NBAA Headquarters Closed for Independence Day
June 30, 2008
NBAA's Washington, DC Headquarters will be closed on Friday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day. The office will reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 7.

NBAA Announces 48 Scholarship Recipients During Flight Attendants Conference
June 30, 2008
The Association recognized the 48 recipients of the 2008 NBAA Flight Attendants/Flight Technicians Scholarship during the NBAA 13th Annual Flight Attendants Conference, which drew 276 individuals to Tucson, AZ on June 27 and 28. Supported by 23 sponsors, the scholarship is designed to promote education and training for business aviation flight attendants and flight technicians. More.

LBA2009 to Address Specific Needs of Light Business Airplane Operators
June 30, 2008
NBAA's inaugural Light Business Airplane Exhibition & Conference (LBA2009) will be held in San Diego, CA from March 12 to 14, 2009 at the San Diego Convention Center. The show will serve as the industry's premiere event dedicated to companies that use light airplanes to make their businesses more successful. LBA2009 will focus on operators of light jets, turboprops and piston airplanes, and information sessions will cater specifically to this segment of the industry. Session topics will include a light airplane training update; single pilot safety standdown; tax, regulatory and insurance seminar for light and owner-operated aircraft; and maintenance Q&A sessions for airplane owners and operators. For more information, visit the LBA2009 web site at:
http://www.nbaa.org/lba

NBAA Again Urges Congress to Pass FAA Reauthorization Bill
June 26, 2008
NBAA today applauded congressional action taken thus far to fund the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and modernize America's aviation system, and once again called upon Congress to pass final FAA "reauthorization" (funding) legislation before the end of 2008. Earlier today, the Senate cleared a three-month extension of FAA funding and programs through September 30, 2008. "NBAA appreciates the good work Congress has done to date on FAA reauthorization," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "This short term extension is a good step, because it will give the FAA authority to continue to operate. But, today's action also underscores the need to pass a multi-year reauthorization bill that will provide stability and build on the efforts already underway to modernize the nation's air transportation system. So we remain hopeful that Congress will complete its work on a multi-year FAA reauthorization bill in 2008." Read the press release.

NBAA Denounces Attack on General Aviation As Inaccurate and 'Over the Top'
June 24, 2008
NBAA today dismissed a report attacking general aviation as inaccurate and out of touch with the critical role small business aircraft play in supporting jobs, transportation and economic activity in communities across the country. According to NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, the attacks, included in a document released earlier today by two Washington organizations, “start with a ridiculous caricature of general aviation that has been heavily promoted by the airlines, but bears no relationship to reality. Then, it throws a barrage of baseless, over-the-top claims against the wall to see if anything sticks. In the end, none of the allegations stick, because the report is both inaccurate and distorted.” Review the press release.

NBAA Rejects Claims About Business Aviation in Group's Press Release
June 23, 2008
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen today renounced the unsubstantiated inference, made in a recent press release by a transportation consultancy, the Stanford Transportation Group (STG), that business aviation drives trends in first-class airline travel. "STG's press release gives undeserved credibility to a baseless case for why airlines have fewer first-class passengers," Bolen said. "Their claims only provide fodder for the airlines' Washington lobbyists to try to blame the industry's economic woes on general aviation." Review a June 19 letter NBAA sent STG.

NBAA Letter Details Industry's Continuing Progress on Emissions
June 23, 2008
NBAA this week sent a letter to members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation detailing the business aviation community's ongoing progress in reducing carbon emissions and minimizing its environmental footprint. "NBAA acknowledges that when it comes to general aviation operations, environmental stewardship is an imperative," the letter states. "We continually work to develop reasonable and balanced policies that support the industry's twin objectives of promoting mobility while minimizing its environmental footprint." The committee has scheduled a hearing on Tuesday to consider climate change issues. More.

House Approves NASA Reauthorization Bill
June 23, 2008
The House of Representatives approved legislation reauthorizing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through the next fiscal year. HR 6063, the NASA Authorization Act of 2008, recommends increases in NASA's overall FYO9 budget to support aviation programs and the Aeronautics Research and Development Mission Directorate, including aviation safety, NextGen modernization, noise, energy efficiency and aircraft emissions. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen sent a letter to the bill's sponsors supporting HR 6063 during House consideration. For more information, contact NBAA's Dick Doubrava at rdoubrava@nbaa.org. More.

Proposed Burbank Nighttime Curfew Draws Strong Opposition
June 23, 2008
In written comments filed with the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, a number of operators and government entities have sided with NBAA in strongly opposing a proposed curfew on nighttime flights at Bob Hope Airport (BUR). Most significantly, the FAA advised Burbank that the curfew proposal does not appear to satisfy federal law. The airport "arbitrarily established a goal to eliminate nighttime noise," said the FAA. "Such a goal could be adopted at any commercial air service airport in the national airport system. It is self-fulfilling." More.