NATA News

U.S. Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO) and John Barrow (D-GA), General Aviation Caucus Co-Chairmen, are spearheading a letter to Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI), urging him to consider a repeal of the “fuel fraud” tax that was included in the 2005 Highway Bill (SAFETEA-LU). More than 25 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed the letter that stated, “The provision in section 11161 in SAFETEA-LU is a solution in search of a problem, as evidence of large scale fraud in the sale of jet fuel has never been demonstrated. In fact, this provision is harming our national airspace system by depriving it of funds needed to enhance safety and efficiency. It is imperative that all revenue from taxes on jet fuel, used in aviation, is deposited in the Airport and airway Trust Fund.”

Commenting on the letter, NATA President and CEO James K. Coyne said, “We greatly appreciate the support and leadership of GA Caucus Co-Chairmen Graves and Barrow on this important issue. It is critical that we correct an enormous wrong that was included in legislation that addressed a problem that simply does not exist.”

NATA sent an action call to its members last week to aid in this effort to encourage as many signatures as possible on the fuel fraud letter. The deadline for signatures has been postponed until Tuesday, April 24. If you haven’t already done so, please request that your Member of Congress support this letter today.

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The U.S. House of Representatives passed an extension of federal transportation authority that would force the administration to allow construction of the Keystone XL energy pipeline, which the White House has threatened to veto. Passage of this bill allows the House and U.S. Senate to proceed with conference negotiations on the Senate-passed two-year authorization, S. 1813.

As stated above, Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO) and John Barrow (D-GA) have reached out to the General Aviation Caucus and other members of the chamber requesting signatures on a bi-partisan letter to House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) in support of a provision to repeal fuel fraud as part of the conference proceedings on the highway bill.

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On April 13, the FAA issued changes to the airport sponsor grant assurances based upon requirements in the recently passed FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The grant assurances, which airport sponsors are required to agree to in order to receive federal aid to airports, place significant limitations upon how an airport sponsor must operated the airport, including prohibiting the granting of exclusive rights and economic discrimination against aeronautical service providers.

The FAA has modified the following grant assurances:

• Grant Assurance 5: Preserving Rights and Powers ·
• Grant Assurance 15: Veteran’s Preference ·
• Grant Assurance 25: Airport Revenues ·
• Grant Assurance 29: Airport Layout Plan ·
• Grant Assurance 31: Disposal of Land

NATA associate member company McBreen & Kopko has produced a brief that outlines the changes made to the grant assurances and has agreed to share that brief with all NATA members.

Click here to read more on the changes to the grant assurances.

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Last week, NATA submitted formal comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the proposed revisions to the agency’s underground storage tank (UST) rules. In its comments, NATA raised concerns with the EPA’s plan to remove the current deferral from regulation for airport hydrant fuel distribution systems (AHFDS). While the EPA contended that the removal of the deferral would primarily impact military airports and only minimally impact civil commercial service airports, industry analysis indicated that due to ambiguity in the proposed rule significant impact could fall on commercial service airports.

According to the association’s comments, due to the ambiguity of the proposed rule, “NATA does not believe that the EPA can proceed on sound footing with removing the deferral for AHFDS. NATA further believes that the investigation and documentation required to determine adequately the scope of commercial service airports affected by the removal of the deferral along with the impacts (including airport and NAS operations) of complying with the UST rules necessitate a separate rulemaking process.”

Click here to read NATA’s comments on the EPA’s proposed UST rules.

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The preliminary program for the 2012 Air Charter Summit is now available online. This year’s program highlights sessions covering a range of topics faced by Part 135 operators, including:

• FAA Regulations;
• Emergency Response and Family Assistance Programs;
• Part 135 Training Program Concerns;
• Credit Card Challenges;
• International Operations; and more.

The Air Charter Summit is the ideal event for Part 135 operators. There are various opportunities to network with other charter operators, including a casual BBQ on Tuesday night, with a raffle benefitting the Veterans Airlift Command. The 2012 Air Charter Summit will also feature an optional excursion to the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center – the new home of the Space Shuttle Discovery, and home to hundreds of other fascinating aviation artifacts.

To view the full preliminary program, click here.

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The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) is pleased to announce the selection of Dennis Fox, senior vice president, operations of Executive Jet Management (EJM), Skip Moshner, director, flight operations of Galvin Flying Services, and Joe Salata, vice president, flight operations of Flight Options to the ACSF Board of Governors.

