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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. |
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Professional Line Service Training |
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 PLST Online provides the most up-to-date training available for line service specialists – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Line service supervisors can conduct the new PLST Online training anytime and from anywhere there is access to the Web. continued |
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139 Fire Safety Training Online |
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This training not only meets and exceeds the requirements of 14 CFR 139.321 but also allows you to interact with other students in a group learning environment, receive the very latest NFPA news, watch live training presentations and much more. |
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| NATA And AEA Partner On Comment Tool For Repair Station Security NPRM |
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| Earlier this month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) titled Aircraft Repair Station Security. The TSA was tasked by Congress, in the Vision 100 – Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, with creating regulations aimed at enhancing security for FAA certificated Part 145 repair stations.
This NPRM would require any repair station, foreign or domestic, certificated under 14 CFR Part 145 to carry out a standard security program (SSP) consisting of:
- Access controls for the facility, aircraft and/or aircraft components
- Measures for identifying individuals with access to the facility, aircraft and/or aircraft components
- Procedures for challenging unauthorized individuals
- Security awareness training for employees
- The name of the facility’s designated security coordinator
- A contingency plan
- The means to verify employee background information
NATA and the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) have partnered to produce a comment tool to assist their members in preparing and submitting comments on the NPRM to the TSA. The comment tool provides instructions on formatting and submitting official comments to the TSA along with a detailed review of specific areas of the NPRM on which members may want to comment.
The member comment tool is an invaluable resource for repair stations wishing to provide input to the TSA on the content and effects of this rulemaking. The tool is available for download here.
NATA and AEA have also tentatively scheduled a webinar on developing and submitting comments on the NPRM for January 5, 2010. More details and a registration page for the webinar will be available later this week. | |
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| Airport Minimum Standards Webinar |
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NATA continued its free webinar series last week with a presentation on Airport Minimum Standards by NATA Director of Regulatory Affairs Michael France. The Webinar, which lasted an hour and involved over 80 registered participants, included the following topics:
- AIP Program and Federal Grant Assurances
- General Contents of Minimum Standards
- Development of Minimum Standards
- Airport Sponsors Rights
There was a question and answer period at the end of the presentation. NATA’s webinar series is part of the association’s dedication to providing its members, and the industry in general, with the latest information on topics that affect their business. Both a video of the webinar and a copy of the presentation are available by clicking here.
The next webinar in NATA’s series is scheduled for January 5, 2010 and will cover providing comments on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Part 145 Repair Station Security Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. | |
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| FET Remains In Effect For 2010 – Some Rates May Still Change |
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| Congress has just recently extended funding authorization for the FAA through March 31, 2010. This means that excise taxes – commercial taxes and fuel taxes – will continue through at least that time. Most taxes are at a fixed rate and remain unchanged. However, a few of the commercial transportation excise taxes are indexed to inflation and are subject to annual changes.
It is expected that the Internal Revenue Service will make an announcement regarding any excise tax rate changes effective January 1, 2010, shortly after President Obama signs the FAA extension into law. The rates subject to change are the Domestic Segment Fee, International Facilities Fee and the fee for flights to Alaska and Hawaii.
As soon as any update is available, NATA will alert the membership. | |
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| New Option To Comply With ICAO “Certified True Copy” Of Certificate Rule |
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| For over a year, many charter air carriers have been carrying a notarized copy of their air carrier certificate to comply with an ICAO standard. The standard stipulates that each operator have a certified true copy of their “Air Operator Certificate” on board during any international flight.
The FAA has now created a new method for compliance that increases standardization and reliability of the copy for foreign entities.
FAA Information Document (InFO) 09019 announces the availability of OpSpec A999. Operators must request this OpSpec from their POI. When the POI issues paragraph A999, it fulfills the ICAO requirement for a certified true copy.
The certificate holder may print a copy of A999 for each aircraft it operates internationally and place it on board or, if the air carrier has the capability, carry it electronically on board so that it is accessible to a foreign Civil Aviation Authority during an inspection.
Operators are encouraged to request the new OpSpec as soon as possible so that it may be issued prior to January 10, 2010.
The InFO provides more detailed information and includes a sample copy of OpSpec A999.
Download the InFO. | |
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| Congress Passes Fiscal Year 2010 Funding For The Department Of Transportation |
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| Last week, Congress approved Consolidated Appropriations legislation (H.R. 3288), which consisted of five unfinished appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2010, including the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The $447 billion spending bill was signed by the President on Wednesday.
The bill provided $77 billion for DOT, including $15.992 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a 3.4 percent increase over FY 2009. For the fifth year in a row, the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) was funded at the same level of $3.515 billion.
For more information on the transportation spending bill, click here to view NATA’s legislative report.
To view a copy of the entire spending bill, please click here. | |
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| Latest Blog Posts By Coyne And Byer |
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| Coyne comments on the Copenhagen climate debate in his blog post titled “Carbon And Copenhagen, No Surprise, No Consensus’
“Watching the press reports out of Copenhagen, one can only hope that someone has a plan to turn the International Climate Change Summit into a Cirque de Soleil show in Las Vegas sometime soon. That way, at least, we can keep this circus going on, but in a less damaging format so that we get all the entertainment without the risk of global financial disaster…” Click here to read on.
This week Byer wishes everyone a happy holiday season and thanks NATA members for their continued support. To read Byer’s blog please click here. | |
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| New Speakers Added To 2010 FBO Leadership Conference Program |
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| Developed for the leading executives and managers of fixed base operations, the annual FBO Leadership Conference features nationally recognized experts who provide the latest intelligence, tactics and strategies to maximize success. The 2010 sessions will focus on change and relationships.
