NATA News

• NATA President Featured On Fox News To Defend General Aviation
• AVweb Interviews NATA VP Eric Byer About California Avgas Suit
• Senator Inhofe Introduces Pilot’s Bill Of Rights
• White House And Congress Continue Debt Discussion Today
• NATA’s Safety 1st Safety And Health Training – Now Online
• TSA Announces More DASSP Gateways
• Acting Manager For General Aviation Named At TSA
• ACSF Releases Updated Charter Safety Review
• Losses Happening at Aviation Businesses – Free Webinar Series will Enlighten NATA Members
• NATA’s 2012 Spring Training Week – Save The Date!
• Byer’s Blog: It Just Wouldn't Be A Day in the Life...
• NATA Member Benefits From Hertz! 

On July 7, NATA President and CEO James K. Coyne appeared on Fox News’ “America Live” to discuss the recent criticisms made by the Obama administration on general aviation aircraft tax incentives. Two weeks ago, President Obama held a White House press conference during which he stated that the White House will push to eliminate or scale back a series of tax deductions, including accelerated tax depreciation schedules for general aviation airplanes, in hopes of raising as much as $400 billion in new revenue over ten years.

“It is perplexing why the president continues to bash an industry that is responsible for thousands of manufacturing, maintenance and service jobs,” Coyne said. “The president’s comments before a national audience could weaken consumer confidence in general aviation utilization at a time when economic indicators are demonstrating that the community is finally starting to recover from the recession.”

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Last week, AVweb’s Glenn Pew spoke with NATA Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs Eric R. Byer and Attorney Andy Steinberg regarding the recent coalition of fixed base operators and fuel distributors who sell lead-based aviation gasoline in California filing of an injunction to prevent action by an environmental group to stop the sale of leaded aviation gasoline in the state of California. Byer and Steinberg explain what action is being taken and give the latest updates on the legal challenge.

Click here to listen to the AVweb interview.

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On July 6, 2011, U.S. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced legislation, S. 1335 the Pilot’s Bill of Rights, to ensure that general aviation pilots are treated fairly and equitably by the FAA. Senator Inhofe is a member of the Senate General Aviation Caucus and a certified flight instructor with more than 10,000 flight hours. 

The bill would mandate that the FAA face new requirements to advise a pilot subject to an enforcement action of the reason for the investigation and to inform the pilot of the option to decline to respond without penalty. The pilot would be given all investigative reports, recordings with air traffic control or other relevant information 30 days before enforcement action could proceed.

A provision is included in the bill to clarify the “statutory deference” afforded the FAA by the National Transportation Safety Board when considering appeals of FAA enforcement rulings. In addition, two advisory panels would be created to require the FAA to undertake a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) Improvement Program to simplify NOTAMs. Another advisory board would address medical certification.

Senator Inhofe stated, “One of the reasons I got into politics was to fight for the everyday citizen facing an uphill battle with bureaucracy, and that’s why I’m so pleased to introduce this legislation—it’s a mixture of my love of flying and pilots and my job of legislating for the people.”

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) worked with Senator Inhofe on getting this important piece of legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate. AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller stated, "AOPA applauds Senator Inhofe for introducing the Pilots Bill of Rights legislation, giving the aviation community much greater certainty about the process of enforcing the regulations by which we fly. We look forward to working with Senator Inhofe and others in the Congress who have already stepped forward with their support."

EAA President Rod Hightower stated, “This bill addresses several inequalities that hamper the ability of aviators to even obtain the necessary information to defend themselves. We are grateful that 24 members of the Senate support these ideas for improving the enforcement process to bring greater fairness and protection for pilots and their flying privileges.”

Senator Inhofe outlined his Pilot’s Bill of Rights legislation, S. 1335, on the Senate floor July 5, invoking lawmakers’ responsibility to “prevent agency overreach.” He is scheduled to meet with pilots to rally support for the legislation on July 30, 2011, at EAA AirVenture 2011 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers met with President Obama again Sunday to try to reach an agreement over raising the federal borrowing limit, but the talks were thwarted by the president's proposal to include significant tax increases. The White House has also proposed to alter Social Security and Medicare as part of a potential debt-ceiling deal with Republicans. It is not clear what Social Security and Medicare shifts the White House is suggesting, but administration officials have said a proposal from the president's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to raise the cap on Social Security payroll taxes - currently set at $106,800 - is possible. Some Democrats are open to the idea while congressional Republicans have suggested paring Social Security benefits by changing the way cost-of-living adjustments are calculated for beneficiaries. 

President Obama’s proposal seeks to cut $4 trillion from the federal budget over the next 1o years. In doing so, the plan would involve cutting spending to agency budgets, ending the George W. Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and change entitlement programs. If a deal isn’t reached within two weeks, which would give Congress enough time to approve it, the United States would default on its fiscal obligations for the first time. 

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The Safety 1st department has been busy finalizing more than 18 new online safety and health training modules and will make them available for purchase this week. These modules were developed using the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standards and regulations and are specifically designed to train employees at aviation businesses.

The best news about this online training is that it is available any time your employees want to train and it can be accessed using existing Safety 1st online training credentials. With 18 modules to choose from, employees can take their time going through training concepts and when they have completed the chosen module, run through a quick exam to confirm their training. Each module averages between 30-45 minutes in length and all 18 modules can be completed in approximately 10 hours.

NATA’s 18 modules include back safety, bloodborne pathogens, cold stress, ergonomics, fall protection, fire extinguishers, forklift safety, hazard communication, hearing conservation, heat stress, ladder safety, lockout tagout, machine guarding, office safety, personal protective equipment and respiratory protection. Companies can buy only those modules applicable to their job. From office workers, to maintenance technicians, line service personnel, to pilots and more, the modules allow the user to create a curriculum that best meets his or her job requirements.

