AAR Discusses Safety, Exchanges Insights with FAA Aircraft Maintenance Leader

AAR CORP. hosted Jackie Black, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Division Manager for Aircraft Maintenance, at the Company’s Illinois-based facilities on May 20, 2025.

AAR welcomed Black to its Wood Dale-based headquarters to meet senior leadership and tour the Company’s onsite warehouse, from which it ships aviation parts to commercial and government customers worldwide.

Black then proceeded to the Company’s Rockford, Illinois, site—one of AAR’s six airframe maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities—where Corporate Safety leadership shared the framework behind AAR’s aviation safety successes.

The Rockford facility’s aviation maintenance inspection personnel and members of its Safety Management System (SMS) committee joined Black for a roundtable discussion on the benefits of a Companywide SMS program like AAR’s, the successes AAR has realized from a safety-driven culture and AAR’s innovative approaches to training and development. 

Participants and Black also exchanged insights on the state of aviation maintenance safety and discussed further opportunities for regulators to collaborate with companies like AAR.

Black’s visit to AAR’s Rockford facility included a Town Hall, during which operations were paused for the team of approximately 400 employees to learn more about the FAA’s priorities.

“AAR appreciates the opportunity for our frontline workers to share their perspectives and enthusiasm for safety with the FAA. As a company, we take every opportunity to advance safety in the industry and are grateful for the FAA’s collaboration across multiple initiatives,” said Art Smith, AAR’s chief quality officer.