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Events
 NATA Asks FAA To Rerelease Draft Designee Policy |
Last week, in a letter to Flight Standards Service Director John Allen, NATA joined with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, National Business Aviation Association, National Association of Flight Instructors, Aircraft Electronics Association and U.S. Parachute Association in asking that the FAA rerelease draft changes to the agency’s designee program and reopen the public comment period on those changes.
The original release was not accompanied by a Federal Register notice and only included a 30-day comment period. NATA, along with others, asked the FAA for a 60-day comment period extension to review the document further, but only a 30-day extension was granted.
In the letter sent last week, the industry groups noted, “Our preliminary review of the content of the draft [changes] indicates that its enactment may well lead to a reduction in the number of available designees across all lines of business as well as an additional administrative workload being placed upon all designees and FAA managing staff. We are further concerned that these changes could serve to prolong the economic adversity currently felt by the industry and prolong the economic recovery many hope is in our near future.”
NATA will be working closely with the FAA and other industry associations to provide comments to the FAA on these draft changes to the agency’s designee policy.
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As the congressional election nears, there are increasing numbers of “toss-up” elections that could determine who gains control of each chamber of Congress. NATA has published reports that summarize the closest of races to control both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Each report provides a brief synopsis of the overall political situation in both congressional chambers, followed by snapshots of the “toss-up” and highly profiled races that will decide which party controls the 113th Congress.
To take back the Senate majority, Republicans need to win 4 seats, or 3 if Mitt Romney wins the presidential election, with Paul Ryan casting a vote as vice president. In the House, Republicans have a 242-193 lead on Democrats, who need to gain at least 25 seats to win the majority in the new Congress. While there is a consensus that Republicans will hold the House and Democrats will hold the Senate, most pundits agree that voter turnout will ultimately decide who will hold the majority in Congress.
To view NATA’s report on the U.S. House of Representatives elections, click here.
To view NATA’s report on the U.S. Senate elections, click here.
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What Will The Elections Mean To Our Industry?
Don’t Miss Next Week’s Aviation Business Roundtable |
The Aviation Business Roundtable is a two-day meeting assembling the top business leaders from all segments of this country’s aviation community to meet with key federal and congressional officials. Attendees include chief executives from airline services providers, manufacturers, charter operators, fuel companies, fixed base operators, flight training facilities, and fractional aircraft ownership organizations. The program will begin Monday, November 12, at noon and conclude Tuesday, November 13, by 2:00 p.m.
On day one of the event, two of the aviation community’s top lobbyists highlight what the 2012 elections will mean to the aviation community for the 113th Congress:
• Sam Whitehorn, Executive Vice President and Recruiting & Hiring Director, McBee Strategic
Sam Whitehorn joined McBee Strategic in January 2007, bringing more than 16 years of U.S. Senate experience to the firm. During his career in the Senate, he held a number of key positions on the Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation. Click here to read his full bio .
• Rob Chamberlin, Executive Vice President and Business Development Director, McBee Strategic
Rob Chamberlin joined McBee Strategic in October 2004, bringing more than six years of bicameral Capitol Hill experience to the firm. He most recently worked as chief counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation under Chairman John McCain where he was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the Committee and its staff. Click here to read his full bio .
Events will take place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Pentagon City. The registration fee is $2,000, and this invitation is extended to you and your company’s senior level executives. A block of guest rooms have been secured. To make reservations, please contact Diane Gleason, director of meetings and conferences, at (703) 575-2050 or mailto:dgleason@nata.aero.
Ritz-Carlton Hotel
1250 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202
General Hotel Telephone: (703) 415-5000
Reservations Telephone: (800) 241-3333
Also, please contact Diane Gleason, at mailto:dgleason@nata.aeroor (703) 575-2050, to register for the Aviation Business Roundtable or if you have questions.
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Relevant updates from the FAA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Homeland Security are compiled each day from the Federal Register. The latest notices, rules and proposed rules can now be found in a single source by clicking here .
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| Workers Compensation Insurance Program Fact Of The Week |
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Starting on January 1, 2013, NATA’s new Workers’ Compensation Insurance program will feature a very nice premium payment plan. Companion P&C sends premium invoices directly to the Policyholder. There are several options available to pay premiums based on account size. More information about Companion P&C premium payment plans is available by clicking here. Click here for more information on the new NATA Workers’ Compensation Insurance Program™.
