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Topics in this Volume
 NATA Day On The Hill/Industry Excellence Awards Dinner Held This Week |
The association will conduct its
2011 NATA Day on the Hill, Quarterly Committee Meetings and Industry Excellence
Awards Dinner later this week. On Wednesday, May 4, the association will
conduct its quarterly committee meetings at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.
Agendas for these meetings may be reviewed below:
Later that evening, the association will conduct its annual meeting of
members, election of officers and annual NATA Industry Excellence Awards Dinner.
Last week, the association announced its award winners, including Pat Epps
of Epps Aviation as its
William A. "Bill" Ong Memorial Award recipient and James C. Christiansen of
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation as the
NATA Distinguished Service Award winner.
More information on these events can be found by clicking here.
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Members Of Congress Added As Co-Sponsors Of The Freedom From Government Competition Act |
U.S. Representative John Duncan (R-TN) and U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD)
introduced the Freedom from Government Competition Act (and
H.R. 1474 and S. 785, respectively) to reduce unfair government competition
with the private sector, including small business. The legislation seeks to end
government monopolies and benefit the taxpayer by subjecting commercial
activities being performed by federal employees within government agencies to
market competition. Not only do federal agencies duplicate services available
from private business, but many also engage in unfair government competition
with the private sector. Many aviation businesses have been affected by unfair
government competition.
Currently, there are 13 co-sponsors in the U.S.
House of Representatives for H.R. 1474, including Representatives John Duncan,
Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Coffman (R-CO), Sam Graves
(R-MO), Ralph Hall (R-TX), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Randy Hultgren (R-IL), Steven
LaTourette (R-OH), Donald Manzullo (R-IL), David McKinley (R-WV), Dennis Ross
(R-FL), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), and Don Young (R-AK). In
the U.S. Senate, Senators John Thune, John Barrasso (R-WY), James Inhofe (R-OK),
Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Pat Roberts (R-KS) have co-signed S. 785.
It's imperative to have as many co-sponsors of the bill as possible in order
for Congress to consider the legislation. NATA members are being asked to
contact their Members of Congress to request they co-sponsor the Freedom from
Government Competition Act through the
legislative action center. Urge your Members of Congress to support the bill
today!
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Capitol View Blog |
NATA President and CEO James K. Coyne's latest blog focuses on putting the
FAA's workforce where it belongs.
To read
Coyne's blog, please click here.
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Inside Washington Blog |
NATA Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs Eric R. Byer's latest
blog discusses how NATA's Day on the Hill this week allows members to address
government competition against private business.
To read Byer's blog, please click here.
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Flight Training Bill Passes CA Senate Committee |
Last week, Senate Bill 619 (SB 619) was passed by the California Senate
Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development on a unanimous vote.
SB 619, which is supported by NATA, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
and others in the industry, would provide an exemption to certain flight
training facilities and flight instructions from the rules issued by the
California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). Under the current
language in SB 619, the exemption would apply to facilities and flight
instructors that:
- Do not require the upfront payment of "tuition" or fees, and
- Do not require students to enter into a contract of indebtedness
SB 619 would, however, still allow students to purchase "block time" in
amounts less than $2,500 from their flight school. Final passage of SB 619 is
still not certain, and NATA will be continuing its efforts to ensure that relief
is passed by the legislature before the July 1, 2011 date on which the BPPE
rules become effective for our industry.
NATA is currently engaged in a lobbying effort in Sacramento as well as
ongoing grassroots efforts around the State of California. NATA has established
a fund for its members and others in the industry to contribute towards some of
the cost of this effort.
Click here to learn more about NATA's efforts in California.
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NATA Supports FAA Rulemaking Amendment |
NATA, along with other key industry organizations,
sent a letter of support for Section 826 of the recently passed the Federal
Aviation Administration
(FAA) Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act (H.R. 658),
which would require the FAA to follow certain guidelines in the course of its
rulemaking activities. This provision does not require the agency to take any
specific action on any particular rulemaking and, with respect to FAA
rulemaking, would simply incorporate into federal law the existing requirements
of two currently existing Executive Orders of Presidents Clinton (E.O.
12866) and Obama (E.O.
