| Topics in this Volume
 In Response To GA Petition, White House Defends Need For User Fees |
In response to general aviation petition, "Take Aviation User Fees Off the Table", which had nearly 9,000 signatures, the White House sent a response defending their position on the need for aviation user fees. The response stated “in a challenging budget environment, the Obama Administration believes it’s essential that those who benefit from our world-class aviation system help pay for its ongoing operation. And we want to ensure that everyone is paying their fair share. For example, under current law, a large commercial aircraft flying from Los Angeles to San Francisco pays between twenty-one and thirty-three times the fuel taxes paid by a corporate jet flying the same route and using the same FAA air traffic services. This is why the Administration proposed to establish a new surcharge for air traffic services.”
“The Obama Administration continues to promote policies and regulations detrimental to America’s aviation businesses,” stated NATA President and CEO James K. Coyne. “General aviation contributes $150 billion to our nation’s economy and supports 1.3 million jobs in America, a substantial impact to our economy.”
According to the Obama Administration, the $100 per flight user fee proposal would generate an estimated $11 billion over 10 years, helping to reduce the deficit and more equitably sharing the cost of air traffic services across the aviation user community. All piston aircraft, military aircraft, public aircraft, air ambulances, aircraft operating outside of controlled airspace, and Canada-to-Canada flights would be exempted.
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| NATA Raises Funds For Combat Wounded |
NATA has partnered once again with the Veterans Airlift Command (VAC) to raise funds for their mission supporting our combat wounded. The VAC is a charitable organization that provides free air transportation to wounded warriors, veterans, and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes. NATA and VAC established a special fund last year, NATA Wings for Warriors, for NATA members and friends to contribute to the organization. This year, NATA's support of VAC has been expanded throughout all of the association's major 2012 events.
VAC was founded by retired U.S. Army helicopter pilot Walt Fricke, who grew the VAC mission from a single volunteer aircraft owner and pilot, himself, into a national network consisting of over 1700 volunteer aircraft owners and pilots.
When wounded warriors return from the battlefield, they are often in need of ongoing medical treatment far from their homes, loved ones, and comrades. VAC coordinates the transportation of wounded veterans and their families all over the country, utilizing a network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots who have generously donated their time and equipment to support the activities of the VAC. In fact, these flights are now recognized under the official FAA call sign "Hero Flight," which air traffic control grant priority handling whenever possible.
"The VAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization," said VAC CEO and Founder Walt Fricke. "Donations are absolutely crucial to maintaining our national network of pilots and aircraft owners, in order to facilitate their missions. And, with our target of doubling the size of our turbine/jet volunteer fleet over the next 18 months, we look forward to partnering with organizations such as NATA to help us in accomplishing this vital goal."
What can you do to help?
- Make a personal or corporate contribution to the NATA Wings for Warriors fund by clicking here.
- Share the VAC mission with fractional share owners and card program members. Ask them to donate unused flight hours to the VAC.
- Give a corporate gift of flight hours to the VAC.
"We are honored to bring awareness to the Veterans Airlift Command and its important mission," said NATA President and CEO James K. Coyne. "We encourage our members to consider not only making financial donations, but also offering aircraft and pilots for VAC flights; even a few hours a year would be a gracious contribution to VAC."
VAC will have a booth at the NATA FBO Leadership Conference to be held March 28-29 in Washington, D.C. and the NATA Air Charter Summit to be held June 11-13 in Dulles, VA. Visit www.nata.aero/events for more information on these events.
Visit http://www.veteransairlift.blogspot.com/ for the latest news on the VAC and to read stories from veterans and their families regarding the critical work of the VAC.
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NATA Compliance Services Renews Its Partnership With TSA For General And Commercial Aviation Security
Partnership Enters Its Second Decade With New Pact |
Late last month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) approved a five-year extension of its partnership with NATA Compliance Services (NATACS) to provide security across a broad range of programs for the critical general aviation sector. The agreement authorizes NATACS to continue as a Trusted Fingerprint Facility to process Biographical and Biometric information for General Aviation and Commercial Aviation populations worldwide.
NATACS has partnered with the TSA since 2002. Under the revised and extended agreement its work for the agency can continue until December 2016. NATACS is a partially owned subsidiary of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), the leading organization for the air charter industry in the U.S.
Under the agreement, NATACS will provide all pre-enrollment, enrollment, fingerprint collection, and secure data transmission for TSA-conducted background checks on tens of thousands of aircrew members and flight students each year. NATACS retains its designation as a Trusted Fingerprint Facility.
NATACS ensures that all TSA security requirements are adhered to so the agency can conduct background checks to determine whether known or potential terrorists are seeking access to general aviation facilities. NATACS manages a workforce of more than 200 certified enrollment specialists worldwide who conduct collections for regulated parties in industry.
