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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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| President Obama Unveils His Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Today |
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| Today, President Obama will release the details of his blueprint for the federal budget for fiscal year 2011 (FY11). As you know, the president has called for a three-year freeze on most domestic spending, with the exception of defense, homeland security, and foreign aid, as well as federal entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security. With an effort to increase spending authority for other programs, the underlying question remains whether the budget will contain a funding mechanism or user fee for general aviation. The intended purpose of a user fee on general aviation is to help bring additional funding into the Airport and Airways Trust Fund. With the implementation of the Next Generation Air Traffic Control System (NextGen), the search for additional revenue to support the trust fund has been ongoing over the past few years.
It remains to be seen whether a specific funding mechanism will be spelled out in the FY11 budget or language will be included specifying the need for a funding mechanism the following year. In addition, what will the budgets for the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration look like with a three-year freeze on spending? Stay tuned….NATA will release a detailed legislative report on the FY11 federal budget this week. | |
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| NATA Releases Video Briefing: “Hypocrisy” |
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| NATA has issued the third release in the “Coyne’s Video Briefings” series titled “Hypocrisy.” In this video, NATA President James K. Coyne asserts that the best way to get the economy moving is to get America moving. As President Obama prepares to deliver his second State of the Union address, Coyne points out that in his first year as president, Obama has used general aviation more than any other president in history. He goes on to thank President Obama for setting such a good example, and proving that general aviation is, indeed, a vital part of America's economy. A new video will be released every few weeks and will focus on “hot topics” and important current events affecting the association’s membership and the general aviation industry at-large.
“These video briefings allow me to speak directly to our members on current political and financial issues affecting their companies,” Coyne stated. “I will also be able to provide some candid perspective as to how these issues impact the bottom line of aviation businesses and what actions our members can take to ensure that their companies are protected from new taxes and unnecessary regulations.”
To view “Hypocrisy,” please click here.
To view the catalog of Coyne’s Video Briefings, please click here. | |
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| Coyne Blog – America Changes Once Again |
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| If 2008 was the year of voters choosing ‘change we can believe in,’ then 2010 has already proved to be the year for ‘change without the make-believe liberal dreams.’ Angry citizens went to the polls in Massachusetts last week and produced more change than anyone imagined: they elected a conservative Republican to fill the seat of the Senate’s liberal lion, Ted Kennedy. Their message to Washington was simply: “Stop!”
To read Coyne’s Capitol View Blog in its entirety, please click here. | |
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| Senate General Aviation Caucus Kicks-Off |
| House General Aviation Caucus Reaches 100 Members |
| United States Senators Mark Begich (D-AK) and Mike Johanns (R-NE), co-chairs of the General Aviation Caucus in the U.S. Senate, held a kick-off event January 28, 2010. The purpose of a congressional caucus is to bring Members of Congress and their staff together to support general aviation by holding regular meetings on issues affecting the industry. “The Senate General Aviation Caucus was founded to ensure that pilots, industry, local governments, and the federal government all have a voice in issues of importance," Sen. Begich said. "Today's meeting is a positive step and creates a platform for bipartisan action on issues important to the GA community." Currently, there are 23 members of the Senate General Aviation Caucus.
The U.S. House of Representatives established a similar caucus last year that has now reached 100 members, a huge feat for any congressional caucus.
Click here to view a combined list of Senate and House caucus members listed by state.
To view Senator Begich’s press release on the event, please click here.
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| Strong Partnerships Are Key At NATA's 2010 FBO Leadership Conference |
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| NATA completed another successful FBO Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas, this week.
More than 100 FBO and general aviation airport owners and managers gathered for a two-day conference to discuss current industry issues such as the economy, health care and security as well as vital business topics including customer service and building community relations. A recurring theme through this year's conference was "building strength through partnerships."
The attendance doubled over last year's conference registrations and is attributed to a bold decision by NATA and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) leadership to form a partnership, locating NATA's conference with NBAA's Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference. "NATA members are thrilled with the collocation of the FBO Leadership Conference with NBAA's S&D Conference," said NATA President James K. Coyne. "Our members are at S&D because their customers are here – add the opportunity to network with colleagues on the most pressing industry issues, plus the ability to hear from leading business experts, and you get a winning formula."
