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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. |
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Professional Line Service Training |
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 PLST Online provides the most up-to-date training available for line service specialists – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Line service supervisors can conduct the new PLST Online training anytime and from anywhere there is access to the Web. continued |
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139 Fire Safety Training Online |
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This training not only meets and exceeds the requirements of 14 CFR 139.321 but also allows you to interact with other students in a group learning environment, receive the very latest NFPA news, watch live training presentations and much more. |
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| NATA’s FBO Leadership Conference Starts Today |
| While in San Antonio, remember NATA’s Birthday Party! |
| NATA’s two-day FBO Leadership Conference begins today at noon with a welcome luncheon and a keynote address by aviation analyst Richard L. Aboulafia. Other sessions that day include topics such as health care, general aviation security and building business partnerships. That evening, attendees will help NATA kick off a year of events commemorating our 70th anniversary with NATA’s Birthday Party Celebration. If you are in San Antonio for the conference, be sure to stop in. The party will be at the Grand Hyatt Hotel and begins at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday’s half-day program begins at 8:00 a.m. with a Leadership Breakfast featuring NATA President James K. Coyne, National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President & CEO Edward M. Bolen, General Aviation Manufacturers Association President & CEO Peter J. Bunce and Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association President & CEO Craig L. Fuller. Next is a session on airport and community relations. Our conference ends with the perfect transition into the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference — the final session features NBAA’s Vice President of Marketing & Membership Chris Strong and is open to all Schedulers & Dispatchers exhibitors. Chris will share techniques and tips to help audience members maximize their time at the conference.
Registrations for the FBO Leadership Conference will be accepted onsite. Stop by the registration booth at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The final event program and resources will be available at www.nata.aero/fbolc this week. | |
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| Obama’s Choice For TSA Administrator Withdraws |
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| President Obama's choice to lead the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Erroll Southers, withdrew his name last week from consideration, just days before Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had promised to force a Senate cloture vote on his nomination. Southers said he was pulling out because his nomination had become a lightning rod for those with a political agenda. Obama had tapped Southers, a former FBI agent, to lead the TSA in September but his confirmation has been blocked by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC). Senator DeMint was opposed to the nomination because Southers refused to explain whether he supported collective bargaining for TSA employees, which DeMint said would have led to work rules that would leave the TSA unable to respond quickly to new threats.
In an October affidavit for the U.S. Senate committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Southers said he asked a San Diego police employee to run a background check on his then-estranged wife's boyfriend and was censured by his FBI superiors 20 years ago for what he said was an isolated instance. But a day after the committee approved his nomination, he wrote to the senators and told them that he was incorrect, that he had twice run background checks himself.
The White House stated that President Obama had accepted Southers' withdrawal with great sadness and continued to believe he would have made an excellent TSA administrator. | |
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| Earl Weener Nominated To National Transportation Safety Board |
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| President Obama has nominated safety expert Earl F. Weener to be a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Weener is a fellow at the Flight Safety Foundation, where he has worked on runway safety, ground accident prevention and approach and landing accident reduction.
Weener had a successful career with Boeing, where his positions included chief engineer for airworthiness, reliability, maintainability and safety; chief engineer of systems engineering; and chief engineer for safety technology development.
He holds commercial, flight and ground instructor certificates, and a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan.
NATA has written a letter supporting Weener’s nomination that can be viewed by clicking here. | |
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| Loudoun County, Virginia Opposes Tax Increase On Aircraft |
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| NATA President James K. Coyne along with representatives from Landmark Aviation and Signature Flight Support met with members of the board of supervisors of Loudoun County, Virginia, last week. The board had sought to increase the personal property tax on aircraft by 4,000% from $.01/$100 to $0.40/$100. After much discussion with the local airport commission and others, the increase was reduced to $.02/$100. The board heard further opposition to any tax increase and understood the implications would be loss of jobs and no revenue gain for the county which resulted in the board voting against the measure.
To read NATA’s blog titled “Implications of a Personal Property Tax on Aircraft”, please click here. | |
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| Washington State Eye’s “Wealthy” Aircraft Owners For Tax Increase |
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| In a recent article posted on crosscut.com, author Austin Jenkins reveals that Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives Frank Chopp believes that a new excise tax on the owners of private aircraft may help solve the state’s budget issues:
“Speaker Chopp told me about a plan to charge an annual excise tax for privately owned airplanes similar to what boat owners’ pay. He said he doesn’t think “wealthy” aircraft owners deserve a break when public education is being cut.”
NATA has discussed the matter with staff from state Senator Cheryl Pflug’s office and confirmed that while no official bills or resolutions have been released proposing a new tax at this time, the idea is being discussed in the legislature. Sen. Pflug’s office also informed NATA that the Senator (who is an active general aviation pilot) does not support any increase in taxes on aircraft ownership. Sen. Pflug recently encouraged the Washington Pilots Association membership to provide her with information and data on the economic impact and volunteer efforts of pilots in maintaining state-owned airports to use to battle any future proposed tax increase. | |
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| FAA Releases TFR Advisory For Upcoming Presidential State Of The Union Address |
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| The FAA has released an advisory describing the temporary flight restriction (TFR) that will be in effect on the evening of January 27, 2010, in response to the Presidential State of the Union Address. The effective times for the TFR are not included in the advisory. The TFR will impose the limits on aircraft operations in the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) and Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ) described below.
