NATA News

To read the Minutes of this call, please click here.

For more information about the conference call, please contact Eric R. Byer on the NATA staff.

"We have relied on too many short-term reauthorizations and stop-gap measures. It's time to get this reauthorization bill passed," Chairman Rockefeller said. "This bill will improve the safety of our skies, modernize our air traffic control system and support jobs. The time to act is now."

Chairman Dorgan said, "The failure to pass a bill that will do the things necessary to support our aviation system in America will be a significant loss for our country.

The passing of a full authorization will provide the FAA much needed stability to issue federal grants to airports for critical aviation infrastructure projects. In addition to the important aspect of modernizing our nation’s air traffic control system that will support jobs, FAA reauthorization is important to our aviation stakeholders and international partners who depend on the clarity this legislation offers on critical certification and support programs.

Congress returns to Washington next week; however, neither the House nor Senate has determined an adjournment date.

Since his swearing in this past July, Pistole has vowed to lead the TSA “through the next stage in its development as this young agency matures into a high-performance, world-class organization.” In addition, Pistole stated, “To defeat the past and recent threats against our country, we must take every precaution to ensure that our screening of cargo and passengers is thorough and well-accepted in order to produce a transportation system that is safe and fair to those who use it.”

Committee Chairman John Rockefeller (D-WV) agreed, stating, “We must take appropriate action to close any security loopholes, while making sure our global transportation system continues to move people, freight, and goods in an effective manner.” He acknowledged that the TSA has enormous responsibilities and multiple missions, but that it must remain flexible and well-resourced in its response to potential threats.

The FAA describes an SMS as “a comprehensive, process-oriented approach to managing safety throughout an organization [that] includes an organization-wide safety policy; formal methods for identifying hazards, controlling, and continually assessing risk; and promotion of a safety culture.” The NPRM would require that Part 121 certificated air carriers develop an SMS program that consists of the four components outlined in the ICAO requirements:

• Safety Policy
• Safety Risk Management
• Safety Assurance
• Safety Promotion

In this NPRM, the FAA proposes an implementation time frame that would require all currently certificated Part 121 air carriers to submit an implementation plan within six months of the effective date of a final published rule. This implementation plan would be required to “ensure the certificate holder’s SMS would be fully operational within three years of the effective date (of a final rule).” The NPRM preamble specifically requests public comment on the timeframe for submission of an implementation plan.

The NPRM has been published in the Federal Register and will be open for public comment until February 2, 2011. 

The report unfortunately misses the mark in that it fails to provide meaningful information on the root cause and scope of the FAA regulatory interpretation inconsistencies and lacks an insightful analysis on how aviation businesses are impacted every day. Consequently, it serves only to highlight, again, that there is a problem. The following key failures in the report prevent it from being a useful tool in identifying a path to a long-term solution:

• The GAO report does not provide any empirical data on the scope of inconsistent regulatory interpretation.
• The report falls short in its attempt to categorize the types of circumstances in which inconsistent regulatory interpretations occur.
• The report does not explore or evaluate the impact on certificate holders of a local inspector’s preference or opinion on how to meet regulatory requirements when previously the certificate holders’ current process was approved by another inspector.
• The analysis omits the key causes of problems in certification and approval processes in flight standards. Those were identified by an expert panel as FAA culture, lack of accountability, rulemaking and guidance development process.
• Implementation of the top two recommended solutions to the issues involved with the certification and approval process – a change in FAA culture (increased accountability) and universal acceptance – was not explored.
• The GAO’s recommended actions are so vague and non-specific as to be only marginally effective in addressing the core problem.
  

The report does highlight, as has been known, that industry believes there are problems in the FAA’s processes related to certification and approvals. Before these problems can be addressed, a comprehensive evaluation to determine the full extent of this problem, including sufficient data to categorize variations by identifiable events within the certification and approval process, is necessary.

“When the association conducted its review on the impact the lack of FAA standardization is having on the aviation industry, it was clear that respondents were spending an inordinate amount of time and resources complying with varying regional and local regulatory interpretations,” NATA President James K. Coyne stated. “The GAO report does not address these issues as we hoped it would.”

“Make no mistake about it, the lack of standardization on regulatory interpretations is a continuing and mounting challenge for the aviation industry,” Coyne concluded. “While this report does not address this ongoing concern, NATA will continue to make this issue one of the association’s top priorities in 2011 and beyond to ensure that standardization becomes a reality for our industry.”