New speakers have been added to the event schedule. Visit www.nata.aero/fbolc to view these program updates and more!
The 2010 FBO Leadership Conference will address these questions:
- What are the long-term implications of change for the industry, in general, and your business, specifically?
- How will you conduct business in this new environment?
- Who will tomorrow's customers be and how will you reach them?
- What is the value of relationship-building in a recession?
- How can you foster those relationships?
- How much more change can you expect?
New For Next Year
The FBO Leadership Conference will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio immediately preceding NBAA's Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference. The close proximity of these two events will enable business leaders to meet with their customers and learn about the latest challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
Click here for a PDF of the brochure.
Click here to register for the FBO Leadership Conference on NATA's Web site.
Click here for a pdf of the registration form.
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| ACSF Symposium Gives Operators Critical Safety Information |
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| The annual Air Charter Safety Symposium is March 2-3, 2010, and includes speakers and topics designed to help operators better understand and adopt safety systems.
Several targeted sessions will help attendees act upon new safety information and plan for how safety programs will impact their business.
The scheduled sessions include:
Financial Benefits of Safety Programs
Convincing executive leadership that the short-term costs of new safety initiatives are worthwhile is often critical to a project’s implementation. NTSB Vice Chairman Chris Hart will address the fiscal and business benefits that can result from investment in safety programs.
Implementation & Automation of Operational Risk Assessment
Learn about the benefits and function of per-flight risk assessment and how automation can help you more easily integrate assessment into your flight department procedures.
The Legal Concerns Raised By Safety Programs
Before adopting any new safety program, a thorough understanding of the potential impact on the business, particularly following an accident, should be developed and mitigation strategies adopted where possible. Attorneys well known in the aviation industry, Gary Arber of Alpha Flying and Kent Jackson of Jackson & Wade, LLC, will explore the legal questions operators must confront when implementing new safety programs.
Special early registration rates and discounted hotel rooms are available. Please visit www.acsf.aero/symposium to learn more and register.
Sponsorships are also available. The Air Charter Safety Symposium draws decision makers from leading air charter and fractional aircraft program managers and presents sponsors with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their business. Click here to view ACSF sponsorship opportunities. | |
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| Sponsor or Advertise With NATA Today! |
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| NATA’s 2010 sponsorship opportunities offer high visibility focused directly at your target audience, the aviation business community. Our event and seminar sponsorship packages are designed to help you build brand loyalty, drive sales and provide meaningful access to your customers. The number of impressions gained as a benefit of these programs makes them much more than just spending sponsorship dollars – they are true marketing tools. NATA's seminar and event sponsorship packages are ideal for reaching your audience and demonstrating your commitment to continuing education.
Numerous sponsorship opportunities are still available for NATA’s 2010 FBO Leadership Conference to be held in San Antonio, TX, January 25-26. For more information on remaining opportunities, click here.
NATA's Sponsorship Opportunities Are Designed With You In Mind:
- Achieve high visibility
- Gain meaningful access to your customers
- Build brand loyalty
- Drive sales
- Get a return on your dollar
Sponsorship Benefits:
- Every sponsor will be listed in brochure/program materials distributed to event attendees.
- NATA will provide signage for all sponsors.
- A company logo will be shown on items sponsored, such as tote bags, lanyards, and giveaways specific to each event.
- Sponsors may also be eligible for discounts on event registration, based on sponsorship amount.
Please contact Diane Gleason, NATA director of meetings & conferences, with any questions and/or to confirm your sponsorship at dgleason@nata.aero or (703) 575-2050.
NATA also offers numerous advertising opportunities to fit any budget. Advertising with NATA offers high visibility, optimum value, and direct access to more than 5,000 industry executives throughout the world. Opportunities are available to advertise on the nata.aero Web site, in any of NATA’s electronic newsletters and in the quarterly Aviation Business Journal. For more information, please contact Linda Pylant at (703) 845-9000 x112 or click here. | |
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| Swing Batter Batter, Swing! |
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| Show off your baseball prowess during NATA's Spring Training Week in March. We will hold a Wii batting competition in our booth at the Aviation Industry Expo in Las Vegas. The winner will take home the Wii. High scores will be broadcast on NATA's Facebook and Twitter pages. Visitors to NATA's booth can step up to the plate and take a swing (seminar attendees will be provided a break to get in the game). NATA's Spring Training Week provides the opportunity for you to learn winning strategies for your career and hit home runs! Visit www.nata.aero/springtraining for more information on NATA's seminars and events scheduled to take place during Spring Training Week.
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| Weekly Survey |
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| Do you think Congress should work through the holiday season should a health care reform bill not be agreed upon later this week?
Participate in survey. | |
| Environmental Fact Of The Week |
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| NATA’s quick facts on the aviation industry's effect on the environment are designed to ensure that members take every step necessary to minimize the effect aviation has on the environment while recognizing the initiatives the industry has taken to reduce global warming.
At the beginning of last week as the Copenhagen climate conference began in Denmark, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it had finalized an endangerment finding for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses (GHG) emitted from on-road vehicles. This endangerment finding is the first step in regulating the emissions of carbon dioxide and other GHG under the clean air act. The finding basically states that carbon dioxide and GHG present a threat to the health or welfare of the public due to their contribution to climate change.
With Congress currently stalled on addressing climate change, this endangerment finding signifies that the EPA is planning on moving forward in regulating the emissions of GHG with or without congressional action. NATA provided comments to the EPA in support of outside scientists who questioned both the legality and appropriateness of the EPA’s reliance on older scientific data during the development of this endangerment finding. | |
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