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November 12, 2018 — Volume 17, Issue 45 |
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| This Week's Top Stories |
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Infrastructure and Oversight in Spotlight Following Congressional Midterm Elections
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Last week, elections were held across the United States for all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 members of the Senate. While several key races are still undecided, Democrats were able to regain control of the House while the Republicans kept control of the Senate.
The 116th Congress will begin in January, and leadership in both chambers are beginning to wade through what the results of the elections will mean for their issues under a divided Congress. Both branches will need to compromise on many issues that must be addressed, including a massive infrastructure bill in which there appears to be common ground. However, discussions surrounding how Democrats plan to reach the $1 trillion proposed in a draft released earlier this year, as well as what the plan will look like, and what President Trump will be willing to compromise on, remain unclear. But before infrastructure and oversight discussions can begin, Congress must continue to work towards fully funding the federal government, including the Department of Transportation, by December 7th.
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NATA Recognizes Sonoma Jet Center as an Above and Beyond FBO
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Last Tuesday, the Association honored Sonoma Jet Center as the inaugural recipient of its Above and Beyond FBO Award. NATA’s Above and Beyond FBO Award is presented in recognition of FBOs that demonstrate extraordinary community outreach, excellence in customer service and a commitment to safety. Other factors in selecting an FBO to receive this award are a devotion to employee development and giving back to the general aviation industry.
FBOs provide essential services to keep general aviation healthy, sustainable and successful — many going above the call. NATA launched its FBOs Above and Beyond initiative in March to highlight these exceptional businesses and the dedication of their leadership in serving as partners within the industry and their communities. “NATA is pleased to build on its FBOs Above and Beyond program in highlighting exemplary Fixed Base Operators. Sonoma Jet Center and its leadership are standouts in many areas, including altruism, efforts to inspire future aviation professionals, commitment to promoting industry-standard safety programs and dedication to giving back to general aviation,” stated NATA President Gary Dempsey. “It is a pleasure to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of Sonoma Jet Center President, Owners Julia and Josh Hochberg, and their team.” Read more.
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NATA to Hold Final Events of 2018 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
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This week, NATA will hold the final 2018 offering of its popular Certified CSR Programs on November 13th and 14th at Banyan Air Services in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The two-day seminar will provide attendees with valuable knowledge and skills to create successful customer service experiences. Attendees will also learn how to deal with disgruntled customers and how to turn a marginal customer transaction into a fulfilled client transformation.
The Certified CSR Program is instructed by Aviation Business Strategies Group (ABSG) founders, John Enticknap and Ron Jackson. Ron and John are industry experts who have decades of experience in FBO services, marketing and training. Thank you to our sponsors: Ac-U-Kwik, Atlantic Aviation, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and World Fuel Services/TotalFBO.
On November 15th, NATA will host the last Industry Town Hall of 2018. This event provides aviation business leaders across the region the opportunity to sit down together and discuss the challenges, risks and opportunities within our industry — including regional matters and a legislative and regulatory update. RSVP is required and lunch is provided complimentary courtesy of Airsure Limited.
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Comment Period for AC 142-SCC Ends November 13
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On October 15th, the FAA released new guidance that allows Part 135 operators to train their pilots at Part 142 training centers using a standardized curriculum. The guidance, published in draft Advisory Circular 142-SCC, was issued in response to recommendations from an industry working group to streamline the relationship between training centers and air carriers, reducing inefficiencies in the approval and qualification process. The group was led by NATA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, John McGraw.
Recently, NATA published "Part 135 Standardized Curriculum: More Dynamic, Responsive and Efficient" a podcast to further explain the update to training guidance for on-demand carriers and how it will result in a more dynamic, responsive and efficient training program. Listen here.
In the meantime, please read the AC and provide comments by the November 13 deadline. For any questions, please email Alexandra Connole at aconnole@nata.aero.
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| Committee News |
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NATA Airport Business and Air Charter Committees Hold Fall Meetings in DC | Maintenance Committee to Meet this Week
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NATA Airport Business Committee
Last week, the Airport Business Committee held its fall meeting in conjunction with NATA’s Aviation Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. Committee Chairman Josh Hochberg (Sonoma Jet Center) and fellow committee members welcomed new member, Jon Wenrich to the committee. Mr. Wenrich is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Centrex Construction, a company specializing in the design, development and construction of aviation facilities. Chairman Hochberg and NATA staff members provided an update on proposed guidance changes to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 409 – Standard on Aircraft Hangars; the Committee discussed the importance of healthy working relationships with airport managers and formed a working group to collaborate with AAAE on various airport issues; and, created a working group to provide guidance to FBOs. If you are interested in joining NATA’s Airport Business Committee, please contact Megan Eisenstein at meisenstein@nata.aero.
