NATA News

NATA is calling on its members to contact their Members of Congress and urge them to write to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in opposition of efforts to impose commercial taxes on fees charged for aircraft management services.

Recently, the IRS issued a memo articulating a legal opinion justifying expanding the scope of operations covered by commercial taxes to include private general aviation operations when those operations involve the owner utilizing a company providing aircraft management services. In the past, the IRS has consistently considered operations conducted with the assistance of an aircraft management company to be private and subject to noncommercial taxes.

Click here to review the NATA Action Call for more information on this issue and how you can contact your Members of Congress.

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Subsequent to Congress’ return from its Spring Recess next week, the U.S. House of Representatives is slated to consider legislation to reauthorize programs at the Federal Highway Administration. While NATA continues to pursue aggressively the inclusion of a provision within this legislation that would repeal the onerous fuel fraud tax, the association is asking members to contact their Members of Congress THIS WEEK in support of this important provision.

The fuel fraud provision, which was originally included in the 2005 Highway Bill, changed the collection of taxes for non-commercial aviation jet fuel and required the funds to be deposited into the Highway Trust Fund. This diversion of aviation fuel tax revenue has cost the Airport and Airway Trust Fund approximately $50 million annually since the bill’s enactment and is anticipated to cost another $500 million over the next ten years. In addition, the process of filing for the 2.5-cent-per-gallon refund with the IRS has put an undue burden on aviation businesses although there is no substantial evidence to prove that fuel fraud is taking place.

To learn more about the action call and to get involved, please click here.

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NATA is working with the Massachusetts Airport Management Association (MAMA) to ensure that a mini-transportation reform bill and four recently-introduced house bills get passed in the state’s legislature.

The Corrective Changes Bill, House Bill (HB) 4011, introduced by Governor Deval Patrick on March 28, 2012, and supported by MAMA, would reduce costs, improve efficiencies and reduce budget deficits within the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Aviation (MassDOT). The bill has been referred to the Committee on Transportation.

A separate, but related bill, H.B. 1794: An Act Relative To The Airport Safety and Maintenance Program, would authorize the MassDOT Aviation Division to reimburse an airport sponsor for up to 95% of the total project costs that have been adjusted for federal reimbursement, if applicable.

HB 1795: An Act Relative to State Purchasing Power for Privately-Owned Public-Use Airports would allow any privately owned, public use airport to purchase airport safety, security and maintenance equipment from the state’s purchasing contracts/lists. Those airports would also be qualified to screen for and receive state surplus equipment and fixtures.

An Act Relative to the Massachusetts DOT Aviation Division Capital Expenditure Program, H.B. 1976, would allow the agency’s aviation division to roll over unspent capital expenditure program funding from year to year, as other transportation entities allow.

A budget bill, H.B. 1797: An Act Relative to the Massachusetts DOT Aviation Division Operating Budget, seeks to use aviation registration and avgas fuel tax revenues annually to fund its non capital operating budget.

All four house bills are currently being reviewed by the Joint Committee on Transportation. To contact your state legislators in support of these bills, please visit MAMA by clicking here.

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Register today for the 2012 NATA Air Charter Summit. The 2012 Air Charter Summit will be held June 11-13, at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly/Dulles, Virginia. The summit provides an important opportunity to learn about the Part 135 regulatory landscape straight from industry experts and government officials.

With a plethora of new rules and regulations on the horizon, one of the most important sessions at the summit will be a full FAA regulatory review panel. FAA representatives responsible for Part 135 oversight will provide attendees updates on current regulatory initiatives and details on the status of the industry and upcoming actions the FAA has planned for Part 135 operations. With new rules expected that deal with how you operate positioning, repositioning, or deadhead flights, it is important to hear from the FAA on these initiatives and get their estimates on timing so you can be prepared and involved in the crafting of those rules.

