NATA News

“My hat goes off to Brian and his staff for coordinating this productive meeting and exploring avenues to truly ‘re-open’ DCA,” stated NATA Vice President of Government & Industry Affairs Eric R. Byer. “I am confident that over the next few months we will see a higher number of operations thanks to the TSA’s willingness to sit down with industry and listen to our concerns.”

To review NATA’s DCA Access Standard Security Program Issue Page, please click here.

For a response to additional questions about this meeting, please contact Eric R. Byer.

Last week, NATA President James K. Coyne visited NATA member company Mazzei Flying Service in Fresno, California, where he led a "town hall" discussion regarding NATA’s efforts to provide relief from the state’s regulation of flight training.

Also speaking at the meeting were Jim Brannan, owner of Mazzei Flying Service and Laura Brown, NATA's local lobbyist working on this issue in Sacramento. Attendees flew and drove to Fresno from around the state to get the latest information on NATA’s progress in obtaining a delay in compliance for flight training through the state legislature.

Coyne addressed the importance of this issue not only to California but also the industry in general and reiterated NATA’s commitment to securing a successful outcome. Brown provided the audience a “nuts and bolts” briefing on NATA’s legislative effort to this point as well as an overview of the strategy for the next two months.

The California Legislature is currently on summer recess and is expected to reconvene in early August. NATA will be hard at work in Sacramento throughout August to obtain relief for flight schools threatened by the unjustly high fees and requirements of the regulations issues by the state.

In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Senator Mark Begich of Alaska warns that “premature regulation of leaded avgas will have a substantially negative impact on transportation, health, and safety in Alaska.” The Senator’s letter is in response to the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) released on April 28, 2010, addressing the possibility of regulations aimed at setting an emissions standard for lead emitted by general aviation aircraft.

In his letter, Senator Begich, who serves as the GA Caucus Co-Chairman in the Senate, outlines the value of general aviation to Alaska:

“Most of Alaska’s rural communities are served by shorter gravel airstrips which cannot accommodate larger jet aircraft. Because of these logistical limitations, general aviation and air taxis are a critical component of commerce and are the prevalent method of transporting people, goods, and mail to Alaska’s roadless communities. The EPA states “lead is not used in jet fuel, the fuel utilized by most commercial aircraft.” While this statement may hold true for the lower 48 states, the vast majority of commercial aircraft in Alaska are smaller piston-driven aircraft, which use avgas.”

The Senator has also asked that the comment period for the ANPR be delayed by an additional two months, until October 31, 2010. The Industry Avgas Coalition, comprising NATA, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the National Business Aircraft Association, the American Petroleum Institute and the National Petrochemical Refiners Association, had originally requested an extension of the comment period to late October but were only granted a 60-day extension until August 27, 2010.

Click here to read Senator Begich’s letter to the EPA

NATA is pleased to announce that Phillips 66 Aviation will provide its branded aviation dealers with NATA’s Safety 1st PLST Online line service training. Phillips branded dealers will have access to this popular training program through a proprietary Phillips 66/NATA Web portal.

“The ConocoPhillips Company takes safety seriously. We are excited to be able to provide this industry-recognized professional line service training program to our branded dealers,” said Rod Palmer, manager of general aviation for Phillips 66 Aviation. “Our dealers and their staff can now become Safety 1st Certified at little or no cost to them.”  

Dealers will be allocated a number of training courses depending on their size. More can be purchased at a special subsidized rate, if needed. 

“Phillips 66 Aviation is making a phenomenal investment in a large number of their branded FBOs’ employees by providing the training,” said NATA President James K. Coyne. “This endeavor is just one demonstration of the strong commitment to safety that is such an admirable quality of Phillips 66 Aviation.” 

NATA and Phillips 66 expect to begin offering access to training before the end of the summer. 

The recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) has dramatically changed the health care landscape in the United States. While there are many regulatory hurdles that lie ahead before implementation of many provisions contained in the bill, the best defense is knowing what the major provisions entail. Dr. Bob Graboyes, senior healthcare advisor with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) will break down the most onerous provisions affecting small businesses. Join us for this free webinar on July 21 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Click here to register!  

As airports seek new revenues, confront simmering issues at their airports, and attempt to control aeronautical activities at general aviation airports, new minimum standards are being drafted, old minimum standards are being rewritten and existing minimum standards are being enforced. Properly drafted minimum standards can protect existing businesses from undercapitalized and unsafe competitors and from businesses that have no basis to come on airport except that they have a friend in high places.

Attendees will learn:  

• How to interpret airport minimum standards
• How to participate in development so minimum standards help not hinder your business
• What the Federal Aviation Administration says about minimum standards

Minimum standards can be your best friend or worst enemy. The FAA requires airport sponsors to seek comments from airport users before finalizing these standards. Be on the forefront of these efforts by learning to influence the drafting of the standards before they are finalized.

Registration for this webinar is now open at the low cost of $49.95, and attendees will leave this webinar well prepared to participate in their airport's minimum standards development or revision process.

Click Here to Register!

Agenda Topics:
How FARs Impact Charter Management Agreements
Creating Charter Management Agreements
Application of Federal Excise Taxes & Enforcement
The World of Charter Brokers
Fuel Fraud
Like-Kind Exchange
Those Other International Fees
Impact on Costs When Placing an Aircraft on Part 135
Issues That Aircraft Owners Face
State Tax Planning

Webinar Hosts:

Jacqueline Rosser
Director, Regulatory Affairs, National Air Transportation Association
Jacqueline (Jacque) Rosser has extensive experience representing the general aviation industry before Congress and the federal agencies. In her current role with the NATA, she serves as the director of regulatory affairs and oversees association activities involving on-demand air charter and fractional ownership program operations. She works directly with officials of the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security, as well as the FAA, the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies impacting air transportation.

Nel Stubbs
Owner, Conklin & de Decker
Nel Stubbs is an owner with the aviation-consulting firm of Conklin and de Decker and specializes in consulting on aviation tax issues (federal, state and local) that are associated with the ownership and operation of corporate aircraft, cost, tax and financial analysis of various aircraft operations, and the structuring of aircraft ownership. In addition, Nel is responsible for the management of the State Aviation Tax Guide for General Aviation.

Click here for more information about the August 17-18 Commercial Operators Tax Seminar and for event registration.

NATA will soon launch an upgraded version of its popular RA Check – automated risk assessment tool. NATA’s RA Check combines safety management system-required risk assessment with automated convenience by fully automating the FAA-published Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT).  Developed by an FAA/industry working group, the FRAT was designed to identify potential hazards for turbine-powered aircraft prior to flight and weigh the risk associated with each hazard through a five-step process.  RA Check’s automation streamlines this process, removes subjectivity and standardizes results, saving operators time and money while improving safety.

NATA’s soon to be released RA Check 2.0, provides additional functionality, customizable user controls and a standalone function that allows it to be used with or without Computing Technologies for Aviation’s Flight Operating System (CTA-FOS).  

NATA is currently offering a free, 30-day trial to members interested in evaluating RA Check. To sign up, click here.  After the trial period, members are offered special pricing to subscribe.    

To read an Aviation Business Journal article on RA Check, click here. 

This week, NATA Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs Eric R. Byer discusses NIMBYism at Venice Munical Airport in Venice, FL.

To read Byer’s blog, please click here.