment which permits an individual to 
act as an agent or representative of the 
certificate holder in any matter before 
the Federal Aviation Administration if 
the individual, in the preceding 2 
years— 

(1) Served as, or was directly respon-

sible for the oversight of, a Flight 
Standards Service aviation safety in-
spector; and 

(2) Had direct responsibility to in-

spect, or oversee the inspection of, the 
operations of the certificate holder. 

(b) For the purpose of this section, an 

individual shall be considered to be 
acting as an agent or representative of 
a certificate holder in a matter before 
the agency if the individual makes any 
written or oral communication on be-
half of the certificate holder to the 
agency (or any of its officers or em-
ployees) in connection with a par-
ticular matter, whether or not involv-
ing a specific party and without regard 
to whether the individual has partici-
pated in, or had responsibility for, the 
particular matter while serving as a 
Flight Standards Service aviation safe-
ty inspector. 

(c) The provisions of this section do 

not prohibit a holder of a repair station 
certificate from knowingly employing 
or making a contractual arrangement 
which permits an individual to act as 
an agent or representative of the cer-
tificate holder in any matter before the 
Federal Aviation Administration if the