Many people who move into a US repair station come from manufacturing, from an EASA environment or from another industry altogether. They need two things quickly: what the regulation requires, and where to learn the rules without starting from zero.
What the regulation requires
14 CFR 145.163(a): a certificated repair station „must have and use an employee training program approved by the FAA that consists of initial and recurrent training.“ 145.163(b) requires that the program ensures each employee assigned to maintenance, preventive maintenance, alterations or inspection is capable of performing the assigned task. Records: 145.163(c) — individual training documented in a format acceptable to the FAA and retained for at least two years. Revisions go to the responsible Flight Standards office under the manual procedure required by 145.209(e).
Human factors: a difference to EASA
EASA Part-145 requires human factors training, with continuation training in each two-year period (AMC2 145.A.30(e)). Under FAA Part 145, human factors content is strongly recommended in the approved program but is not a regulatory requirement, as FAA guidance discussed by ARSA has confirmed. People coming from Europe often assume the opposite.
Courses that suit newcomers
AEA — Certified Repair Station Training. Five days at AEA headquarters in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Topics: US regulations for repair stations (Part 145 and interfacing parts), preparing for an FAA audit using AC 145-5 and FAA Order 8900.1, and hands-on drafting of repair station manuals, quality control manuals and training programs. Price: USD 799 for AEA members, USD 899 for non-members. The January 11–15, 2027 session was listed as sold out at the time of writing, so watch for added dates.
ARSA — Part 145 Online Training Series. Four sessions covering subparts A and B, C, D and E of Part 145. The live sessions ended on August 26, 2026; recordings are available on demand, with individual hours or a discounted bundle.
My suggestion for a first 90 days
From my own experience working with teams that move into a US repair station: read Part 145 in full once (it is short), take one structured course, then read your own Repair Station Manual against 145.209. In that order. The course makes the manual readable.
Sources
- U.S. Government — 14 CFR 145.163 Training requirements, law.cornell.edu
- AEA — Certified Repair Station Training, course page, aea.net
- ARSA — Part 145 Training Series, arsa.org
- ARSA — FAA Releases Inspector Guidance on Human Factors Training Programs (6 September 2008), arsa.org
- Transport Malta — IAN 07 Human Factors Training, transport.gov.mt