NATA News

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the purpose of VIPR teams is to "operate throughout the airport environment as an additional layer of security to enhance TSA's ability to prepare for, protect against, or respond to acts of terrorism and to protect persons, facilities, and critical infrastructure in all modes of transportation. VIPR teams are to consult with all transportation entities directly affected by the deployment of VIPR teams, as appropriate, including air carriers, airports operators, local security and law enforcement officials and fixed-based operators."

VIPR teams have visited dozens of NATA member companies in recent years, generally as a precursor to a major sporting or political events. Recently, however, some VIPR teams have appeared at NATA member locations unannounced and unwilling to reveal the intent of their inspections.

To provide NATA members with more background information, the association has prepared a white paper on these VIPR teams and what authority they have in conducting inspections. To read NATA's white paper, please click here.

NATA members who have had problems with DHS VIPR inspections should contact Eric R. Byer, NATA's vice president of government and industry affairs, at ebyer@nata.aero

The FAA announced  that Christa Fornarotto has been named the FAA’s associate administrator for airports. Fornarotto previously served as the deputy assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation. According to the FAA webpage, in this role she served “as the principal advisor to the Secretary on a broad portfolio of responsibilities covering domestic and international aviation, international trade, and other international cooperation and facilitation issues.”

In her role as associate administrator for airports, Fornarotto will “oversee a $3.5 billion annual Federal airport grants program and passenger facility charge collections totaling $2 billion. She will also manage programs for national airport planning and development including safety standards, design and engineering, certification, environmental processing, and financing.”

U.S. Representative John Duncan (R-TN) and U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) recently introduced legislation, the Freedom from Government Competition Act (and H.R. 1474 and S. 785, respectively) to reduce unfair government competition with the private sector, including small business. 

The legislation seeks to end government monopolies and benefit the taxpayer by subjecting commercial activities being performed by federal employees within government agencies to market competition. Not only do federal agencies duplicate private business, but many also engage in unfair government competition with the private sector. Many aviation businesses have been affected by unfair government competition. 

NATA members are being asked to contact their Members of Congress to request they co-sponsor this legislation. The more co-sponsors the bill has, the more likely it will be taken up by Congress. H.R. 1474 and S. 785 have been referred to their respective committees of jurisdiction for further review.

• Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
• Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA),  Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security
• Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance
• Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), Ranking Member, Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security
• Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Finance

The House has yet to appoint their conferees. 

The association has finalized its legislative report on H.R. 658, FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011. The bill contains a number of NATA-supported provisions that will improve aviation safety and address the needs of the association's membership. For example, U.S. Representative Robert Woodall (R-GA) successfully offered an amendment that would prohibit the FAA from finalizing a Notice of Proposed Interpretation to revise existing Part 135 interpretations that permit flight crews to extend their duty day when unexpected circumstances beyond their control occur. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent.

To read NATA's legislative report on H.R. 658, please click here.

Earlier this year, the association also issued its legislative report on S.223, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act.

To read the legislative report on S. 223, please click here.

The Block Aircraft Registration Request program, commonly known as BARR, is a system that permits aircraft owners/operators to have their aircraft data blocked when conducting IFR flights in the United States. This popular program, administered by the National Business Aviation Association, is frequently used by those concerned about their aircraft movements being tracked in real-time. It is possible, using various Internet flight tracking services, to know the aircraft location, altitude, airspeed, destination and estimated time of arrival of an unblocked aircraft.

Flight tracking services obtain this data through a Memorandum of Agreement with the FAA. The FAA proposed to amend that MOA to permit blocking only under very specific and limited conditions.

Under the proposed revision to the MOA, only a business that can certify that a "Valid Security Concern" exists related to the owner's or operator's aircraft or passengers would be blocked. Alternatively, a business that has met the Department of Treasury's requirements for a "bona fide business-oriented security concern" could also be blocked.

In its comments, NATA strongly objected to the proposed change as it will unnecessarily expose the private movements of numerous individuals in near-real time.

The FAA Notice regarding the MOA changes is available here.

Click here to read NATA's comments.

NATA, along with the National Business Aviation Association, Helicopter Association International, United States Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG), TAC Air and other industry groups, is sponsoring the Northeast Safety Symposium to be held in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on May 19. The symposium, which will be held at TAC Air’s facility at Bradley International Airport (BDL), will focus on:

• Wildlife strike avoidance and wildlife mitigation
• FBO and ramp safety
• Mission safety and aircraft interdiction

Presentations will be made by representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USAIG and other industry experts. The event is free of charge and includes a continental breakfast and sandwich lunch. To register, please contact Dean Saucier at dsaucier@nbaa.org no later than May 6, 2011.

Click here to view the Northeast Safety Symposium flyer.

On April 5, 2011, the U.S. Senate approved H.R. 4, a bill that repeals the expanded 1099 reporting mandate that was included in President Obama's healthcare overhaul legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The repeal of this reporting mandate is a victory, especially for small businesses. Specifically, the provision in PPACA mandated that small business owners file a 1099-MISC form to the Internal Revenue Service for all payments made to vendors totaling $600 or more in a tax year. The business community expressed outrage regarding these onerous paperwork requirements, which will add significant costs to their operations.

