The WERX lab at Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research
is officially certified as a Repair Station Operator. This week the lab received its
Part 145 certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
According to FAA terms: A Repair Station is any maintenance facility that has a certificate issued by the
FAA under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 145 and is engaged
in the maintenance, inspection and alteration of aircraft and aircraft products….
The repair station certificate is an "Air Agency Certificate" that refers to the aircraft
repair services and tasks that a repair station is authorized to perform. An FAA repair
station can only perform the functions necessary to inspect, repair, replace, or overhaul
those aviation articles for which it has been approved.
NIAR WERX is approved for Limited Airframe and Limited Engine.
Earlier this year, the WERX Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) team received delivery
of two Boeing 737 aircraft for modification. The aircraft are part of a yearlong project
with Virginia-based Dynamic Aviation to modify three 737 aircraft for a special-mission
program.
These are the first commercial aircraft to undergo modification in the former Boeing
Air Force One modification facilities adjacent to McConnell Air Force Base.
NIAR WERX provides engineering services, aircraft modification, flight test/certification
and environmental testing services. The team consists of approximately 200 engineers,
100 aircraft mechanics and 45 students.
About NIAR NIAR provides research, testing, certification and training for aviation and manufacturing
technologies. Established in 1985, NIAR has a +$125 million annual budget; 850 staff
and nearly one million square feet of laboratory and office space in four locations
across the city of Wichita, the Air Capital of the World. NIAR laboratories include
Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Coatings, Advanced Manufacturing, Aging Aircraft,
Ballistics/Impact Dynamics, CAD/CAM, Composites/Advanced Materials, Crash Dynamics,
Environmental/Electromagnetic Test, Full-scale Structural Test, Nondestructive Test,
Reverse Engineering, Robotics/Automation, Virtual Engineering, eXtended Reality and
the Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel.
About Wichita State Wichita State University serves as the Kansas urban-based research university, enrolling more
than 15,000 students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita
State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in
the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),
Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of
applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one
of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing
over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
