NATA News

On March 25^th, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a final rule that “updates eye and face protection requirements in OSHA’s general industry, shipyard employment, marine terminals, long shoring and construction standards. The changes involve incorporation by reference of the latest ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2010 (American National Standards Institute/International Safety Equipment Association) standard on Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection Devices and removal of the oldest ANSI (Z87.1-1989) version of the same standard.” The final rule will be applicable for workers at Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MROs) and goes into effect on April 25, 2016.

Wednesday, March 30^th, NATA staff attended a General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC) meeting focusing on advancing general aviation safety through data-driven, consensus-based risk reduction efforts. Committee members, comprised of industry and government representatives, reviewed general aviation safety performance data for FY16, discussed the status on several ongoing Safety Enhancements (SEs), and received an update from the Safety Analysis Team (SAT). The FAA also provided an update on the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) through a technical program overview. NATA’s Managing Director of Safety and Training, Mike France, briefed the committee on NATA’s Misfueling Prevention Awareness Program. The next GAJSC meeting is scheduled for June in Washington, D.C.

Catch the latest blogs posts from NATA President and CEO Tom Hendricks and Senior Vice President for Government and External Affairs Bill Deere. The President’s Message offers Hendricks’ view on the aviation business industry. “Not the Answer for Air Traffic Control” is a full-length response opinion piece by Tom Hendricks’ excerpted by the Denver Post.

The Policy Playbook monitors Congress and federal agencies and lets readers know what new legislation and rules are in the works, how they will affect aviation business and what can be done about it. The recent addition from Deere, “Airlines…..Unplugged,” comments on the U.S. Chamber’s annual Aviation Summit recently held in Washington, D.C.

BBA Aviation recently announced the sale of six FBOs for $190 million, as agreed with the U.S. Department of Justice under the terms of the regulatory approval for the acquisition of Landmark Aviation. In connection with the transaction, KSL Capital Partners partnered with Jeffrey Ross, the former president and CEO of Ross Aviation, who will manage the Divestiture Assets following the closing of the transaction. The transaction is still subject to customary approvals. BBA Aviation was required to sell legacy Landmark FBOs at: Westchester County Airport, New York; Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia; Scottsdale Airport, Arizona; Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Alaska; Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, California; and part of the Landmark facilities at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. For more information, click here.

Million Air Dallas announced that Jack Hopkins, president of Million Air Dallas, recently decided to retire. Following this decision, Richard Rogers, owner of Million Air Dallas, appointed Bob Schmidt, vice-president and director of operations, as the new president of Million Air Dallas effective immediately. Hopkins joined Million Air Dallas in 1984 and held various positions of management before becoming the company’s president in 2002. “I am grateful to have spent 32 years with this great company, and deeply honored to have had the opportunity to lead the highest level of private air transportation in North America,” states Hopkins. Schmidt joined Million Air Dallas in October of 2005 bringing over 30 years of aviation experience to the company. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate and has over 14,000 hours of flight experience in domestic and international operations. “With the continued support of our team of employees, I plan to lead this company to even higher levels of achievement as we go forward,” Schmidt said. For more information, click here.

Tuesday, April 5^th is the last day to register for the first installment of the Safety 1^st Certified Trainer Program (CTP). The CTP is an online course designed to provide anyone who trains line service professionals the basic knowledge and skills to understand, teach and implement training programs, including Safety 1^st. It is comprised of six instructor-led, online classes that are approximately an hour and a half in length and occur over a three-month period. As an online course, the CTP saves participants time away from work and the cost of travel typically associated with in-person seminars and training classes. Investing in trainers pays dividends in all areas including safety, morale and customer service. Advance the development and growth of your trainers by registering them before April 5^th. To learn more, click here.

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) is pleased to announce that United States Aviation, Tulsa, OK is the newest company to join the ACSF. Along with 136 other companies, U.S. Aviation supports ACSF’s vision to promote and enable the highest levels of safety across both the personal and business aviation industries. United States Aviation is an FAA certified air carrier that has been in operation for more than 29 years.