"We are honored to continue our work with the TSA and to have received this extension. NATACS exists to help the TSA carry out its security mission and ensure industry compliance with strict requirements, all while minimizing costs and the impact on commerce,” said Michael Sundheim, CEO of NATACS. “NATACS looks forward to an ongoing, strong partnership with the TSA in the coming years."
The programs NATACS helps industry comply with include:
- Part 135 on-demand air charter operators participating in the Twelve-Five Standard Security Program, Private Charter Standard Security Program and DCA Access Standard Security Program
- Flight training facilities participating in the Alien Flight Student Program
- Part 145 repair stations
- Fixed base operators
- Part 91k fractional ownership operators
- General aviation airports
The agreement also provides NATACS with the authority to collect fingerprints for employees and contractors of commercial airports and air carriers.
For more information, please visit www.natacs.aero.
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| President Obama Announces Federal Agency Consolidation Proposal |
President Barack Obama called on Congress to let him streamline the executive branch by consolidating six agencies dealing with trade and commerce to give businesses a single government contact point. The President’s proposal would eliminate the Commerce Department and consolidate its core functions in a new, unnamed department that would include the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export- Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corp., the Trade and Development Agency and the Small Business Administration.
The department also would include a new Division of Statistics housing the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which reports monthly unemployment figures, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which tracks data from the gross domestic product and consumer spending to corporate profit to the balance of trade. Under his proposal, Congress would then be able to give an up-or-down vote on the plan in 90 days.
“We live in a 21st century economy, but we’ve still got a government organized for the 20th century,” Obama said. “With this authority, we could help businesses grow, save businesses time, and save taxpayer dollars.”
Obama has made the administrator of the Small Business Administration, Karen Mills, a member of his Cabinet, a move that doesn’t require congressional approval. The consolidation effort could lead to the loss of 1,000 to 2,000 government jobs, which would be achieved through attrition, according to Jeffrey Zients, the deputy budget director, who was tapped to lead the effort to develop a proposal. The goal is to save $3 billion over 10 years. The proposal was released as the Republican presidential candidates seeking to challenge him in November are promising to shrink the size of government and cut spending. Republicans in Congress promised to consider Obama’s proposal while expressing skepticism about his commitment to trimming the federal bureaucracy.
U.S. Representative Sam Graves (R-MO), Chairman of the House Small Business Committee and Co-Chairman of the General Aviation Caucus stated “I welcome any effort by the President to exercise fiscal responsibility, especially after an unprecedented expansion of government over the last few years. Decreasing the size of government and reducing bureaucracy is something that I support in principle, however, it is important that any effort to make significant changes to federal commerce and trade programs must be done carefully, and in a way that protects America’s small businesses.”
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| Kansas Congressman Launches Website To Support General Aviation |
U.S. House Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS) launched a Web site, www.AMERICAFLIES.us to gather signatures for a letter petitioning President Obama on the importance of the general aviation industry. Since taking office President Obama has consistently criticized general aviation and has proposed onerous policies to stifle the industry at the risk of losing valuable American jobs.
In addition, Rep. Pompeo is also collecting personal stories to highlight the vital importance of general aviation to our communities. He’ll share these with President Obama and the national media to help the public gain a better understanding of the industry. To write your stories, click here. To read and browse the stories of others, click here.
Help make a difference today by signing the petition and encouraging others to do the same.
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| FAA Makes Positive Change To Takeoff Minimum Rule |
Last week, the FAA published a direct final rule that will allow qualified Part 135 operators to conduct lower-than-standard takeoffs at military and foreign airports if they have received the proper Operations Specification (OpSpec).
The regulatory language currently at § 135.225 (f) limits operations to standard takeoff minimums at military airports and airports outside the United States.
By making the change to § 135.225 (f), the FAA will be able to allow Part 135 operators that have obtained OpSpec C079 to use that authority at military and foreign airports.
More information is available in NATA’s Regulatory Report.
Staff Contact: Jacqueline Rosser
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| FAA Seeks Comments On Part 135 New-Hire Training Guidance |
The FAA has published draft guidance explaining operator options for crafting Initial New Hire (INH) training programs for pilots who may have previous aircraft or air carrier experience.
For over a year, the requirements for training newly hired pilots who have prior experience have been unclear as some FAA inspectors were requiring a full INH program even for those pilots who are current and qualified on the aircraft and who have current Part 135 experience. In contrast, many operators were previously permitted to provide some sort of “credit” to experienced pilots.
The information contained in the draft notice may be a significant change for some operators. NATA is pleased the FAA is providing an opportunity for industry to comment on the notice and will coordinate with the association’s Air Charter Committee members in developing NATA’s comments.
More information is available in NATA’s Regulatory Report.
