NATA News

The most recent long-term FAA reauthorization act, the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-176), expired on September 30, 2007. Although the House and Senate passed FAA reauthorization bills this year, the final bill is being delayed in the Senate due to a provision that would significantly increase the number of long-distance flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The provision is strongly opposed by Members of Congress and Senators who represent the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. They argue it would create a burden on DCA by creating congestion at terminals and that it would siphon passengers away from Washington Dulles International Airport. 

Without a long-term FAA bill, major aviation projects such as NextGen and the jobs they would create remain on hold. It is uncertain whether the opportunity for final passage of the bill will present itself after the federal elections.

Plan to Succeed - The NATA FBO Leadership Conference (FBOLC) sessions on security and grant assurances, the industry economic forecast and the AvGas update, as well as the NATA/NBAA session on how to maximize your time at the S&D Conference, will provide information you need to stay on the leading edge of the industry.

Gain Leadership Insight - Join top general aviation and shared aircraft ownership management leaders as they share their views on the current status of and future prospects for the industry.

Expand Your Business Horizons - Take time at the NATA FBOLC social events, NBAA's S&D Conference and the NATA Safety 1st session to find out how best to serve your customers' needs and challenges.

NATA's FBOLC was uniquely designed from the ground up for the leaders of FBOs of all sizes to gather, share best practices, and have a little fun along the way. Visit www.nata.aero/fbolc for more details and to register. 

Watch your mail for the FBOLC post card!

The FAA has published in the Federal Register a proposed policy on residential through-the-fence (RTTF) agreements. The proposed policy was the result of an extensive policy review conducted after objections were received to a draft compliance guide letter circulated late last year. During the policy review, the FAA received comments from industry stakeholders and also held site visits at several airports where RTTF agreements are in place.

The proposed policy maintains the position that RTTF agreements are harmful to the future utility of publicly funded airports and would prohibit new agreements. The policy does account for the fact that RTTF agreements are in place at multiple public-use airports around the nation. The existing RTTF agreements will be allowed to remain in place under tighter rules for airport sponsor oversight and control. Stricter standards will be applied in the event these existing RTTF agreements need to be renewed or modified.

In response to the release of the proposed policy, NATA has published a regulatory report that outlines the details of the policy. Additionally, NATA Director of Regulatory Affairs Michael France addressed the topic in last week's Policy Playbook Blog.

Testifying before the committee, NATA President James K. Coyne stated, "NATA agrees with the FAA that the primary reason for not allowing new RTTF agreements is to ensure the future utility of federally funded airports. Investments in airports, made through the Airport Improvement Program or through federal surplus property grants, are intended to enhance the flexibility of airports to meet the future needs, in both capacity and type of operations, of the National Airspace System. Due to the intrinsic nature of residential properties, as compared to commercial properties, RTTF agreements limit the flexibility of airport sponsors to expand according to the needs of the community. NATA believes that the FAA has made an overwhelming case for prohibiting new RTTF agreements, and supports its proposal."

Representative Sam Graves (R-MO), a proponent of RTTF, introduced H.R. 4815 with hopes of finding a compromise to the RTTF issue. "I firmly believe residential TTF agreements can safely and efficiently coexist with GA airports now and in the future," Graves stated. "I also believe the federal government should protect its investments. However, I don't think the agreements we are discussing today adversely or without exception affect an airport's authority, its ability to operate, or the FAA's ability to protect its investment."

Representative James Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, stated that it is important "for all sides to find common ground and to ensure that the policy that emerges from the FAA's September 9 proposal reflects both the nation's interest in maintaining a healthy, functioning airport system" and the interests of those who view RTTF as a way to enjoy their land and hobby.

NATA believes that the FAA has proposed a policy that well serves the long-term interests of public-use airports, airport businesses and the public. "Any attempt to override that policy by statute could result in unintended consequences that damage the future of the airport as well as the future of all grant assurances," Coyne concluded.

Along with Coyne, those who testified before the committee were U.S. House Representative Kurt Schrader (D-OR); Catherine Lang, acting associate administrator - office of airports for the FAA; Carol Comer, aviation programs manager for the Georgia Department of Transportation; Mitch Swecker, state airports manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation; Ann Crook, airport manager at Elmira Corning Regional Airport; and Dr. Brent Blue, founder of Throughthefence.org.

To read the testimony and watch the hearing, click here.

To read NATA's press release, click here.