The first Monday session started with the same sentiment as the last session that day: Thank goodness 2009 is over. Keynote speaker Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis for the Teal Group, delivered the message that the worst is over. The market has stabilized, but there is a long way to go until growth will resume. Aboulafia gave a three-year time period for market growth. He said, "We are clawing our way out, but I am worried about the next 6-12 months." Some of this worry is due to huge barriers to new entries, including the large inventory of used aircraft that also negatively affects new aircraft sales and deliverability. "The bottom half of the market (aircraft under $25 million) fell off a cliff due to factors such as greater sensitivity to economic cycles, more discretionary users, greater reliance on external finances and greater fractional exposure," he said. Aboulafia predicted that the bottom half of the market will recover at a slightly faster pace, provided there is no major structural shift in the market.
Asa Hutchinson, senior partner of AH Law Group and former under secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, spoke on the future of general aviation security. Hutchinson said, "The proper strategy of Homeland Security will lead the TSA to the right conclusions about security." He suggested that a balance is needed between the protection of U.S. borders and transportation that is consistent with the lawful flow of commerce. Also, a risk-based targeting system should be in place allowing for the timely sharing of information to be analyzed for risk and then the focus should be placed on those posing the risk. Hutchinson said, "There is a risk in general aviation being treated the same as airlines when it comes to security. Your voice is now more important than ever." He added that two important steps to consider are appointing a security coordinator in each operation and performing a vulnerability assessment on a facility to gather the statistics needed to make a case about the level of risk posed by that operation.
Brian Grubb from the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center drove home the need for partnerships in business success. Grubb said that the Ritz-Carlton reviewed the source of their top market segments and discovered that some of their most valuable customers are, in fact, travel agents. Using this information, Ritz-Carlton formed a stronger partnership with the travel agents by asking what they could do to help them build their business. Another tactic used by the Ritz-Carlton in tough economic times is to take an aggressive stance by encouraging customers one tier beneath a typical Ritz-Carlton guest to buy discounted rooms in the shoulder season. The profit margin is minimal, but a new market segment has been exposed to the impeccable service of the Ritz-Carlton.
Tuesday's program began with the Leadership Breakfast, featuring NATA's James K. Coyne, NBAA's Edward M. Bolen, GAMA's Peter J. Bunce and AOPA's Craig L. Fuller. All agreed that to help overcome the challenges facing our industries a grassroots effort to build strong relationships with state and local level politicians is necessary to help spread the word of the immense importance of general aviation and business aviation to the economy and stress the perils of taxes and a wide array of damaging policies to business. Coyne concluded, "We have to take this opportunity as a greater community to revitalize the political view of GA and business aviation to help the nation get out of the recession."
Conference agenda items included an informative session by NBAA staff on the efficient and effective marketing techniques for S&D Conference participants.
NATA also kicked off its 70th Anniversary celebration with a birthday bash gathering members, staff and industry friends. Visit www.nata.aero for more information on upcoming 70th Anniversary events, and www.nata.aero/fbolc for information on NATA's 2010 FBO Leadership Conference presentations.
Coyne wrapped up the conference with news on next year's event. "I am extremely pleased to announce that NATA will hold its 2011 FBO Leadership Conference in Savannah on January 31 and February 1, leading up to NBAA's Conference once again," Coyne said. "A valuable take away from this year's conference is that success can be achieved through the sharing of information with strong strategic partners. We look forward to continuing our partnership with NBAA to bring the best return on our members' educational and business investment." | |
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| FAA Administrator Babbitt Addresses Aviation Safety and Pilot Training At Aviation Luncheon |
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| FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt was the keynote speaker for this month’s Aero Club of Washington luncheon. In his remarks, Babbitt described many of the issues the FAA will be addressing this year, including the recently issued “Call to Action on Airline Safety and Pilot Training.” Babbitt stated, “We held 12 regional safety forums, we pulled together the FAA, air carriers and labor organizations to drill down on where we needed to make changes. As a result of these efforts, we are expecting to publish this spring a much-needed proposal for a Flight Time and Duty Time rule.” Babbitt stated further that it is essential to reexamine pilot qualifications to ensure that commercial pilots who carry passengers have the appropriate operational experience.
