| Topics in this Volume
 Register Today For NATA’s 16th Annual Day On The Hill And Spring Committee Meetings |
NATA’s annual Day on the Hill event is a valuable opportunity for NATA members to visit with their Members of Congress to discuss issues important to the general aviation community, including the value of their business to that congressional district and state. This incredibly successful event includes, on average, 100 participants who meet with more than 150 Members of Congress and their staff. This event is a "grassroots army" approach to promoting key issues affecting the aviation business community.
The 16th Annual Day on the Hill will take place on Thursday, March 29. This year’s event begins with a luncheon at 12:00 noon at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, and appointments will run from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. You may register for the lunch and congressional visits by clicking here.
For questions regarding the Day on the Hill events, please contact NATA Director of Legislative Affairs Kristen Moore, kmoore@nata.aero or (703) 575-2058.
NATA will also hold the 2012 Spring Committee meetings on Friday, March 30, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The committee meetings are open to all NATA members. To learn more about these meetings, including how to register, please click here.
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| Inside Washington Blog |
NATA Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs Eric R. Byer offers his thoughts on why it is important for all members to participate in the association’s 16th Annual Day on the Hill event. To read Byer’s blog, please click here.
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| 2011 NATA Industry Excellence Awards Nominations Due Tomorrow! |
NATA will close its call for nominations to acknowledge the individuals, offices, and organizations demonstrating excellence in their field and the highest level of customer service to the general aviation community on January 31, 2012.
These awards cover five categories:
Airport Executive Partnership Award
Aviation Journalism Award
Excellence In Pilot Training Award
FAA Customer Service Excellence Award
ATP/NATA General Aviation Service Technician Award
The nomination form is available by clicking here. Members may also obtain a nomination form by calling the NATA headquarters at 800-808-6282 or by e-mailing Celeste Clark.
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| NATA AMT Employer Award Program Applications Due Tomorrow! |
Now is the time to take a few minutes from your busy schedule to download and complete your application for the 2012 NATA Aviation Maintenance Technician Employer Recognition Award program. The Aviation Maintenance Technician Employer Recognition Award program recognizes companies that encourage and support aviation maintenance technician (AMT) training. The award is based on the percentage of AMTs employed (directly or indirectly) by a company who participate in qualified training events. To be eligible to be counted, an employed AMT must complete at least 12 hours of training in a calendar year. The 2012 Aviation Maintenance Technician Employer Recognition Award covers training provided in calendar year 2011.
Download the award program information packet.
Download the Aviation Maintenance Technician Employer Recognition Award application.
For more information on the program, please contact Michael France at mfrance@nata.aero .
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| South Carolina Legislation Attempts To Prohibit FBOs From Charging Ramp Fees |
South Carolina State Senator Phil P. Leventis (D) introduced legislation, S. 1109, to prohibit fixed base operators in the state from charging a fee, including ramp fee, to aircraft that use their facility but do not purchase any services.
The bill was introduced on January 17, and has been referred to the Senate Transportation Committee. It’s imperative that we act in opposition to defeat this bill. NATA members in South Carolina are being asked to contact Senator Leventis as well as the Senators on the Transportation Committee in opposition to S. 1109.
Contact the members of the Senate Transportation Committee and send an opposition letter on S. 1109 letter today!
Click here to read NATA's Action Call and find out how you can act.
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| Read Michael France's Policy Playbook Blog Post "Nonsense In South Carolina" |
Responding to nonsense is tremendously more difficult than responding to a well reasoned argument. The latest nonsense in our industry emanates from the state house in South Carolina where State Senator Phil Leventis is attempting to make FBO ramp fees illegal.
Click here to read this blog post in its entirety.
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| Have An Issue? Promote It On NATA’s State Advocacy Network |
NATA recently launched its State Advocacy Network (SAN) to represent its members on the state and local level. The goal of the network is to stay ahead of pertinent legislation affecting aviation businesses so action can be taken to defeat erroneous legislative and regulatory policy. If you become aware of an issue in your state that requires NATA’s attention, contact us via email at SAN@nata.aero. For more information or to become a SAN volunteer in your state, visit www.nata.aero/SAN.
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| FAA Reauthorization Legislation Extended, Final Passage Imminent |
The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate unanimously approved an extension of FAA programs, clearing the way for negotiators to complete work on a final long-term FAA reauthorization bill.
Last week, one of the major hurdles holding up the bill from final passage, a controversial labor provision, was agreed upon by Republicans and Democrats on both sides of the Capitol.
The short-term extension (H.R. 3800) that expires on February 17, 2012, is the 23rd FAA stopgap since the last long-term FAA law expired in 2007.
