NATA News

NATA President James K. Coyne will testify at two Congressional hearings this week regarding recent recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a result of the Hudson River accident that took place in early August.

On Tuesday, September 15, Coyne will present testimony before the Senate Aviation Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security at 2:30 p.m. (Eastern) at a hearing titled “Aviation Safety: The Hudson River Midair Collision and the Safety Of Air Operations in Congested Space.” More information about this hearing can be viewed by clicking here. The hearing will be streamed on the Internet at the following link:

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.ByMonth

On Wednesday, September 16, Coyne will present testimony before the House Subcommittee on Aviation at 10:00 a.m. (ET) at a hearing titled “The Hudson River Airspace and Management of Uncontrolled Airspace Corridors.” More information about this hearing can be viewed by clicking here. Live video for the hearing will be streamed on the Internet at the following link:

http://transportation.house.gov/

Testimony and press statements for both hearings will be available at www.nata.aero shortly after their conclusions.

The FAA has previously made it clear that this task is considered preventive maintenance. Therefore, “nav” database updates must be completed by a technician, and must be accompanied by a maintenance record entry. Many operators find this surprising, as typically navigational updates are very simple to accomplish using a memory flash drive or similar device.

Until 1996, such actions were considered maintenance. In a final regulation amending Part 43, the FAA addressed this issue and stated,

“. . . the current regulations also prohibit general aviation pilots from removing and replacing easily removable communication and navigation devices, and from updating easily replaceable data bases. Certain aviation communication and navigation systems are now designed for easy removal and data base update. [Private aircraft owners] would like to be able to insert flight plans or update the Air Traffic Control (ATC) software data base. Current regulations require that a mechanic perform these tasks.” (61 FR 19498)

In that rulemaking, the FAA amended FAR 43, Appendix A, to stipulate that updating the databases is considered preventive maintenance. This provides significant relief to Part 91 operators, as pilots are able to perform such tasks. However, for aircraft maintained under Part 135, the tasks must be completed by a technician.

NATA encourages all operators to ensure that, when navigational databases are updated, the updates are performed by qualified personnel and that the appropriate record entries are made.

Last week, NATA joined with the Air Transport Association, Airports Council International – North America, American Association of Airport Executives and the Regional Airline Association in asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a sixty-day extension to the public comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), Effluent Limitation Guidelines and New Source Performance Standards for the Airport Deicing Category. In the letter, the associations note that although a significant initial public comment period has been established, the end of “the existing comment period falls squarely within the air transportation industry’s peak travel and deicing seasons.” Because of this timing, “many of those industry experts with the greatest experience and knowledge of deicing operations will be unavailable to provide their guidance and insight on the Proposed Rule precisely when their input is most critical.” The associations have asked the EPA for a 60_day extension, which would place the closing of the comment period at the end of February 2010.

The associations’ letter to the EPA is available here.

NATA's Manager of Regulatory Affairs, Mike France, will address this and several other environmental issues in a free webinar on September 29.  More details to follow.

ASRI(www.asri.aero) began operations in 1929 as Aeronautical Radio Inc. (ARINC) as a non-profit company owned by major airlines and other aviation-related companies. ARINC’s purpose was to manage the limited number of available frequencies used by airlines. Through the years, ARINC grew and branched out into other areas in the aerospace sector. In early 2006, the frequency management department of ARINC was spun off and became Aviation Spectrum Resources, Inc.

Today, ASRI is responsible, through a charter with the FCC, for managing the aeronautical en route VHF Spectrum 128.825 - 132.00 MHz and 136.500 - 136.975 MHz and the Long Distance Operational Control (LDOC) HF spectrum in the United States. These frequencies are often used by NATA member FBOs and charter operators to communicate with inbound and outbound aircraft.

ASRI’s Aeronautical Frequency Committee comprises major and regional commercial aircraft operators and organizations representing business and general aviation aircraft operators. The AFC formulates policies and recommendations relating to the allocation, assignment and efficient use of the frequency spectrum. These policies and recommendations take effect only upon adoption by the ASRI Board of Directors.