To learn more about this announcement, please click here.

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NATA would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for renewing their membership for 2012. We understand that your participation in this organization is voluntary, and we strive to earn your membership through proactive advocacy for your business and by continually improving and advancing educational training, products and services.

As always, NATA is here to serve you. If you are ever in need of assistance with a regulatory or legislative issue, or issues of any kind, please contact the NATA offices at (800) 808-6282 or email membership@nata.aero.

Thank you again for your continued support. We look forward to serving you for years to come!

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On March 19, 2012, U.S. Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) introduced bipartisan legislation, HR 4198: the Grand Canyon Tourism Jobs Protection Act of 2012, to examine whether the ongoing restoration and natural quiet experience of the Grand Canyon National Park has been accomplished. The bill also defines the regulatory authority of commercial air tours that operate over the park. The entire Arizona and Nevada delegations are co-sponsors of the bill.

Representative Gosar explains in his press release that current air tour operations are working under the onerous and restrictive regulations of the National Park Service, and that those regulations need to be updated to reflect the results of the many studies to reduce noise that have cost millions of dollars. He states that this bill is “meant to protect this vital aspect of our tourism economy which employs over 1,250 people and generates millions of dollars of economic activity.”

NATA commends Representative Gosar on his efforts to update and fully utilize the air tour system by which tourists can view the park, while keeping the “natural quiet” atmosphere.

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On Monday, April 16, 2012, U.S. Representatives Chip Cravaack (R-MN) and Timothy Bishop (D-NY) introduced H.R. 4350, the Safe Skies Act of 2012, to ensure that the pilot flight, duty and rest requirements would apply to all air cargo operations.

Following the fatal February 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 4207 that resulted from interrupted pilot rest time, the FAA developed guidelines to address pilot fatigue for passenger flights only. Under the new rule, a minimum of eight hours of rest between shifts is required.

In a press release, Congressman Cravaack states that the intention of the bill is to follow Congress’ original intent, to create and maintain “one level of safety for U.S. Aviation” and continue consistency within all facets of the industry.

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Everything we do in aviation involves the use of hazardous materials. Thursday’s webinar, Dealing with Hazardous Materials, will discuss the obligations imposed by OSHA, EPA, FAA, Customs, and state and local governments on the purchase, storage, use and disposal of hazardous substances.

Speaker: Lindsay McGuire, Esq., McBreen & Kopko
Date/Time: April 26, 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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FltPlan.com in, partnership with the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), will host a one-day informational seminar on Safety Management Systems (SMS) on April 24, 2012, in Southbury, Connecticut. Whether you're a safety or department manager, safety officer or coordinator, it's important that you understand risk management processes and procedures.

An SMS is a systematic, comprehensive program for the management of safety risks. This one-day seminar will teach attendees how operational safety should be managed and how companies can integrate it into their organization's business activities. Armed with this understanding, you'll be able to develop an SMS to evaluate your business continuously for hazards that can increase risk, and do something about them.

To register for this seminar, click here.

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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 the critical issues in Washington and across the country that America’s aviation businesses and airports face.

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 present a great opportunity to interact with aviation businesses in your area and to discuss issues and concerns,” stated Coyne. “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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Energetic, awesome, interesting, engaging, enjoyable, useful, realistic, and applicable are just some of the adjectives used on 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 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 in Windsor Locks, CT.

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The Commercial Operators Tax Seminar (COTS) is a two-day seminar presented by NATA and Conklin & de Decker. COTS is designed to specifically address the tax issues faced by commercial air charter operators, including those that provide Part 91 aircraft management or combined charter/management services.

For 2012, COTS is in Scottsdale, Arizona on August 7-8. Special early registration rates are now available at www.nata.aero/taxseminar.

COTS provides operators with detailed information on federal excise taxes (FET), how those taxes intertwine with FAA operational regulations, tips for surviving an FET audit and other key tax issues.

Many operators are concerned with recent actions by the FAA to impose FET on fees charged for aircraft management services. COTS will also tackle this issue in detail and give you updates on the latest actions.

All sessions are designed to answer the questions most commonly faced in an on-demand operation and provide attendees with clear, concise guidance to take back to the office.

NATA and Conklin & de Decker know that those involved in the air charter industry often have numerous tax questions. This is why ample question-and-answer time is provided to make sure everyone has the opportunity to have their unique situation addressed.

For more information about the Commercial Operators Tax Seminar on August 7-8, including how to register, click here.