Other timely Air Charter Summit topics include:

• Adapting to New FAA Guidance for New Hire Pilot Training
• IRS Efforts to Expand Taxes to Charter Management Agreement Fees
• New Training Offerings from NATA

The Air Charter Summit is also a great opportunity to network with other charter companies around the country - meet new friends and connect with those you already know. To highlight our partnership with the Veterans Airlift Command (VAC), a charitable organization that gives free transportation to wounded veterans and their families for medical treatment or other needs, NATA is collaborating with the VAC to shake up our usual formal dinner. A fun social dinner is planned for Monday night featuring a raffle to benefit the VAC, with prizes including an iPad.

An optional tour of the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center will be available. Featured aviation artifacts on the tour include the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype of the 707; the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay; and the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane. The tour also features an overlook view at the new Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, where restoration is now underway on a Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver and where the museum is beginning restoration on a number of NASA artifacts destined for the Udvar-Hazy Center's James S. McDonnell Space Hangar, which currently features the Space Shuttle Enterprise, the Gemini VII space capsule, the Mobile Quarantine Unit used upon the return of the Apollo 11 crew, and a Redstone rocket.  

For more information, or to register, click here.

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On March 29, NATA Compliance Services (NATACS) became the primary customer service provider for all Transportation Security Administration general aviation security programs, including the Twelve-Five Standard Security Program, the Private Charter Standard Security Program, and the DCA Access Standard Security Program. The Transportation Security Clearinghouse had previously been the direct customer service provider.

Since 2002, NATACS has served the General Aviation Community in the collection and the submission of fingerprints and the posting of adjudication results that meet aviation security regulations. The NATACS team exists to provide aviation businesses with careful and prompt services that are focused on complying with the industry's personnel regulatory requirements. NATACS support staff is available Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 8 PM Eastern Time. User manuals are also available at here or click on support on the NATACS home page.

For your reference, contact information for NATACS follows: 

NATACS Contact Information
(Inside the US) 800 788 3210
(Outside the US) 703 842 5317
NATACS Homepage
info@natacs.aero

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Give your business an upper hand in 2012. NATA has produced publications that will assist its members in navigating two areas of upmost importance in general aviation. These publications not only contain essential guidance on important business issues, but also provide templates, samples and other resources. From now until Sunday, April 15, you can receive these publications at a presale price!

Community Relations Toolkit - Handbook for expanding community outreach efforts to airport neighbors and key stakeholders

Negotiating Aviation Agreements - Guidebook for FBOs and specialized aviation service operations doing business at general aviation airports

Place your order by April 15 and you can purchase both books for less than the cost of one at regular price if you purchase the Combo.

Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your knowledge on vital business topics. To purchase NATA's publications, click here. For more information and to view samples pages from the guidebooks, click here. If you have questions, please contact Jess Hammett at jhammett@nata.aero or 703-845-9000.

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NATA, along with ExcelAire and Jet Aviation, will hold Town Hall meetings on Wednesday, May 2, at Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), and Friday, May 11, at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI). The meetings will feature NATA President and CEO James K. Coyne, who will discuss critical issues in Washington and across the country that face America’s aviation businesses and airports.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
ExcelAire, Inc.
Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP)
2221 Smithtown Road
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
*lunch will be provided*

Friday, May 11, 2012 (time TBD)
Jet Aviation
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
1515 Perimeter Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406

“Town Hall meetings are a great way to interact with aviation businesses in your area and to discuss issues and concerns,” stated Coyne. “In addition, it is important to know how what is going on in Washington could affect your business and learn what NATA is doing to help.”

For more information and to RSVP to either event, contact Rebecca Mulholland at (703) 647-6407 or rmulholland@nata.aero.

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In the aviation industry, large age gaps between supervisors and employees can lead to a host of miscommunications, resulting in decreased productivity. In the webinar this Thursday, Generational Strangeness: Communicating Across The Ages, participants will learn strategies for communicating with co-workers of different generations. Christine Hill of ServiceElements, a customer service training company, will define and discuss communication tendencies of different generations. Participants will learn solutions to solving communication challenges across the ages.

