Maintenance and preventive maintenance training program

This regulation requires airlines (Part 121 certificate holders) and anyone doing maintenance work for them to establish a training program for their maintenance personnel. The program must ensure that everyone who evaluates whether maintenance work is adequate—including inspectors—stays current on procedures, techniques, and new equipment, and remains competent to do their job.

In practice, this means airlines can't simply hire qualified mechanics and assume they'll stay proficient. They must provide ongoing training as maintenance procedures evolve, new aircraft systems are introduced, or techniques change. This is particularly important for inspection personnel who sign off on work, since they're the final check ensuring aircraft are airworthy.

The regulation doesn't specify what the training must include or how often it occurs—that's left to each operator to determine based on their operation. However, the training program must be sufficient to keep maintenance personnel fully informed and competent in their duties.

*This is a plain-English summary for study only. The official 14 CFR text on this page is controlling — always read the current regulation and consult a CFI.*