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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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| NATA Members Meet With Key Congressional Leaders During Annual “Day On The Hill” |
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| NATA held its 14th Annual Day on the Hill event last week, in which nearly 100 association members met with their Members of Congress and their legislative staff to discuss specific policy items related to aviation. NATA members participating in this year’s event met with their district representatives, many of them serving on important committees to aviation such as the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on Appropriations, among others.
These meetings enabled the association’s members to discuss with their Members of Congress issues critical to the future success of their businesses and, ultimately, to the economy of the country. Specific topics that were discussed included general aviation’s economic impact on each of the 50 states, general aviation’s role in Haiti relief efforts, FAA Reauthorization legislation, security directives at airports, General Aviation Jobs Act, and environmental policy.
To view NATA’s Policy Priorities, please click here.
Addressing association members prior to Day on the Hill, NATA President James K. Coyne stated, "I can't stress enough the immense value our members contribute when they personally deliver their message to Congress. I challenge them to continue communications throughout the year to develop a firm relationship with their representative and thus a solid foundation for our industry." | |
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| Excellence Awards Presented At U.S. Chamber Of Commerce |
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| Nearly 100 Day on the Hill event attendees toasted the industry's finest at NATA's annual Industry Excellence Awards dinner and presentation last Wednesday. Click here to view a press release of the winners, including top honors recipients The Honorable Jerry Costello (D-IL), chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Aviation, and Gary Driggers, retired senior vice president of Midcoast Aviation. U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue was host and guest speaker for this dinner. In his speech, Donohue reiterated the importance of events such as the Day on the Hill in getting one’s message across to Congress. He said that it is vitally important that you meet face-to-face with your Member of Congress and explain to them how they are helping or hurting your business.
"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was a magnificent setting for this year's awards ceremony honoring the elite of our industry," Coyne concluded. "We plan to make DC landmarks and luminaries such as Thomas Donohue part of our awards ceremony for years to come." | |
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| NATA Appoints Three New Board Of Directors Members |
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| The Day on the Hill event included NATA's spring committee meetings as well as the annual member meeting in which three new members of the NATA Board of Directors were elected. Click here to view the press release of the appointment of Bob Marinace, president and CEO of Key Air; James Sweeney, president of Fargo Jet Center; and Alfred Peterson, airport manager of Nantucket Memorial Airport, to the NATA Board of Directors.
“NATA’s Board of Directors comprises the finest leaders representing all areas of business aviation,” said NATA President James K. Coyne. “The association will greatly benefit from the vast knowledge and experiences of Bob, Al and Jim. Their expert guidance will not only take us through NATA’s 70th year of service, but also lead us toward success well into the future.”
Click here to view the full list of NATA Board of Directors. | |
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| EPA Issues ANPRM On Lead In Aviation Gasoline |
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| Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on lead in aviation gasoline. This ANPRM is the agency’s first step in investigating the necessity of regulations for lead emissions from general aviation.
Through the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the majority of lead emissions in the U.S. were curbed through EPA regulations. Currently, lead emissions from general aviation aircraft constitute almost 50% of the total lead emissions and are the sole remaining mobile source. In the ANPRM, the EPA recognized the complexity involved in identifying and safely transitioning to a lead-free gasoline, stating, “Converting in-use aircraft/engines to operate on unleaded aviation gasoline would be a significant logistical challenge, and in some cases a technical challenge as well.”
In response to the issuance of the ANPRM, NATA, in partnership with other industry stakeholders, issued a press release describing the industry’s cooperative efforts on this issue. The press release stated:
“[Industry stakeholders] have devoted more than 20 years of research and development to identifying a viable alternative to the 100 “low lead” avgas formulation used today by most piston-powered aircraft. The industry stakeholders look forward to continuing their work with the EPA and the FAA on establishing a realistic standard to reduce lead emissions from GA aircraft along a transition timeline which balances environmental benefit with aviation safety, technical feasibility and economic impact upon the GA industry.”
The final version of the ANPRM is expected to be published in the Federal Register this week.
The full press release is available to read here. | |
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| Congress To Unveil New Climate Change Legislation |
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| United States Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) plan to unveil a climate change and energy bill this week that includes the transportation sector in a greenhouse gas reduction plan. The legislation will likely impose specific limits on emissions and allow businesses to sell or trade carbon credits but not through a cap-and-trade system. The energy industry has been working with Senators Kerry and Lieberman and has agreed to provisions in the bill that would require oil and gas companies to purchase emission credits.
The overall goal of the bill is to eliminate U.S. dependency on foreign oil by 50% over the course of the legislation. In addition, the bill is said to include revenue-sharing for states such as Alaska that produce oil and gas off their coasts. The plan also does not appear to place further restrictions on offshore drilling beyond the proposal President Obama recently announced. It is unclear whether the bill would allow states to both opt in and opt out of offshore drilling.