This webinar is invaluable to anyone looking to increase work performance and work satisfaction among employees and the bottom line of the company.

Speaker: Christine Hill, ServiceElements
Date/Time: April 12, 2012 at noon EST

Click here to register. Registration for this webinar is $49.95 per location and includes a copy of presentation materials and link to a recording of the webinar.

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Limited seats are still available for the free one-day SMS workshop to be conducted by the Air Charter Safety Foundation and FltPlan.com on April 24, 2012, in Southbury, Connecticut. The purpose of the seminar is to bring understanding to what Safety Management Systems (SMS) is, its purpose, and what's required for implementing SMS in your company. This seminar will teach attendees how operational safety should be managed and how companies can integrate it into their organization's business activities.

The seminar is free; however, advance registration is required. To register, click here.

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Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar –Energize Your Line Team May 15-16 - Energetic, awesome, interesting, engaging, enjoyable, useful, realistic, and applicable are just some of the adjectives used NATA’s seminar evaluations to describe the Line Service Supervisor Training. Attendees particularly enjoy our variety of speakers including Walter Chartrand, Dr. Todd Dewett, Mike France, Reed Fuller, Leonard Kirsch and Christine Hill.

What are you waiting for? Come build career knowledge, confidence and success with NATA's Line Service Supervisor Training (LSST) Seminar in Windsor Locks. The LSST contains the most comprehensive technical line service and supervisory skills training in one place, at one time. This course also satisfies 14 CFR Part 139 Section 321 for fire safety training certification – an FAA requirement of line service supervisors to be completed every 24 calendar months.

Click here for more details and to register for NATA’s Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar (LSST) in Windsor Locks, CT.

NATA Safety 1st Trainer – Last Chance To Train Your Trainer This Year May 17 - Are you looking to improve your training regime? Take advantage of our last train the trainer seminar for 2012 that will prepare your trainer and training program to be the best yet. We will discuss the keys to successful training, effective implementation of the PLST Online and have an in-depth Q & A session for all your trainer’s questions concerning best practices utilizing NATA’s Safety 1st PLST Online training.

Your trainer will enjoy Walter Chartrand’s humorous trainer tips and techniques, Mike France’s interactive lesson planning and Amy Koranda’s online best practices and tips, making his or her online experience faster and easier.

Click here for more details and to register for NATA’s Safety 1st Trainer Seminar in Windsor Locks, CT.

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NATA is best known for its advocacy role in Washington, D.C., and throughout the nation — fighting hard to ensure that aviation businesses receive equitable treatment in both the legislative and regulatory arenas. Locally, NATA actively supports a growing airport network so aviation businesses can continue to prosper.

But are you also aware of the many money-saving discounts that NATA members can utilize? NATA has negotiated discount programs for many services and products that your business uses. ARAMARK provides up to a 20% discount off of customized uniform and rug solutions and HD Supply offers up to a 14% discount from its catalog prices. NATA also has rental car discounts with national providers, Avis and Hertz. 

NATA Compliance Services offers a 10% discount to members off their already competitive rates and USAIG provides industry-leading Workers’ Compensation Insurance coverage that provides a good experience return based on unused premiums.

Make sure you are getting the most out of your membership by seeing which of the many money-saving discounts will work for your company. For more information, please click here to visit the NATA Web site (requires a member login).

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The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) is pleased to announce the selection of Dennis Keith, president and owner of Jet Solutions, LLC, to succeed the current ACSF chairman, Jim Christiansen, whose term expires June 30, 2012.

Keith has served on the ACSF Board of Governors since the foundation's inception and is a former chairman of the National Air Transportation Association.

"Dennis has been an invaluable member of the ACSF Board of Governors, and I'm delighted to have him as the new chairman," said ACSF President Bryan Burns. "With his knowledge and experience as president of Jet Solutions and a leader in the charter industry, I have no doubt that he will support and sustain the foundation's ongoing and future activities."

To read more about Dennis Keith and the ACSF, click here.

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