13563). The provision also takes into account the basic fact that the U.S.
aviation industry comprises a diverse group of very different business models by
codifying FAA Administrator Babbitt's statement before an ALPA Safety Conference
in August 2009 that "In rulemaking, not only does one size not fit all, but it's
unsafe to think it can." NATA along with industry will continue to support the
FAA rulemaking provision of section 826 of H.R. 658 and urge that it be included
in any FAA Reauthorization bill conference report.
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NATA Joins Letter Of Support For FAA Contract Tower Program |
NATA joined
a letter of support to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate
Committees on Appropriations advocating for continued funding of the FAA's
Contract Tower Program. As Congress begins work on legislation to fund the FAA
in fiscal year 2012, NATA and other industry organizations feel it's important
that the committee fund the regular FAA Contract Tower Program at $121.8
million, as well as continue funding for the contract tower cost-sharing program
at $10 million.
Since 1982, the FAA Contract Tower Program has provided cost-effective and
essential air traffic safety services. Currently, 246 smaller airports in 46
states participate in the program and together these 246 towers handle
approximately 27 percent of all control tower aircraft operations in the U.S.
and account for just nine percent of FAA's overall budget allotted for air
traffic control (ATC) tower operations. Most importantly, the safety and
efficiency record of the FAA Contract Tower Program has been validated numerous
times by the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General and FAA safety
audits, as well as by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Federal contract towers operate together with FAA-staffed facilities
throughout the country as part of a unified national air traffic control system.
NATA will continue to advocate for full funding of the Contract Tower Program to
permit the continuation of this important FAA safety program.
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New FAA Associate Administrator For Airports Named |
The FAA announced last week that Christa Fornarotto has been named the FAA's
associate administrator for airports. Fornarotto previously served as the deputy
assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs at the U.S.
Department of Transportation. According to the FAA webpage, in this role she
served "as the principal advisor to the Secretary on a broad portfolio of
responsibilities covering domestic and international aviation, international
trade, and other international cooperation and facilitation issues."
In her role as associate administrator for airports, Fornarotto will "oversee
a $3.5 billion annual Federal airport grants program and passenger facility
charge collections totaling $2 billion. She will also manage programs for
national airport planning and development including safety standards, design and
engineering, certification, environmental processing, and financing."
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Los Angeles City Council Votes To Abolish Flight Training At Santa Monica Airport |
Although it has no power or authority over Santa Monica airport, the Los
Angeles City Council voted last week to support efforts to close the six flight
schools located at Santa Monica Airport (SMO). The council approved a resolution
introduced by Councilman Bill Rosendahl that would support federal legislation
to close the six flight schools and change the departure procedures from the
airport. In an interview last week with the
Venice Patch, Rosendahl explained his views on the airport, saying. "My
long-range objective is that the airport needs to be shut down."
Despite the political posturing from the Los Angeles City Council, the FAA
remains firm in its commitment to keep the airport, which has accepted federal
funding for development, open. "Generally speaking, the operator of an airport
that has accepted federal airport improvement grants could be in violation of
its federal grant agreements if it tried to evict a certain type of tenant
without just cause," FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told a
local news Web site.
NATA will continue to monitor the issue and work with the FAA to ensure that
the flight schools and other businesses located at Santa Monica are not shut
down due to political pressure.
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General Aviation Avgas Coalition Comments On Proposed Lead NAAQS Review |
This week, the Industry Avgas Coalition, of which NATA is a member, asked the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to delay reviewing the National
Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for lead until the data from monitoring
conducted in conjunction with the previous review is available."Because
implementation of the 2008 lead NAAQS could result in significant reductions in
lead emissions, revising the lead NAAQS is premature until the impact of those
changes can be realized, measured, and considered in the next NAAQS review," the
coalition stated in its comments.
The NAAQS for lead was reviewed and made substantially more stringent in
2008. As part of that process, and subsequent actions in 2010, air quality
monitoring for lead is now being conducted at airports and other areas around
the country in an attempt to understand better the effect general aviation
aircraft have on airborne lead levels. The EPA has proposed, in a Draft
Integrated Review Plan for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Lead,
undertaking a new review including a Science Assessment that would begin this
year and conclude in June 2012. The coalition's issues with this draft review
plan involve the fact that the data from current, soon to commence airborne lead
monitoring, is not expected to be available until at least 2013. Because the
data from monitoring will not be available for review, the coalition has asked
the EPA to delay or extend revising the NAAQS for lead at this time.
