FAA Works with MARPA to Improve the PMA Database

Looking for the PMA database? It was moved to the Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS) last year.

We recently heard from members who were upset because they believed that MARPA had asked for the PMA database to be moved, and then failed to tell our members of the plan. This was not the case. To be clear, the decision to move from the old PMA database to the new DRS structure was made by the FAA. It appears to have been expedited unexpectedly when the FAA breached the limits of their old database system. PMA was not supposed to be the first thing moved to the new DRS system, but reaching the limits of the old system forced the FAA to act quickly. It was not until after the move had happened that the industry knew that the move was taking place; and shortly thereafter, MARPA published guidance on how to find and navigate the new database.

MARPA acted quickly to reach out to the FAA and also to start gathering input from both members and non-members about the ways that the DRS implementation could be improved. The FAA, for its part, welcomed the input and made it very easy for us to work together on DRS improvements.

Special thanks are owed to the Chair of MARPA’s Ad Hoc DRS Committee, David Beal. David works for MARPA-member Sheffield Aerospace. David cooperated with the FAA to identify the changes that needed to be made and to ensure that those changes were accomplished. Some of the most significant changes included:

• Added the ability to search for replacement parts through an “Approved Replacement for Part Number” field (this is the way that many air carriers search for parts);
• Moved the status filter to the top (this is the filter that lets you choose whether you are viewing current or historical PMAs – if a PMA was previously valid but the company has since gone out of business or surrendered the PMA then you may need to check both “current” and “historical” to find it);
• Expanded the search scope so that users can type or copy/paste multiple part numbers into the search fields for multiple search results.