To gauge the impact of these variations, NATA has launched a special survey. Obtaining survey responses is of great importance, as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is now conducting a review of inconsistencies in how field inspectors interpret and apply requirements on regulated entities.

Complete the survey now!

NATA is highly supportive of this review and asked Members of Congress to request the study to address the mounting dilemma member companies face in dealing with the lack of regulatory interpretation standardization between local FAA offices.

All interested aviation businesses that are certificated by the FAA are asked to complete the brief anonymous survey that will allow the association to present summary data related to this important issue. The deadline to complete this survey is this Friday, September 18th!

NATA will compile the survey data received and provide a summary of the results to the GAO. The association is hopeful that the final GAO report will prove the significance of the issue, highlight a need for change within the FAA, and propose solutions that can address the problem.

NATA pledges to keep all information strictly confidential unless the submitter specifically agrees to be contacted and to have their information used in an identifiable way.

Click here to begin the survey.

To learn more about the Oxford, CT event, including how to RSVP, please click here.

To learn more about the Napa, CA event, including how to RSVP, please click here.

For more information, please contact Eric R. Byer.  

To learn more about the Oxford, CT event, including how to RSVP, please click here.

To learn more about the Napa, CA event, including how to RSVP, please click here.

For more information, please contact Eric R. Byer.  

Please consider submitting your photos from past NATA events, events at your facility, those depicting important milestones in your operation, etc. We have many exciting plans to use these photos to help highlight this important historical achievement, including: an Anniversary section on our Web site, a brochure of our history, displays, presentations during special events, and much more. Please make sure that NATA has the right to publish any submitted photos in either print or electronic form.

We look forward to your participation next year and to navigating the future of business aviation together.

NATF provides three scholarships annually - an academic scholarship, a flight training scholarship and a business scholarship. By awarding these scholarships, NATF hopes to achieve its goal of assisting outstanding candidates pursuing careers in general aviation.

The Pioneers of Flight Scholarship is given annually to two deserving college students enrolled in an aviation accredited four-year college or university to help fund their academic goals. NATF’s flight training scholarship, the Dan L. Meisinger Sr. Memorial Scholarship is given annually to an aviation college student to assist with flight lessons. The NATA Business Scholarship, given annually to an employee of a NATA member company, funds studies directly related to furthering the skills applicable to working at an FBO, charter company, maintenance facility or flight school.

We are now accepting applications for the 2009 scholarships; don’t miss the deadline!

Additional NATF scholarship applications and requirements are available by clicking here.

#2. This is the only air charter operator-focused tax seminar addressing the current, and at times confusing, world of tax issues affecting aircraft charter and management.

#3. The release of amended OpSpec A008 has created a myriad of issues not only for certificate holders but also for owners. The impact of operational control requirements on tax planning will also be addressed.

#4. Get answers to your complex questions regarding federal excise taxes, state taxes, international fees, FAR and IRS regulations.

#5. Expert instructors will deliver the information and tools necessary to enable seminar attendees to determine where taxes and fees apply and how best to manage tax compliance and the impact on company cash flow.

These are questions for which simple answers are hard to find, so NATA and Conklin & de Decker have put together this informative two-day seminar to cover it all. Register for the Commercial Operator Tax Seminar, September 23-24, San Antonio, TX, today!

Click here to register!

• I am an experienced Line Service Specialist
• I want to advance my career
• I want to keep up with the latest line service supervisor best practices
• I am responsible for hiring new employees, performance evaluations, terminations and other human resource functions
• I have many job functions and I want to excel at all of them
• I want to improve communications with and within my team
• I highly value customer service
• I am continually striving to improve myself, my team and my operation
• I want to be the best supervisor and encourage my team to be their best

If the answer is yes, click here to learn more about the ALSST Seminar, September 23-24 in San Diego, or to register now.

Hurry, this seminar is offered only once this year!