Click here to read the General Aviation Avgas Coalitions' full comments.
Click here to read EPA's Draft Integrated Review Plan for the NAAQS for lead.
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Sign-Up To Receive NATA's Weekly Political Update |
NATA offers its members a political update on specific items that the U.S.
House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the White House are working on
each week. This weekly update provides detailed information on hearings,
legislation that was introduced or debated in committee, and any issue that NATA
is following within Congress or the White House. The update's purpose is to
provide members a more comprehensive view of the legislative matters on which
the association is working. The Weekly Political Update is sent out via email
only to NATA members who request to receive it. To view past weekly
updates,
please click here. If you wish to receive these updates,
please click here.
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Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar |
Only LSST In Northeast In 2011
NATA's Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar will once again take place at
the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on May 24-25. This
seminar, specifically designed for Line Service Supervisors, provides the
training you need to become more proficient in strategic planning, supervising
staff, motivating others, communicating and coaching a team. This high-impact,
high-energy seminar includes guided group debates, role playing, interactive
games and various case studies designed to take you to a new level of
leadership. You will also take part in self-assessments to explore your
strengths and weaknesses and their effect on your management style.
Don't miss the chance to attend the LSST in Windsor Locks.
Click here for more details and a link to register.
Visit
www.nata.aero/event.aspx for information on future NATA events.
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Have Part 135 Questions? NATA's Air Charter Summit Has Answers! |
NATA will host an Open Forum with staff members from the FAA Part 135 Branch
at its Air Charter Summit held June 6-8, 2011, in Chantilly, Virginia, at the
Marriott Westfields.
These FAA representatives are directly responsible for the management of Part
135 issues within the FAA. They will discuss current projects that will impact
your operations, take your questions and provide you with the information you
need.
For more information and to register for the Air Charter Summit,
click here, or call (800) 808-6282.
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NATA Co-Sponsoring Northeast Safety Symposium |
NATA, along with the National Business Aviation Association, Helicopter
Association International, United States Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG), TAC
Air and other industry groups, is sponsoring the Northeast Safety Symposium to
be held in Windsor Locks, Connecticut on May 19. The symposium, which will be
held at TAC Air's facility at Bradley International Airport (BDL), will focus
on:
- Wildlife strike avoidance and wildlife mitigation
- FBO and ramp safety
- Mission safety and aircraft interdiction
Presentations will be made by representatives from the US Department of
Agriculture, USAIG and other industry experts. The event is free of charge and
includes a continental breakfast and sandwich lunch. To register, please contact
Dean Saucier at dsaucier@nbaa.org no
later than May 6, 2011.
Click here to view the Northeast Safety Symposium flyer.
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Fact Of The Week - NextGen News |
We have all heard about the benefits of NextGen implementation for our
industry and most of us are even familiar with some of the Technology. However,
NextGen is more than one or two technological implementations. Rather, according
to the FAA, NextGen is "a comprehensive overhaul of our National Airspace
System." The FAA has created a webpage that provides a wealth of information
regarding NextGen, including videos, graphics of NextGen operations and a
library of documents. This site is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn
more about the future of our national airspace system.
Click here to visit
FAA's NextGen Webpage.
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Upcoming Events
05/04/2011 - Washington DC
2011 Day On The Hill and Committee Meetings
05/24/2011 - Windsor Locks, CT
Line Service Supervisor Training
05/26/2011 - Windsor Locks, CT
OSHA Safety and Health Training
06/06/2011 - Dulles, VA
2011 Air Charter Summit
08/23/2011 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2011 Commercial Operators Tax Seminar
10/09/2011 - Las Vegas, NV
2011 Fall Committee Meetings
11/07/2011 - Atlanta, GA
Line Service Supervisor Training
11/08/2011 - Atlanta, GA
FBO Success Seminar
03/05/2012 - Las Vegas, NV
2012 Spring Training
NATA E-Learn Webinars
Commercial Operators Tax Seminar Preview Webinar - 06/22/2011
Click here to view archived webinar recording
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. National Air Transportation Association
4226 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22302
Phone: 800-808-6282
Fax: 703-845-8176
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