The FAA has published information to clarify proper procedures for the acceptance of passenger-provided medical oxygen for on-board use. InFO 13005, “Acceptance of Passenger Supplied Medical Oxygen Onboard Aircraft,” explains that operators may be inappropriately accepting medical-use oxygen.
Oxygen is classified as a hazardous material and poses increased risk for combustion if inadvertently released. In general, the regulations prohibit passengers from providing their own compressed oxygen for use on-board an aircraft. Operators may elect to provide passengers with compressed oxygen if it is accomplished in accordance with § 135.91.
In lieu of compressed oxygen, passengers with a medical need for oxygen may use portable oxygen concentrators (POC) that are approved for aircraft use by the Department of Transportation and the FAA. Click here for a list of currently approved POCs.
All operators are encouraged to review InFO 13005 and ensure their operations are in compliance with applicable regulations.
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On Thursday, May 2nd, 70 Mayors from across the country submitted a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta outlining the negative effects to their respective communities should the contract tower program be shuttered. The letter was coordinated by the Alliance for Aviation Across America and emphasized the significant impacts these tower closures would have on their local economies and communities, and that tower closures would deter business development and competition.
“At a time when we as a nation should be focused on creating and supporting jobs, these closures will only serve to hamper business growth, while also potentially leaving even more hundreds upon thousands of workers unemployed,” the letter states. The Mayors also discuss aviation’s economic contributions to their communities, and that airports serve as a lifeline for the communities and their residents.
To read the Mayors’ letter to Administrator Huerta, and to view a press release from the Alliance, click here.
Currently, 149 contract towers are scheduled to close on June 15th. The U.S. Department of Transportation has not publicly announced its intention to use the authority recently provided to the Department by Congress to allow the transfer of existing funds to keep the towers operating through the end of this fiscal year, which is September 30th. NATA will keep you posted on any developments.
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 AIN Survey Webinar Highlights the Importance of Customer Service |
Last Wednesday, Curt Epstein and David Leach of Aviation International News (AIN) presented the results of the annual AIN FBO survey during a webinar hosted by NATA. Epstein and Leach explained how the survey is set up and shared some insights gained from the data collected. Most noticeably, as in previous years, the survey results stated customer service is vital when it comes to customer satisfaction.
AIN collected more than 12,000 FBO evaluations from 2,103 respondents. There were ratings for 1,777 FBOs from 89 countries. The survey asked respondents to rate their top three reasons for choosing a particular FBO, and 85% responded that customer service was most important, followed by fuel prices at 68% and passenger amenities at 37%. This just goes to show, with excellent customer service comes customer loyalty. And it seems FBOs are getting the hint! In 2011, only six FBOs received an overall rating of nine points or higher. This number increased to 9 in 2012 and 22 in 2013.
A free recording of the webinar is available. Click here to download. To view the full results of the AIN survey, visit www.ainonline.com.
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| Webinar to Address Third-Party Audit Problem Areas |
This Thursday, NATA is hosting the webinar Operational and Safety Audit “Gotchas” to discuss common third-party audit problem areas and frequent findings.
Lindsey McFarren, President of McFarren Aviation Consulting, will be the speaker. McFarren is a certified Air Charter Safety Foundation Industry Audit Standard auditor, International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations auditor, and NATA Ground Audit Standard auditor. She has conducted numerous third-party audits utilizing these standards as well as dozens of operational and safety assessments for Part 135 operators.
McFarren will share her experiences regarding common audit “gotchas” and overall problem areas, including policy versus procedure, flight and duty misunderstandings, training recordkeeping, and more. The webinar will deliver essential information for anyone with an operational or safety audit coming up this year.
Speakers: Lindsey McFarren, President of McFarren Aviation Consulting
When: May 9, 2013, @ 1:30 EDT
Click here to register.
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Aviation International News Online highlighted the NATA Safety 1st Ground Audit program last week in an article on APP Jet Center – Hayward’s completion of the program and listing on the audit registry. The article notes that the Safety 1st Ground Audit Standard “examines seven operating areas (relating to ground operations): management system, safety management system and quality assurance, training, standard operating procedures, security, occupational health and safety and environmental (compliance).” More information on the NATA Safety 1st Ground Audit Standard is available at www.nata.aero or by clicking here.
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| NATA Workers' Compensation Insurance™ Fact Of The Week |
Should you have a Return to Work program for your employees in case of injury? Most will recommend that you do. With your rates based on previous losses and time missed from work for your employees, every penny adds up. By offering light-duty or modified-duty, you could substantially lower your overall loss ratio and, in turn, your annual premium.
Have your agent contact our Workers’ Compensation Insurance program administrator, Beacon Aviation Insurance Services, at www.beaconais.com for assistance with this or any of your other insurance needs.
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