The other main theme of the administrator’s speech was the Next Generation Air Traffic Control System (NextGen). “As I look ahead to what comes next for the FAA, one thing I am keenly aware of is a need for the agency to have more of a mission focus, at every level. Part of that mission is making sure we are equipped to take aviation into the future – that we can develop technology that right now might seem out of reach,” Babbitt said. Earlier this month, air traffic controllers began using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast or ADS-B, the satellite-based system for air traffic control management. ADS-B is one of the technologies at the heart of the transformation of NextGen. Babbitt also made a bold statement that equipage is up to the operator, something to which the airline industry has been staunchly opposed. “The benefits of having the technology far outweigh the costs,” Babbitt said. “For instance, in the Gulf of Mexico, helicopter operators previously could only get IFR service with an inefficient antiquated grid system. Now, with ADS-B, radar-like five-mile separation services and direct routings can be realized. The carriers at high altitude get similar benefits. The math’s not complicated — the business case is obvious,” Babbitt stated.
To view Administrator Babbitt’s entire remarks, please click here. | |
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| 2010 Winter Olympics TFR issued |
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| The FAA has issued FDC NOTAM 0/3196 that establishes a temporary flight restriction (TFR) in the Pacific Northwest in advance of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. The TFR will be in effect beginning January 29, 2010. In addition, gateway airports have been established to assist U.. operators in meeting the Canadian requirements for access to the Olympic airspace. All aircraft operators planning flights into or near the Olympic site are urged to review NOTAM 0/3196 and the associated flight advisory.
Click here to view NOTAM 0/3196.
Click here to view the 2010 Winter Olympic Games Flight Advisory. | |
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| NATA's FBO Success Seminar At Spring Training |
| March 15-17, Las Vegas, Held In Conjunction With AIE |
| Running and managing a fixed base operation is a very demanding job. It not only requires a strong business sense, it also requires motivated and loyal employees, targeted marketing and creative negotiating skills.
NATA's FBO Success Seminar has been designed to help you with almost every conceivable situation in the day-to-day business of running a successful FBO, from developing a favorable lease with an airport authority to understanding and working with your fuel supplier; from decreasing credit card interest rate charges to lowering insurance premiums; and from dealing with FAA and EPA issues to building long-term profitable customer relationships.
Seminar Benefits
- Save money without cutting corners
- Lower your insurance premiums
- Improve operational efficiency
- Foster FBO profitability
- Increase the intrinsic value of your FBO
- Meet your short- and long-term financial goals
Among The Topics To Be Covered
- Operating your business in tough times
- Decrease credit card interest rates and lower insurance premiums
- Strengthen your fuel supplier relationship
- Optimize operations and prepare for contingencies
- Building long-term profitable customer relationships
- Make fractional aircraft programs your ally
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| NATA's Spring Training Week |
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| NATA is pleased to host our second annual Spring Training Week in conjunction with the Aviation Industry Expo. This year's Spring Training consists of several major league seminars designed to answer questions about the business climate, advance the skills of FBO owners, general managers, line service specialists and supervisors and enhance the success of their operation in any economic environment:
Sponsored by:
FlightPlan.com
JSL Aviation
Horizon Business Concepts | |
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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 NATA Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs Eric Byer 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 believe President Obama will include a new user fee proposal in the FY 2011 Budget to be unveiled today?
Participate in Survey. | |
| Aviation Fact of the Month |
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| We all are well aware of the many benefits that general aviation aircraft and airports provide to localities and the economy in general, but one area that is often overlooked is the impact general aviation can play in disaster response. A recent article posted in AVWeb highlights some important facts about the role general aviation has played in the response to the earthquake in Haiti.
NATA believes that the U.S.’s network of general aviation airports represent one of the greatest assets the nation possesses in times of natural (or man-made) disaster. NATA’s Airports Committee recently received a briefing from Dr. James Smith of American Public University on his 2010 research goals, which involve investigating the potential benefits that can be achieved by including general aviation airports in the coordination and planning for future disasters. Research such as this will serve to highlight further the vital role general aviation plays in our nation’s future. | |
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