Staff Contact: Jacqueline Rosser
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| NATA’s Safety 1st Ground Audit |
NATA established the NATA Safety 1st Ground Audit Standard to promote industry best practices and Safety Management Systems development among ground handling providers in response to member requests for a safety standard and rating for FBOs. This audit standard is the first published audit for FBOs and other ground-handling service providers. NATA’s Safety & Security Committee, which includes representatives from large and small FBOs, on-demand charter operators, fractional program managers, insurance brokers, fuel companies, and more, was instrumental in drafting this important new audit standard.
As an NATA member, you have expressed concern that your companies are subject to numerous audits by charter operators, fractional ownership program managers and many other consumers. The preparation and hosting of these audits drains both staff time and resources to accommodate the various audits, which range in complexity from completing and returning an electronic self-audit form to a multi-day on-site audit. The requirements of each auditing company vary greatly, making preparation for the audits a year-round necessity.
Find out more about NATA’s Safety 1st Ground Audit by clicking here.
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| January 26 Webinar – Negotiating Aviation Agreements |
We will explore standard customer and vendor agreements used in FBO, Part 135 and Part 145 operations at airports, including key terms and conditions, and pointers on how to negotiate favorable terms. We will also discuss indemnity issues and how this one issue can make or break your business.
Webinar attendees will find out the following:
- What is a contract?
- What contracts are enforceable?
- What is authority?
- What laws govern a contract?
- What is a lease?
- What is a license agreement?
Speaker: Leonard Kirsch, Esq., McBreen & Kopko
Date/Time: January 26, 2012, at 12:00 EST
Register today at www.nata.aero/webinars.
NATA's E-learn program is designed to enhance your education from the convenience of your site. E-learn includes several webinars specially priced at $49.95 as well as free policy and event preview webinars. The registration rate for the scheduled webinars includes participation for one computer/connection in the live webinar, a copy of the presentations and any additional materials. These 60-minute webinars complement NATA's networking summit, conference and seminars by bringing experts on the hottest topics to you throughout the year. Archived webinar recordings along with a pdf of the presentation slides may be purchased by clicking here.
Visit www.nata.aero/webinars frequently for upcoming webinars.
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EPA’s SPCC Rule Article In ABJ
Learn More at NATA’s Environmental Compliance Seminar |
Most FBO or aviation facility managers have at least heard of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) plan requirements. Some managers also know that the rules affecting SPCC plan development and implementation have undergone several changes over the last nine years and that the deadline for compliance was November 10, 2011.
Now that the November 2011 compliance deadline has passed, it would be reasonable to expect EPA inspections of aviation facilities to increase. Fines can be significant and inspectors can issue fines on the spot or can utilize higher fines as they progress up the EPA management ladder. EPA inspectors can also simply issue a Notice of Violation (NOV) and require the facility to correct deficiencies within a certain time period. Recent fines for SPCC rule violations have ranged from a few thousand dollars to more than $100,000.
For more information on SPCC compliance, click here to read the Q4 2011 Aviation Business Journal article by George Gamble and Michael France. You may also be interested in registering for the Environmental Compliance Seminar for Aviation Facilities to be held at NATA's Spring Training Week in Las Vegas. Visit www.nata.aero/springtraining for more details on this seminar.
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| Visit Booth 1012 At Schedulers And Dispatchers To Talk With NATA Staffers In San Diego Monday And Tuesday |
Stop by booth 1012 to visit us at NBAA’s Schedulers and Dispatchers (S & D) Conference. You will see Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) staffers Bryan Burns and Russ Lawton and NATA staffers Shannon Chambers, Daniel Gurley, Amy Koranda, and Elizabeth Nicholson. We will have materials and information on membership, ACSF activities, Spring Training and Safety 1st for 2012 available.
NATA staffers will also visit member booths to distribute NATA’s Safety 1st counter cards to Safety 1st participants and to find out your needs in the New Year.
We look forward to talking with you during S & D. See you in San Diego!
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| NATA Environmental Compliance Minute – Refueler Trucks |
The newest edition of the NATA Environmental Compliance Minute is now available.
A mobile refueler truck is one of an FBO’s most valuable pieces of equipment, and it often represents a significant expense. These trucks typically perform the bulk of the work providing fuel on an FBO ramp. However, mobile refuelers also present the potential for environmental damage or liability, through fuel spills or leaking of fuel.
In this episode of the NATA Environmental Compliance Minute, presenter George Gamble of 2G Environmental discusses the important environmental issues to consider regarding mobile refuelers.
Click Here To Watch The NATA Environmental Compliance Minute
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| NATA Offices Closed Monday, January 16 |
NATA’s offices will be closed today, January 16, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Normal office hours will resume on Tuesday, January 17.
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