NATA Air Charter Committee
The Air Charter Committee reviewed and discussed numerous issues during their meeting last week. Top items on the agenda included a review of new initiatives mandated by Congress as part of the FAA reauthorization, including a rulemaking committee to review Part 135 flight, duty and rest rules, creation of a committee to evaluate how air ambulance operations are billed and whether federal changes are appropriate, new guidance on permissible sharing of expenses by pilots and passengers and a report from the FAA on how it evaluates and acts upon suspected illegal charter operations. Committee members are prepared to assist the association as members of rulemaking committees or by providing FAA with feedback as it prepares its reports. Another critical issue for the industry is the new standardized training curriculum proposed in a draft Advisory Circular (AC). The FAA’s Mark Valette briefed the committee on highlights of the standardized training curriculum AC and also encouraged operators to submit comments before the November 13th deadline. (See related article above.) The committee also discussed the Department of Transportation’s new regulation for brokers and operators. Members expressed concern that the rules may not carry sufficient enforcement against brokers and could pose negative impact for air charter operators. Operators with questions regarding the committee or who are interesting in joining should contact NATA’s Air Charter Committee staff liaison, Jacqueline Rosser at jrosser@nata.aero.
NATA Aircraft Maintenance and Systems Technology Committee
NATA’s Aircraft Maintenance and Systems Technology Committee is holding its fall meeting this week at Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, NE. Topics under consideration are Import Export Guidance, Best Practice Discussion regarding Discrepancies and Approval for Return to Service, and a discussion of the FAA Advisory Circular published last year on approvals of Aircraft Inspection Programs. If you or your company have any issues you would like the Maintenance Committee to look into, please do not hesitate to contact NATA’s Carol Giles at carol@carolgiles.com.
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From the FAA
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FAA Releases Advisory Circular Regarding Part 135 Operator Aircraft Configuration Inspection
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On November 9th, the FAA published a new Advisory Circular, AC 135-44. The AC provides information concerning the placement of aircraft into service for Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 135 commuter and on demand operations. It is not mandatory; however, it does describe the process that is acceptable to the FAA to demonstrate the aircraft is configured to the operational requirements of Part 135. As part of its effort to work towards consistency and standardization regarding FAA regulations and policy, NATA’s Aircraft Maintenance and Systems Technology Committee is pleased to see this document published.
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FAA Moving Forward on Dynamic Regulatory System Development
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The FAA recently announced that it is now moving forward to continue to develop the Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS). The DRS was one of the recommendations that came from the NATA-chaired Consistency of Regulatory Interpretation Aviation Rulemaking Committee (CRI ARC). The DRS concept is a database that will be designed to contain all the existing information in the Flight Standards Information System (FSIMS) and capture all the other policy and regulatory documents. The FAA intends to take advantage of technologies that provide for advanced search capabilities, machine learning, natural language processing, and other functionality; all of which can significantly improve the quality of the DRS once completed. Please contact John McGraw at jmcgraw@nata.aero, NATA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, with any questions or concerns you may have regarding DRS.
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Association Highlights
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NATA Illegal Charter Task Force Works to Address Illegal Charter Issue
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NATA—along with its sub-committee of its Air Charter Committee called the NATA Illegal Charter Task Force—launched an initiative to combat illegal charter, addressing a growing concern among members and industry. This initiative reinforces the Association's ongoing efforts in opposing a serious threat to air charter and the public that is often difficult to identify due to the use of deceptive and convoluted agreements. The Task Force is working with the FAA, IRS, Congress and the public to help report, educate and enforce compliance with Part 135 and 91 regulations to protect our members and their passengers from illegal charter. NATA encourages its members and the aviation business community to support the association’s efforts by sharing our messages on your website, social media and other communication channels. More information and additional resources are available at www.nata.aero/AvoidIllegalCharter.
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National Air Transportation Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications | Deadlines in November and December
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NATA awards several scholarships throughout the year to aviation college/university program and flight training students — as well as to association members looking to continue their education. The National Air Transportation Foundation (NATF) is currently accepting applications for: The Pioneers of Flight Scholarship, The Dan L. Meisinger Sr. Memorial Learn to Fly Scholarship and The NATA Business Scholarship. Multiple awards are available from $1,000 to $2,500 with application deadlines in November and December of 2018. For more information or to complete your application, click here.
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| Events |
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2019 NATA Annual Meeting and Aviation Business Conference | Save the Date
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Following the success and record attendance of NATA’s 2018 Aviation Business Conference, the Association will hold its 2019 Annual Meeting and Aviation Business Conference on June 17-19 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in D.C. Mark your calendar and look for upcoming registration details.
This past June, NATA held its highest attended Annual Meeting and Aviation Business Conference to date. Aviation business professionals from across the U.S. and worldwide gathered to discuss and learn about the most important issues facing the aviation industry. The ABJ Q3 2018 highlights the sessions, speakers and award winners that contributed to the event’s success. Read more here.
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| Member Spotlight |
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Bombardier Reveals 3rd Quarter 2018 Outcome
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Last week, Bombardier reported their third quarter 2018 results marked by strong earnings growth. The Company also announced several strategic actions, including the launch of an enterprise-wide productivity program. This program is expected to generate annual savings of $250 million at full run rate, which they expect by 2021. “With our heavy investment cycle now completed, we continue to make solid progress executing our turnaround plan,” said Alain Bellemare, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier Inc. “With today’s announcements we have set in motion the next round of actions necessary to unleash the full potential of the Bombardier portfolio. During the earnings and cash flow building phase of our turnaround, we will continue to be proactive in focusing and streamlining the organization and disciplined in the allocation of capital. I am very proud of what we have accomplished, and very excited about our future.” Click here to read more.
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Q3 2018 Issue
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