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| Texas Governor Recognizes Value of Aviation |
On Thursday, October 25, Texas Governor Rick Perry proclaimed November 2012 as “Aviation Appreciation Month” across the Lone Star State. The proclamation notes that general aviation and related activities “generated $14.6 billion in direct, indirect and induced economic activity in the state of Texas, representing $580 in activity per capita.”
Governor Perry cited aviation’s importance to the well-being of the state’s citizens, cargo to businesses, and agricultural services. The Governor urged all Texans to learn more about the industry and to recognize the contributions of those who work in all sectors of aviation. According to the Alliance for Aviation Across America, there are 391 public-use airports that serve 31,690 general aviation aircraft and support 61,900 jobs.
“NATA welcomes Governor Perry’s proclamation and appreciates the Governor’s commitment to an industry that contributes so much to a state’s economy, society, and business and job development,” stated NATA President and CEO Tom Hendricks. “This is the third year in a row that Governor Perry has noted the importance of aviation to Texas, and we look forward to working with him to keep aviation a vital asset to Texas’ wealth and culture.”
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LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE — NATA Safety 1st Ground Audit Workshop
November 14-15, 2012, Englewood, CO |
NATA Safety 1st has established the NATA Safety 1st Ground Audit Program and the standards to create a consistent operational safety standard for fixed base operators, airports, and other service providers while increasing the overall safety level of these operations. This program also provides on-demand charter, fractional and corporate aircraft operators with an alternative to costly proprietary audits from these service providers.
NATA's Safety 1st Ground Audit Standard will allow for two levels of certification: a self-certification level and a third-party audit level. All candidates must submit an application to become an auditor and, if qualifications are met, they then need to be trained on the Ground Audit Standard by NATA to be listed as an accredited auditor. FBOs seeking self-certification may submit an employee’s application in order to be considered for the self-certification audit process.
To apply to become an auditor and gain admittance into this training workshop, click here. For more information about the ground audit program, please visit www.nata.aero/groundaudit.
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The NATA Business Management Committee’s first meeting of 2013 will take place on January 21 in conjunction with the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference. All NATA committee members are invited to attend this meeting as guests and attend the reception with the NATA Board of Directors that immediately follows the meeting. To register for the meeting and reception, please complete this form and fax to 703-845-8176 or email to cclark@nata.aero.
NATA Business Management Committee Meeting and Reception
Monday, January 21, 2013
Meeting: Noon – 5:00 p.m.
Reception: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Marriott Rivercenter, 101 Bowie Street, San Antonio, TX 78205
Meeting Room: Salon D
Housing arrangements may be made through the NBAA website under events for the NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference, January 22-25, 2013.
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| Second Half of Fuel Handling and Quality Control Webinar Series Starts on Wednesday |
The second half of the four-part webinar series, Fuel Handling and Quality Control, kicks off this Wednesday at 2 pm. Due to a scheduling conflict, the topic and presenter for this week’s webinar has changed. Presenting this week will be Founder and President of Hammonds Companies, Carl Hammonds. Hammonds Companies is the manufacturer of fluid-powered additive injector systems and the Omni Directional Vehicle (ODV) as well as a complete line of fuel additive products.
In case you and your team missed the first two webinars in the series, registration includes recordings of every webinar, so they can be used for training purposes. Ray Knichel, Regional Safety Professional at Landmark Aviation, had this to say about the webinar series: “A short note to say the first installment of the Fuel QC Webinar series was excellent. I set up the webinar in our conference room and was joined by our GSE Shop, Fuel QC Technicians as well as FBO Line Service Supervisors and Airline Fueler Supervisor. After the presentation, we conducted our own lessons learned discussions which resulted in the sharing of fuel quality control experiences. We also identified several items we learned during the Webinar to implement and follow-up on. We are looking forward to the next lesson in the series.”
This webinar series is available for $295 for members and $395 for non-members. Included with your registration is a copy of NATA’s Refueling and Quality Control Procedures for Airport Service and Support Operations, access to all four webinars, plus unlimited use of recordings of all four webinars after they are complete. Click here to register.
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Click here to view a listing of archived webinar recordings.
NATA is the National Air Transportation Association
Founded in 1940, NATA aggressively promotes safety and the success of aviation service businesses through its advocacy efforts before government, the media and the public as well as by providing valuable programs and forums to further its members' prosperity.
National Air Transportation Association
4226 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22302
Phone: 800-808-6282
Fax: 703-845-8176
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