NATA will review the legislation once it is introduced and will update its members on any provision affecting aviation. | |
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| Expert Air Charter Tax Advice At June Summit |
| Register for NATA Air Charter Summit Today |
| Get help navigating through the complex tax issues facing Part 135 and 91k operations. Join NATA June 7-9 for its 2010 Air Charter Summit at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia. The Summit agenda includes the following sessions on federal excise taxes and state taxes as well as many other timely topics:
Federal Excise Tax Advice
Charter operators often rely on charter brokers to collect and remit federal excise taxes. If the broker fails to collect and remit, can the IRS go after the charter operator? Learn more about how charter operators can prepare to address this growing issue during this very informative session. Speakers: Terri Farish, Chantilly Air, Inc. & Eileen Gleimer, Crowell & Moring
State Tax Advice
Record budget deficits have caused states to explore additional revenue sources such as aviation taxes. These taxes and fees are unduly onerous and confusing as they include aircraft registration fees, personal property taxes, fuel taxes, operating fees, and sales/use taxes. Find out more about how Part 135 and 91k operators are being taxed by individual U.S. states and how some in the community are fighting back. Speakers: Anthony S. Gasaway, Gasaway Tax Law & Nel Stubbs, Conklin & de Decker
Register now for the most comprehensive Part 135 and 91k event of the year.
NATA’s Air Charter Summit provides an important opportunity to learn about the Part 135 regulatory landscape straight from government officials. Industry leaders will also get the latest intelligence, tactics and strategies from nationally recognized experts, be inspired, find new solutions to current business and economic challenges, and network one-on-one with their peers. Don't miss special guest speaker Bruce Jenner! Visit www.nata.aero/acs for event details, hotel reservation and registration information. | |
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| LSST Features ServiceElements’ Dr. Martinez On Customer Service |
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| Come build career knowledge, confidence and success with NATA's Line Service Supervisor Training (LSST) Seminar in Windsor Locks. The LSST contains the most comprehensive technical line service and supervisory skills training in one place, at one time. This course also satisfies 14 CFR Part 139 Section 321 for fire safety training certification, an FAA requirement of line service supervisors to be completed every 24 calendar months.
This seminar also features several engaging speakers including Dr. Mario Martinez from ServiceElements. Dr. Martinez energizes LSST participants to problem solve together and come up with winning manager styles while challenging the group to START doing something new and STOP doing something they know they must.
More About Mario Martinez, PhD
 Mario Martinez PhD, is a senior curriculum development analyst and facilitator for ServiceElements. He has worked as a professional speaker since 1997 delivering seminars in management, leadership, and various topics related to human and organizational dynamics. He also teaches graduate courses in the Higher Education Leadership program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and has taught in the MBA program at San Diego State University. Dr. Martinez has published several academic, professional and trade books including “Building a Customer Service Culture: The Seven ServiceElements to Success.” Prior to embarking on his speaking and writing career, Mario was a financial analyst for Hewlett Packard Corporation and later a strategy analyst in the Governor’s Office in the state of Arizona.
Links to articles by Dr. Martinez:
The Reality of Service Culture
What’s Your Value Proposition?
LSST Seminar Benefits:
- Discover your strengths and weaknesses through self-assessments
- Learn to promote safety and synergy through teamwork
- Instill a culture based on trust, partnership and respect
- Analyze the technical information crucial to performing your job
- Make your FBO more efficient by learning how to engage and motivate your staff
Click here for more details and to register for NATA's Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar (LSST) in Windsor Locks, CT. | |
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| Byer’s Weekly Blog: |
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| This week, NATA Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs Eric R. Byer discusses how Members of Congress and staff are starting to truly understand what general aviation is all about. To read Byer’s blog, please click here.
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| Quick Facts On Aviation Fuel Quality Control |
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| All aviation quality control systems are composed of many overlapping layers of protection from fuel contamination and degradation. One of those layers is the fuel filter differential pressures test. This test is designed to measure the difference in the pressure of the fuel flowing into and out of a filter vessel. Since fuel flowing across any filter experiences a pressure drop, this test provides an indication of the relative “health” of the filter elements. Gradual increases in the differential pressure across a set a filter elements over time is natural as those elements slowly become “clogged” with contaminates. A sudden increase in differential pressure provides an indication that a large amount of contaminates have been removed from the fuel by the elements. A sudden drop in differential pressure is an indication that an element seal may be leaking and allowing fuel to bypass the filters altogether. Either of these situations would require further investigation by a trained technician to ensure that fuel quality is maintained.
One of the often misunderstood intricacies of the differential pressure test is the relationship between fuel flow rate and pressure drop. The results of the differential pressure test are directly proportionally to the fuel flow rate (i.e. the higher the flow rate, the higher the pressure drop). This property of the differential pressure test is important to understand so an accurate record of differential pressure can be maintained. | |
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