NATA News

Women in Aviation International (WAI) will host a regional two-day conference on September 16-17, in Seattle, Washington 2016. The event will be held at the Museum of Flight and the Seattle Airport Marriott and begins with a tour of the Boeing Company headquarters. “Seattle is the perfect locale for a regional conference because of its rich aviation heritage,” said Women in Aviation International President Dr. Peggy Chabrian. “We’re looking forward to two days of lively discussion and inspiration.” For more information or to register, click here. 

Aeroplex/Aerolease Group, an aviation property development, management and consulting firm, is investing $7.5 million toward a 3-acre development project at Los Angeles’ Van Nuys Airport. The investment features 38,000 square feet of hangar space, over 55,000 square feet of new aircraft ramp and staging areas, and a private, gated/secure parking lot — among other additions. “Aeroplex/Aerolease Group is proud to serve as one of Van Nuys Airport’s longest-standing tenants and a vital contributor to the local economy,” stated company President and CEO Curt Castagna. “Our new development will not only create approximately 100 high-skilled jobs, but continue our company’s 40-year history of serving business aviation’s diverse needs.” Scheduled for completion in March 2017, the development honors the legacy of the late Milton A. Widelitz, who founded Aeroplex/Aerolease Group in 1977 and helped form the non-profit Van Nuys Airport Association in 1982. Widelitz was a strong supporter of preserving airport jobs and businesses, as well as providing educational opportunities for future aviation professionals. For more information, click here.

Wisconsin Aviation — an aviation services provider specializing in private aircraft charter, aircraft maintenance, avionics, aircraft rental, aircraft sales, flight instruction and more — is celebrating 35 years of business in 2016. Starting as a single FBO in 1981 at the Watertown Municipal Airport (KRYV), the organization expanded into three total locations. “We want to thank our employees, loyal customers and local communities for their support over the past 35 years. Wisconsin Aviation is committed to the communities we serve and we look forward to continued growth,” stated Jeff Baum, Wisconsin Aviation’s founder and CEO. For a detailed look at Wisconsin Aviation’s history, click here.

NetJets is hoping to grow its longer-haul business with new pricing incentive programs developed for Challenger 350 and Global shareowners. Launched this month, the cross-country program provides operational savings on 3.5-plus-hour flights for Challenger 350 shareholders and five-plus-hour flights for Global 5000 and 6000 shareholders — who have purchased a minimum of 50-plus hours. The pricing programs are unique for NetJets, which doesn’t typically offer such incentives, said Patrick Gallagher, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing for NetJets, but represent an opportunity for the fractional provider to grow in the longer-haul space. “This is really more about capturing a market segment that is relatively small today than it is about the opportunity to create additional incentives,” Gallagher said. He also stressed that the programs are driven by customer inquiries. “We’ve had a lot of interest in recent months,” he said. “It’s something we simply formalized. We’re highly confident in our ability to sell it.” Read more.

NATA Safety 1^st is pleased to bring its unique mix of technical and service training to Chesterfield, MO on August 24-25, 2016 at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport. The Safety 1^st Advanced Line Service (ALS) Workshop is a two-day training event designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed to make your line service team succeed and become new leaders within your company. Limited seating is available, so register now before seats are gone! Additional dates and locations for this workshop are available here.

On September 27^th and 28^th, the Customer Service Representative (CSR) Certification Workshop, presented by NATA and the Aviation Business Strategies Group, will provide valuable knowledge and skills to set the tone for successful customer service experiences. Attendees will learn how to deal with disgruntled customers and turn a marginal customer transaction into a fulfilled client transformation. This new certification program starts with a basic fundamentals module administered online through the Safety 1^st website and concludes with a robust two-day workshop where attendees complete the interactive curriculum. For more information or to register, click here.

Last week, the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) signed an agreement to participate in the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing Program (ASIAS) — a collaborative information sharing program. ASIAS is an FAA-funded, joint government and industry effort administered by the Mitre Corporation. The primary objective of ASIAS is to provide a resource for use in discovering common, systemic safety problems that span multiple operators, fleets, and regions of the airspace. Safety information discovered through ASIAS activities is used across the aviation industry to drive improvements and support safety management systems. Read more.