Additional information can be found at http://nata.aero/plst/osha_curriculum.html.

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The Transportation Security Administration has added new FBOs as approved gateways for operators using the DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP). The DASSP allows participating general aviation aircraft operators to utilize Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

The new locations are:

• Signature Flight Support located at KDEN – Denver International, Colorado
• Signature Flight Support at KAPA – Centennial Airport, Colorado
• Amway Aviation at KGRR - Gerald Ford International, Grand Rapids, Michigan
• TAC Air at KSUS (formerly Signature Flight Support) – Spirit of St. Louis, Missouri

Download a complete listing of all DASSP approved gateways.

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Following the departure of Brian Delauter this spring, the Transportation Security Administration’s general manager of general aviation position has been vacant. Last week, Kerwin Wilson was appointed as the acting general manager. Wilson has previously served in the general aviation office as assistant general manager and is well known to the industry stakeholders. NATA congratulates Wilson on his appointment and looks forward to working with him.

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The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) has published its updated safety review of the Part 135 on-demand air charter industry. The Part 135 Incident/Accident Review is a comprehensive look at the factors surrounding charter incidents and accidents between 2004 and 2010.

In conducting the review, the ACSF analyzed each Part 135 on-demand event reported in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) database and identified non-revenue flights flown under Part 91 that were under the control of a certificate holder. These include maintenance, ferry, positioning and instructional flights among others. Events on Part 91 flights under the operational control of an aircraft owner were not included.

Several interesting data-points emerged in the review:

• Approximately 67% of all revenue flight accidents, and 63% of non-revenue, occurred in visual meteorological conditions.
• Revenue accident flights involving transportation to/from oil rigs represent, on average for the five-year period, 16% of all accidents.

The ACSF refrains from drawing specific conclusions about these figures, as the means to place them into proper context is dependent upon an accurate reporting of flight hours in each category. Such data is not collected by either the FAA or NTSB.

The Part 135 Incident/Accident Review will be updated as new information becomes available. Copies of the report are being delivered to every ACSF member. Non-members may order a copy of the publication for $30. Call the ACSF at 888-723-3135 to place an order.

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On July 27, 2011, at 1:00 PM EDT, NATA Workers’ Compensation Insurance program partner USAIG will host the first in a series of webinars addressing the types of workers’ compensation insurance losses that participating members are experiencing. This webinar series follows on the heels of a study that USAIG conducted of ten years of Workers' Compensation Insurance-related accident data. USAIG is utilizing this data to address workers’ injuries and recommend training to assist in the reduction of future workplace accidents. 

The first webinar in the series will focus on “back strain,” including aviation-related back strain statistics and how they “measure up” to other industries as well as a real-world case study that reviews accident circumstances, seasonal influences affecting losses and USAIG’s comments on the case study accident. Remedial actions and training resources, including a resource “road map” for participants, will be reviewed.

These webinars are important to USAIG, NATA and program participants in helping to combat frequently occurring incidents and accidents and make your business a safer place to work.

Click here to sign up for the free webinar. 

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NATA’s popular Spring Training Week is heading back to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2012 during Cygnus’s Aviation Expo. Spring Training provides the most up-to-date training available for your line service and other managers. New in 2012, an FBO Finance Fundamentals seminar will be offered March 6-7.

What will take place? The following seminars will be held in Vegas:

March 5-6       Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar (LSST)
March 6-7       FBO Finance Fundamentals
March 7          NATA Safety 1st Trainer Seminar (Train The Trainer)
March 8          Environmental Compliance Seminar

Please mark your calendars so you don’t miss out on NATA’s premier seminars all located in one convenient spot. Additional details will be available in the coming weeks.

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NATA Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs Eric R. Byer addresses commentary by The Bergen Record Columnist Mike Kelly. Following is an excerpt from the blog post.

It just wouldn’t be a day in the life…
…if our good friend The Bergen Record Columnist Mike Kelly didn't spew his uneducated and ill-informed drivel, scaring families living around Teterboro Airport. For years, Mr. Kelly has made fear-invoking, questionable commentary about Teterboro Airport, its importance to the local community and its overall safety record. Mr. Kelly's recent rant focuses on how noise is so great around Teterboro Airport that a local school has to spend $18 million to soundproof its halls. He writes that federal grant funding is applied inappropriately and how the noise proofing of this and other schools will help kids, but leaves everyone else out in the cold.

Click here to read this and other blog posts by NATA Vice President Government and Industry Affairs Eric R. Byer in their entirety.

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When you rent with Hertz, you can take advantage of special year-round savings through the Hertz Membership Benefits Program. NATA members receive a discount off Hertz Daily Member Benefit Rates, Hertz U.S. Standard Rates; and Hertz U.S. Leisure Rates. You will be quoted the best rate for your rental needs.

With approximately 8,100 locations in more than 147 countries, Hertz is able to offer you special discounts on your rentals worldwide.

Planning a family vacation or an out-of-town business trip? If your plans include renting a car, take advantage of the special membership savings and services from Hertz.

At Hertz, you’ll find time-saving options like Hertz Neverlost, Express Return, and 24 Hour Emergency Roadside Assistance. Whether you need a compact, full-size or specialty vehicle, Hertz offers a wide variety of vehicles to handle all your rental needs.

As NATA members, you’ll enjoy all the benefits Hertz has to offer.

The key to your savings is your Hertz Discount CDP # 21980. Just mention this number when making your reservation. It’s that easy!

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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

USAIG & NATA Workers Compensation Seminar Series - Back Strain - 07/27/2011