NATA submitted formal comments to the board opposing the proposal and participated in the public meeting via teleconference. During the meeting, the board discussed a legal opinion on the matter it had received from the Arizona Attorney General's Office and received comment from the public. Several members of the board expressed concern over the fact that a significant amount of prepaid tuition had been lost by flight training students in recent years when their schools went out of business. However, the majority of the board felt that flight training activities conducted under Part 61 fell outside the statutory requirements for being defined as private vocational programs.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the board passed a motion determining that flight training conducted under Part 61 did not fall within the board's regulatory authority.

NATA has released its 2010 annual survey report of general aviation service employee compensation. The report includes salaries and benefits for pilots, line-service personnel and maintenance technicians.

Employee compensation is broken down by geographic region of the country, by the company's gross sales, by size of the town or city in which the company is located and by the number of employees in the company. In addition to pilots and maintenance technicians, the report includes compensation for inspectors and line service and customer service representatives, among others.

Association Research Inc., a leading economic research firm based in Rockville, Maryland, conducted the salary study. For privacy reasons, none of the individual responses are provided to NATA.

The report is provided at no cost to NATA members who participated in the survey. The downloadable pdf version is available at a cost of $125 for non-participating members and $299 for non-NATA members. There is an additional $25 charge to receive a hardcopy of the report.

A copy of the report may be purchased on the NATA Web site at www.nata.aero in the NATA Store.

The NATA Safety 1st flight crew briefings are customized online training tools that give pilots and other flight crew members flying into and out of an airport access to critical safety information about the airport, including its location, layout, operations, regulations, and safety and security procedures. Flight crew briefings for Teterboro Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport were launched in the past two years and have recorded more than 300,000 views between the two sites. Recently, FltPlan.com agreed to post a link on their Web site to each of the briefings. Look for the "Flight Crew Briefings" image near the top of the Newark and Teterboro pages to access training from the FltPlan.com site.

Visit www.nata.aero/flightcrewbriefings for more details on the briefings, including information on how you can sponsor one at your airport.

NATA will host the association's 2010 Fall Committee Meetings on October 18 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia, in conjunction with the NBAA 63rd Annual Meeting and Convention. All association members are invited to attend these meetings. Please register online by clicking here or email NATA's Martha Bozzi at mbozzi@nata.aero to obtain a printed participation form and complete and return it to Celeste Clark via email or fax at (703) 845-8176.

Agendas for these committee meetings are available at the links that follow:

Air Charter Committee

Aircraft Maintenance and System Technology Committee

Airports Committee

Business Management Committee

Environmental Committee

Safety & Security Committee

Your hotel reservations must be made through the NBAA housing Web site, accessible by clicking here. Those also planning to attend the NBAA Annual Convention & Trade Show must register for that event through NBAA.

Dress for the meeting is business casual.

We hope you plan to join us for these meetings.

Veteran aviation writer, editor and pilot Mac McClellan will be a featured guest speaker at the Ft. Lauderdale FBO Success Seminar on October 5-7. Over the past 30 plus years, Mac has flown just about every general aviation aircraft introduced into the marketplace. Through the process of evaluating aircraft, he has encountered both good and bad FBO service and will share his experiences from a pilot's perspective.

NATA's FBO Success Seminar in Ft. Lauderdale will also feature a comprehensive session with a special focus on fueling. As part of this acclaimed event, several major oil companies and third-party fuel brokers will participate in a lively roundtable discussion and field questions from FBO owners and operators in attendance.

Click here for a full list of topics to be covered.

FBO Success Guest Speaker: J. Mac McClellan

Mac has been a pilot for 37 years and an aviation writer for more than 30. He holds an ATP certificate with type ratings in Learjets and Citations. He also has a commercial helicopter pilot license and is a certified instrument flight instructor. Mac began his aviation writing career in 1976 with Business & Commercial Aviation, which, at the time, was a companion to Flying. Mac was technical editor at B/CA and moved over to Flying in 1980 with the same title. During his years at Flying, Mac was based in Kansas City and Grand Haven, Michigan, before returning to the main office, then in Greenwich, Connecticut, to become editor-in-chief in 1990.

Mac has logged more than 10,000 hours flying virtually every current general aviation aircraft type, and many not-so-current classics and antiques. In fact, his first airplane was a Cessna 140 that was manufactured two years before his birth. He now travels primarily in his Beech Baron.

FBO Success Seminar speakers presented a FREE FBO Success Preview Webinar last week. If you missed it or want to share the information with colleagues, click here for the recording of the preview.

Register today!