The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 3, 2011, with bi-partisan support. H.R. 4 is expected to be signed into law by the President.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a number of safety recommendations as a result of its investigation of a runway overrun accident involving a Hawker Beechcraft 125-800A at Owatonna, Minnesota, on July 31, 2008. The accident flight was operated in accordance with FAR Part 135. The pilot, co-pilot, and six passengers were fatally injured.

In the final report of its investigation, the NTSB concluded that the probable cause of the accident was "the captain's decision to attempt a go-around late in the landing roll with insufficient runway remaining." The report also concluded that "contributing to the accident were the pilots' poor crew coordination and lack of cockpit discipline; fatigue, which likely impaired both pilots' performance; and the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to require crew resource management training and standard operating procedures for Part 135 operators."

The NTSB issued 14 recommendations to the FAA in its report. Some of the more significant recommendations would:

• Require manufacturers of turbine-powered aircraft to incorporate in their Aircraft Flight Manuals a committed-to-stop point in the landing sequence beyond which a go-around should not be attempted. This information would be required to be incorporated by FAR Part 121, 135, and 91 subpart K operators and Part 142 training schools.

• Require FAA inspectors of FAR Part 135 and 91 subpart K operators to ensure that pilots use the same checklists in operations that they used during training for normal, abnormal, and emergency conditions. 

• Require that FAR Part 135 pilot-in-command line checks be conducted independently from other required checks and be conducted on flights that truly represent typical revenue operations, including a portion of cruise flight, to ensure that thorough and complete line checks, during which pilots demonstrate their ability to manage weather information, checklist execution, sterile cockpit adherence, and other variables that might affect revenue flights, are conducted. 

• Require FAR Part 121, 135, and 91 subpart K operators to ensure that terrain avoidance warning system-equipped aircraft in their fleet have the current terrain database installed.

• Require manufacturers and FAR Part 121, 135, and 91 subpart K operators to design new, or revise existing, checklists to require pilots to call out clearly and respond with the actual flap position, rather than just stating "set" or "as required." 

The recommendations, if adopted, would require FAR Part 135 and 91 subpart K operators to:

• Establish, and ensure that their pilots adhere to standard operating procedures.

• Receive initial and recurrent education and training on factors that create fatigue in flight operations, fatigue signs and symptoms, and effective strategies to manage fatigue and performance during operations. 

The NTSB also recommended that the FAA revise regulations and policies to permit the appropriate use of prescription sleep medications by pilots under medical supervision for insomnia, and to review its policy standards for all common sleep-related conditions.

Other recommendations focused on disseminating information regarding severe thunderstorm terminology, developing technology to reduce or prevent runway incursions, and providing enhanced landing assessment guidance for wet, ungrooved runways.

Safety & Health Training For Ground Operations Seminar - Only One In 2011

NATA's Safety & Health Training for Ground Operations (OSHA 10-Hour Course) will be offered once this year, on May 26-27 immediately following NATA's popular LSST Seminar in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. NATA's OSHA 10-Hour Course has been specifically designed for all employees with safety and health responsibilities. Attendees will be introduced to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and general industry policies, procedures and standards, as well as gain a working knowledge of OSHA regulations. Our instructor will provide real-world OSHA guidance and aviation case studies. Attendees will be provided audit and checklist templates as well as the knowledge to implement and improve their facility compliance programs. Participants will receive a course completion certificate from NATA as well as a course completion card from OSHA.

Seminar Topics:

• Gain in-depth knowledge of safety and health concepts
• Obtain a working knowledge of OSHA regulations as well as general industry policies
• Increase your awareness of the link that exists between risk and safety
• Review and take back a practical checklist that will increase your ability to perform your day-to-day duties safely
• Learn correct safety procedures and standards

Click here for more details and a link to register for NATA's OSHA 10-Hour Course.

Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar - Only LSST In Northeast In 2011

NATA's Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar will once again take place at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on May 24-25. This seminar, specifically designed for Line Service Supervisors, provides the training you need to become more proficient in strategic planning, supervising staff, motivating others, communicating and coaching a team. This high-impact, high-energy seminar includes guided group debates, role playing, interactive games and various case studies designed to take you to a new level of leadership. You will also take part in self-assessments to explore your strengths and weaknesses and their effect on your management style.

Don't miss the chance to attend the LSST in Windsor Locks. Click here for more details and a link to register.

Visit www.nata.aero/event.aspx for information on future NATA events.

The FAA has issued a release discussing the first meeting held by the Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee (UAT-ARC) on its webpage dedicated to the avgas issue. Click here to access the webpage. According to the FAA:

"The first meeting of the Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) was held on March 16 - 17, 2011, in Washington D.C. It was attended by the 20 members of the committee comprised of representatives from FAA, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), equipment manufacturers, fuel producers, fuel distributors, and owners/operators. The FAA sponsor, Peter White, Acting Manager of the FAA's Engine and Propeller Directorate, led the meeting. The Director of the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service, Dorenda Baker, attended the kick-off meeting and expressed her support for this effort. This ARC provides key stakeholders in the general aviation and avgas community with a forum to work toward a suitable unleaded avgas."

NATA is participating as a member of the UAT-ARC.

Click here to read the full FAA release.