SFRA Restrictions
- Only authorized DOD and Law Enforcement/Air Ambulance operations are permitted within the DC SFRA with prior coordination and approval from the Air Security Operations Center
- General aviation aircraft on an active IFR flight plan may arrive and/or depart Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) only
- Only authorized regularly scheduled commercial passenger and all-cargo flight meeting specified TSA security program requirements may operate within the SFRA
- No general aviation IFR/VFR flights will be authorized to transit through the DC SFRA
- Special operations procedures at Leesburg (JYO) and other airports are temporarily suspended during the duration of the TFR
FRZ Restrictions
- Only authorized Department of Defense and law enforcement/air ambulance operations are permitted within the FRZ with prior coordination and approval from the Air Security Operations Center.
- ALL aircraft MUST coordinate with and receive approval from the Air Security Operations Center prior to departure if arriving and/or departing from Andrews AFB (ADW) or Davison Army Airfield (DAA). A PPR does not authorize entry into the FRZ
- Only authorized regularly scheduled commercial passenger and all-cargo flights operating into or out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and meeting specified TSA security program requirements may operate within the FRZ
- Foreign aircraft issued a Department of State diplomatic clearance are authorized to operate into and out of Andrews AFB (KADW) ONLY
- The procedures pertaining to the “Maryland 3” airports are temporarily suspended during the duration of the TFR
In addition to the requirements listed above, the following will apply to all aircraft operations within the Washington, DC SFRA and FRZ.
- Aircraft must be on an active IFR flight plan, have a discrete transponder code assigned by ATC and remain in two-way radio contact with ATC.
- All flight waivers to operate within the SFRA/FRZ are temporarily suspended during the time of this NOTAM, except waivers beginning with ELO, GOV or SPO.
The advisory published by the FAA is only informative in nature and the actual requirements of the TFR will be issued via NOTAM.
Click here to view the full advisory. | |
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| NATA Environmental Committee Holds First Meeting Of 2010 |
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NATA’s Environmental Committee, under the direction of its newly named chairmen, Owen Busch, held its first meeting of 2010 via teleconference last week. The committee received briefings on environmental issues currently affecting the aviation industry including:
- EPA’s proposed de-icing Effluent Guideline Limitations
- Avgas Transition
- EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions
After receiving the briefings, the committee moved into discussion on its direction for 2010. NATA’s Environmental Committee was established to provide guidance regarding the association’s direction in environmental matters and to develop programs designed to assist member companies in minimizing their impact on the environment. | |
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| Air Charter Committee Conducts First Meeting Of 2010 |
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| The Air Charter Committee discussed a variety of issues during its recent meeting. Among the top issues being addressed by the committee members are the pending issuance of proposed rules revising crewmember flight, duty and rest requirements and the on-going concerns expressed by members over air charter brokers.
The committee members are preparing for revised crewmember work rules by reviewing prior proposals, particularly the recommendations made by the Part 135 Aviation Rulemaking Committee. To help air charter operators better manage their relationships with brokers, the committee will be producing a member resource containing best practices for doing business with brokers as well as other customers. The committee felt that helping operators ensure they have established business policies related to the acceptance, terms payment and conduct of operations is the best protection for ensuring successful relationships with all customers, including brokers. The committee anticipates having this document completed by early this summer. | |
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| Byer's Weekly Blog: And Another One Bites The Dust At TSA... |
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| Check out Byer’s weekly blog looking into who will take over the reigns at TSA now that Erroll Southers has withdrawn his name from consideration.
To view Byer’s Weekly Blog, please click here. | |
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| Coyne And Senior NATA Staff Available For Industry Events |
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| NATA President James K. Coyne and senior NATA staff are currently reviewing speaking invitations to member and industry events for 2010. If your organization would like to have Coyne or one the senior NATA staff speak at your event, please do not hesitate to contact Eric Byer on the NATA staff at ebyer@nata.aero. All requests are asked to include date, time, location and brief description of the event.
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| Weekly Survey |
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| Do you think Senator-Elect Scott Brown will be an advocate for general aviation once confirmed to the U.S. Senate?
Participate in survey. | |
| NextGen News |
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| The FAA announced on January 12 that Houston Air Traffic Controllers have begun using ADS-B Technologies for controlling traffic over the Gulf of Mexico.
“This is a significant, early step toward NextGen,” Administrator Babbitt said in a press conference at the Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center. “We’re delivering on time a system that’s not only more accurate than radar but comes with significant safety and efficiency benefits. This will save time and money for aircraft operators and passengers and reduce our carbon footprint.”
ADS-B technologies, vital to the implementation of NextGen, involve the use of satellite-, ground- and aircraft-based systems to provide controllers with an accurate picture of an aircraft’s location even when it is out of traditional radar range. Prior to the implementation of ADS-B in the Gulf of Mexico, air traffic controllers had to maintain up to 120 miles of separation between commercial aircraft flying at high altitudes. Now, with ADS-B technologies employed, controllers are able to reduce separation safely to as few as five miles. The FAA expects ADS-B technologies to begin operation in the Philadelphia area in February and Juneau, Alaska, in April.
Click here to read the full FAA Press Release on ADS-B implementation in the Gulf of Mexico. | |
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