The federal government under the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has information on what to do in cold weather conditions. (See OSHA Fact Sheet - Protecting Workers in Cold Environments http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=FACT_SHEETS&p_id=186). Training and safety personnel will find useful information on this Web site.

Two important things we can do to protect our team members are train our employees on the hazards of operating in a cold environment and train our supervisors to be on the lookout for and recognize signs of cold stress. These are things that should be done ahead of time instead of waiting until it’s 25 degrees below zero with wind and blowing snow.

There are simple things that employees can do before even showing up for work. Precautions such as wearing layered clothing and eating and drinking properly will help the individual to hold up better in really cold weather. OSHA recommends three layers of clothing to control body heating better and therefore perspiration, which will tend to draw heat away from the body. Here’s where something like polypropylene clothing next to the skin really comes in handy.

Prior to arriving at work, the individual should drink plenty of liquids, avoiding caffeine and alcohol. This reduces the possibility of dehydration and is an important preventive step. Eating properly is also important. Meals should consist of high calorie foods such as pasta to maintain energy reserves. Finally, keeping the extremities warm with hat and gloves will prevent a lot of heat loss as up to 40% of body heat can be lost through the head alone.

For supervisors, the key is to be aware of the effects of cold stress and not allow individuals to get themselves in trouble. In colder conditions, the body will first try to keep its internal core temperature up. That means that blood will be shifted away from an individual’s extremities and outer skin to the body’s core of chest, abdomen and vital organs. This increases the chance of frostbite. Supervisors should keep an eye out for exposed skin and intervene if skin changes color or looks abnormal.

Cold weather also impacts judgment. As the body’s core temperature drops from 98.6 degrees to 95 degrees, the body begins to shiver to generate heat. It’s hard to make sound decisions if the body is shivering uncontrollably. Supervisors need to allow employees to take periodic breaks and get something to eat to keep their core temperature up.

Another good way of protecting individuals is by setting up a buddy system. Employees watch out for each other and are encouraged to intervene if behavior changes or one person starts having difficulty. It may slow down the operations if employees have to take breaks to warm up, but there are few customers out there who will want team members to risk accident and injury to push on-time performance in severe conditions. And someone needs to monitor the supervisor to prohibit him or her from being so “gung-ho” that the supervisor jeopardizes his or her own safety or that of the subordinates.

So, this season make sure your team members are aware of the cold weather hazards and prevent anyone from having to learn a lesson that has been learned many times before. Proper preparation and supervision will prevent the cold weather hazards we deal with from having a dangerous impact.

Nothing. He or she is not sufficient. You go forward only if “they” appear. Work in confined spaces must be done by persons certified in doing confined space work. Never allow one person to do this work alone. There must always be two people — one to enter the tank and the other trained to assist this person if he or she is overcome with fumes or is otherwise disabled. Both should show you their certification, there should be personal protective equipment available, and they should have some idea of the chemicals stored in the tank or an ability to test for chemicals present before entering the tank. Remember some chemicals do not give off an odor. Whether you have trained personnel on staff or not, it is always better to engage an outside contractor with its own Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability Insurance policy that performs this work as its “core business.”  

Swissport is the leading global airport and aviation service provider in terms of quality, reliability, customer dedication, growth, innovation and network coverage. We offer a wide range of products at optimum value and provide an attractive return on investment for all parties involved. Our mission is to be a reliable and professional contributor and a recognized partner in creating value and results for our shareholder.

In the Americas, Swissport has a workforce of approximately 15,000 people employed at 79 stations in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and Mexico. Our locations stretch from Anchorage, Alaska to Ushuaia on the southernmost tip of Argentina.

The Americas Division is aligned by product line into two groups, the Ground Handling (GH) division led by Richard van Bruygom and the Cargo (SCS) division led by John Batten. The Shared Services Department, headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, supports the two groups in the areas of finance, human resources and benefits, IT, legal, ops support, safety, sales and training.