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| Release of President’s Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Delayed |
The White House announced this week that it will release its budget a week late, on February 13, 2012. When asked about the delay, an administration official stated, “As in previous years, the date was determined based on the need to finalize decisions and technical details of the document.”
Republicans wasted little time in attacking President Obama for the delay. Former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director and now U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) issued a press release criticizing the administration for the looming federal deficit and for not outlining a clear vision of fiscal policy. Federal law stipulates the budget is to be released on the first Monday in February, but release last year was also delayed by the OMB.
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| Aviation Coalition Thanks Cabinet Secretaries For EU ETS Support |
NATA joined a coalition of aviation organizations in sending a letter to U.S. Department of State Secretary Hilary Clinton and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, thanking them for their letter of opposition to European Union (EU) officials regarding the European Trading Scheme. Along with commending the cabinet secretaries, the letter supports the administration’s next steps in blocking an international law from including U.S. air carriers.
The inclusion of airlines in the EU cap-and-trade program as of this year has sparked opposition from countries including the U.S., China and Russia, which said Europe should let the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization decide on greenhouse gas limits for the industry.
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| New Chief Counsel Joins FAA |
FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta announced last week that Kathryn Thomson will join the agency as its new chief counsel effective today. Thomson previously served as a counselor to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood.
According to Huerta, Thomson “has been invaluable in helping to formulate the DOT and broader U.S. government approach to responding to the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme. She also worked together with the FAA in helping to develop the Obama administration's Space Policy.”
Before joining the DOT, Thomson was a partner at the Sidley Austin law firm. Thomson received her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
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| Oklahoma And New Hampshire Governors Urge President Obama To Protect General Aviation |
On January 26, 2012, the Alliance for Aviation Across America announced that Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and New Hampshire Governor John Lynch sent separate letters to President Obama, urging his administration to recognize general aviation’s vital importance to international trade, national economies, and communities across the country. The governors’ letters come amid reports that the Obama administration will enforce a user fee tax on private aircraft.
In her letter, Governor Fallin highlights the many benefits general aviation provides to Oklahoma and every state, and that now is the time to support an industry that stimulates trade in the global market but that has been hit hard by the economic downturn.
Governor Lynch’s letter expresses concern for the economic burden that has been placed on general aviation over the past several years. These letters add to a growing list of state and local executives who have written the president in support of protecting general aviation
To read the Alliance for Aviation Across America’s press release, click here.
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| Spring Training Week In Las Vegas March 5-8 – Join One Seminar Or All For A Home Run |
NATA will hold its 4th annual Spring Training Week concurrently with Cygnus Aviation Expo in Las Vegas. This all-star line service training features NATA’s Line Service Supervisor Training , FBO Finance Fundamentals, NATA Safety 1st Trainer and Environmental Compliance seminars. It’s your chance to enhance your team’s skills, all in one place, maximizing their time and your training dollars.
NATA added the FBO Finance Fundamentals seminar to this year’s offerings because it’s important to learn how to use the numbers in a financial statement to move the business forward. This seminar will help members develop a level of competence in Management Accounting as opposed to Financial Accounting. Management accounting is the process of identifying, measuring, reporting and analyzing information about the economic events of the organization. The FBO Finance Fundamentals seminar will enable member company employees to take the information accountants provide and make decisions and develop strategies that improve the financial performance of a specific department, location, division or company.
NATA’s Environmental Compliance seminar is also coming to Las Vegas. This is the only seminar that focuses solely on environmental compliance issues confronting FBOs and general aviation airports. With mounting pressure from the media, the federal government and the public at-large, this seminar is designed to ensure that FBOs and general aviation airports are complying with environmental mandates that affect their daily operations. Why not spend one day reviewing all environmental issues and return to your operation ready to ensure your compliance?
Join NATA’s Spring Training team for one seminar or the entire lineup:
NATA’s Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar – March 5-6
NATA’s FBO Finance Fundamentals Seminar – March 6-7
NATA’s Safety 1st Trainer Seminar – March 7
NATA’s Environmental Compliance Seminar – March 8
Make 2012 your winning season!
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| Symposium Deadline Is February 8 |
“Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility” is the theme for this year’s Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Safety Symposium, to be held February 28-29 at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Training Center. The symposium will feature Dr. Tony Kern along with a full program of timely subjects and safety speakers.
Attendees at the two-day safety event will be able to network with other charter and fractional companies, and leaders from the NTSB and the FAA. The symposium will include an update on the ACSF’s upcoming aviation safety action program (ASAP), Industry Audit Standard and other safety initiatives.
Join the ACSF today and receive one FREE symposium registration. To register for the symposium, go to: www.acsf.aero/symposium
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