Swissport is dedicated to providing our airline customers with the highest levels of service and customer satisfaction in the aviation services industry. In 2010, we implemented a new initiative, The Swissport Formula. With Swissport Formula, customers and employees experience the benefits of global alignment, standardization and consistency. This program has changed our company culture from a local understanding of the way of doing things to a more global approach, further ensuring that Swissport remains the industry benchmark in terms of delivering optimum quality, high productivity and competitive costs.

Swissport's strong positioning within the aviation services industry is reflected in our award of two major industry distinctions, the Global Aviation Ground Services Company 2009 and Air Cargo Handling Agent 2009.

The following NATA Spring Training seminars are scheduled to allow you to attend all three and spend some time on the Cygnus show floor:

- Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar - February 21-22 (view LSST preview on event page)
- NATA Safety 1st Trainer Seminar - February 23
- NATA Environmental Compliance Seminar - February 24

Cygnus Aviation Expo
The 2011 Cygnus Aviation Expo promises to be bigger and better than ever! It is the only aviation industry trade show that brings together 250+ exhibitors from ground support, FBO/aviation services and aircraft maintenance. Network with industry peers and check out the latest and greatest in technology products and services on the show floor.

The Most Productive Week Of Training In A Fun Setting
The NATA 2011 Spring Training Week brochure will arrive in your mailbox in the next few weeks. In the meantime, visit www.nata.aero/springtraining for links to seminar details and to register for one or more of the seminars.

The goal of this guide is to provide airport fuel service providers a comprehensive, easy-to-understand review of the many complex standards and requirements for the handling of aviation fuel. The incorporation of full-color photographs adds to the usefulness of the 2011 revision as a teaching tool for new and seasoned fuel handling technicians alike.

The 2011 revision is expected to be available for delivery in mid-December. The price for this guide is $150 for NATA members and $250 for non-members. However, NATA members placing a pre-order now can receive this invaluable guide for only $130. Don’t miss your opportunity to get this industry-leading guide for a pre-publication price! Click the link below to order now!

Pre-order your copy of NATA’s “Refueling and Quality Control Procedures for Airport Service and Support Operations” now!

Included in the training are de/anti-icing best practices and procedures, vivid videos and photos to help shape understanding, resources such as current Federal Aviation Administration holdover tables, quizzes throughout to reinforce major concepts and a final exam to ensure comprehension – all combined in a thorough online package for consistent training of the de-icing crew.

What’s covered in the de/anti-icing training module?

• Introduction: reviews the crucial reasons for de-icing and the effects of icing on aircraft flight.
• De-icing and Anti-icing Fluids: covers the different types of fluids, their characteristics and their primary usage.
• De-icing and Anti-icing Application: covers specifics on when and how to apply the different fluid types.
• De-icing and Anti-icing Safety: discusses personal protective equipment requirements and procedures for the safe operation of your de-icing equipment.
• De-icing Procedures: discusses techniques to de-ice aircraft effectively and best practices to follow.
• Anti-icing Fluid Application: stresses what to do and what NOT to do when applying anti-icing fluids.
• Final Preparations For Departure: covers your responsibilities as well as what to expect from the flight crew after de/anti-icing and prior to aircraft departure.

“NATA’s Safety 1st developed this online de/anti-icing module in response to our members who have asked for general aviation-specific training to fulfill their winter weather needs,” said NATA Director of Safety and Training Amy Koranda. “In the past, our members have turned to de/anti-icing training suited for the airlines and it just doesn’t fit the bill for our industry.”

NATA’s Safety 1st online training such as this de/anti-icing module is comprehensive – everything needed to train, test and track line specialists is included in convenient online modules. Pricing for the online training is based on a sliding scale.

To view a demo of NATA’s Safety 1st De/Anti-icing Training Module and access a link to order, visit www.nata.aero/onlinetraining.  

“At NATA, Safety 1st is not just a name, it is a mission. We continue to set the industry standard in safety by developing convenient, cost effective training in best practices and procedures specific to our members’ needs,” added NATA President James K. Coyne.

NATA members may now take advantage of these valuable and convenient savings:

• 20% off rental and lease uniform rates
• 20% off facility services (mats, towels, mops, restroom supplies, etc.) 

To learn more about ARAMARK and the products and services that are available, please click here.

To set up a meeting with an ARAMARK representative to review your uniform and facility services needs, please call Tania Allaire at (818) 973-3906 or send an email to Tania.Allaire@uniform.aramark.com.

Please mention source code # 197336.