| Business Aviation News & Issues |
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Bolen's New York Times Letter Challenges Paper's
Mischaracterization of Business Aviation
In a letter published by The New York Times on May 17, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen responded to a recently published article that used a
sensationalist approach in portraying business aviation, and overlooked key facts about non-business use of corporate aircraft. "Tens of thousands of
American companies use general aviation aircraft to strengthen their businesses," Bolen's letter notes. "But your article focuses on the non-business
use of corporate aircraft, using anecdotes, without noting some key facts." Review the full letter at:
http://www.nbaa.org/news/letters/nyt20060517.php
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NBAA Convinces FAA to Delay Implementation of Registry Policy
Change
The FAA's Registry Branch has been inundated with requests for priority registrations allowing aircraft operators to conduct flights over
international waters. The requests affected the registry staff's ability to serve customers in a timely manner, so management developed a new policy
that would restrict the number of priority requests to one request per N number every three months. Due to the significant impact this change would
have on various segments of the business aviation community, NBAA convinced the FAA to delay policy implementation by seven months, to January 1,
2007. In the meantime, NBAA is committed to working with FAA registry staff and the business aviation industry to find solutions to the workload
volume problems the Agency has encountered. Read the original FAA policy at:
http://www.nbaa.org/taxes
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NBAA Urges Owners/Operators to Limit Priority Requests to Actual
Need
Aircraft owners requesting priority registrations from the FAA must document an international flight and provide proof of the upcoming flight with
their priority request. FAA registry staff recently coordinated with FAA air traffic staff and learned that a vast majority of the international
flight plans filed in support of the priority request were never conducted. FAA registration staff will continue to work with air traffic to verify
which flights were conducted. Any false statements submitted to the FAA to receive a priority registration, including flight plans not intended to be
conducted, may be subject to enforcement action. NBAA urges aircraft owners to file priority registration requests only when absolutely necessary.
For more information, contact NBAA's Mike Nichols at mnichols@nbaa.org or download the original FAA policy
online at:
http://www.nbaa.org/taxes
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Most BARR Participants Will Be Able to Access EDCTs Online
Beginning June 5, operators will be able to go to www.fly.faa.gov/edct to access estimated departure clearance times (EDCTs) for their flights
involved in real-time ground delay programs or airspace flow programs (AFPs). An EDCT is the time issued to a flight to indicate when it can expect
to receive departure clearance during a traffic management program. Operators, including those who participate in the BARR program and block their
information with ASDI vendors, will be allowed to use the EDCT search function. The search function will require operators to match four fields in
their filed flight plan during a program where their flight is affected in order to obtain the EDCT. BARR participants who block their information at
the FAA source will not be able to use this web site. For more information, visit:
http://www.nbaa.org/afp
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IOPSS for Part 135 Operators: A Tool to Gain Efficiencies
The FAA has a computerized system for the issuance of operations specifications (OpSpecs) for Part 135 and 121 carriers and other certificated
entities. This system is known as the Industry Operations Specifications Subsystem (IOPSS). Additionally, Part 91 Subpart K management specifications
and Part 91 LOAs can be issued via the IOPSS system. Learn about IOPSS and how it might help your air carrier operation by reading the article on the
NBAA web site at:
http://www.nbaa.org/ops/part135/
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Upcoming FAA Briefings on Operational Control and Wet
Leasing
In conjunction with NBAA and NATA, the FAA will host free briefings about operational control and wet leases in Fort Lauderdale, FL on Tuesday, May
23; Atlanta, GA on Thursday, May 25; and Anchorage, AK on June 7. Recent accidents and investigations have focused significant FAA attention on the
exercise of operational control by Part 135 certificate holders and aircraft owners. These one-day meetings will provide an in-depth analysis and
discussion on recent issues, pending changes to operations specifications and enforcement action. NBAA encourages all Part 135 certificate holders,
aircraft owners engaged in managed charter relationships and FAA principal operations inspectors to attend. Register online via NATA's web site at http://www.nata.aero/events/event_list.jsp. For more information, visit:
http://web.nbaa.org/member/ops/part135/wetlease/
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When Must the SIC of an Aircraft Have a Type Rating?
Effective June 6, pilots who plan to fly outside U.S. airspace and land in foreign countries, and who also are acting as second-in-command (SIC) of
an aircraft certificated for operations with a minimum flightcrew of at least two pilots, must have an appropriate pilot type rating. The new "SIC
type rating" will meet this requirement. More information, including the related regulation and how to obtain an SIC type rating, may be found
at:
http://www.nbaa.org/ops/sic
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CAN Receives $125,000 Donation from Greater Washington Aviation Open
A record $125,000 was raised for Corporate Angel Network (CAN) at the 18th Annual Greater Washington Aviation Open (GWAO) golf and tennis tournament
held May 8 in the Washington, DC area. GWAO has raised more than $1 million since 1989 for CAN, the non-profit that arranges free flights for cancer
patients using empty seats on routine corporate flights. Participants included individuals from across the U.S., including members of Congress and
representatives of the Administration, federal agencies, associations and companies. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was the industry honorary chair,
and U.S. Congressman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, was the event's honorary chair.
Learn about this year's GWAO results at http://www.gwao.org. Learn more about CAN's mission at:
http://www.corpangelnetwork.org
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NBAA's DC-Area Regional Forum to Offer Briefings, Exhibits and
Aircraft
Hundreds of Attendees are expected to attend NBAA's Business Aviation Regional Forum on June 8 at Dulles International Airport near Washington, DC.
After opening session remarks on "business aviation today" by NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, Attendees will have an opportunity to visit indoor
exhibits, examine state-of-the-art business aircraft or attend compelling informational sessions on the topics of procedural intentional
non-compliance (PINC) and how it affects your company safety culture; the contracting process when purchasing an aircraft; and legal issues related
to aircraft ownership. Landmark Aviation is expected to host more than 50 Exhibitors. A list of current Exhibitors and static aircraft is available
online. For more information or to register, visit:
http://www.nbaa.org/cs/forums/20060608/
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FAA to Implement Midwest Airspace Enhancement on Jun. 8
The Midwest Airspace Enhancement (MASE) is a large-scale integrated airspace redesign, spanning airspace monitored and controlled by multiple FAA air
route traffic control centers (ARTCCs), and involving significant changes in route design that will balance traffic flows and reduce congestion and
complexity. MASE provides improvements such as additional arrival routes and new departure routes for Detroit metropolitan operations, and new
sectors in the Cleveland ARTCC (ZOB) and Indianapolis ARTCC (ZID) airspaces to accommodate new routings and further reduce complexity. The changes to
airspace routes resulting from MASE also enable other airspace designs, in regions such as Chicago, the Northeast and the Great Lakes corridor. For
more information, including a list of MASE's routing improvement initiatives, visit:
http://www.nbaa.org/ops/airspace/mase/
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DFW to Test Removal of Tower Queue Position
for RNAV SIDs
Since the implementation of RNAV standard instrument departure (SID) procedures there last September, the air traffic control tower at Dallas/Fort
Worth International Airport (DFW) has utilized a queue position controller to verify with flightcrews departing the airport via an RNAV SID that the
correct departure runway and initial waypoint were correctly loaded into the aircraft's flight management system (FMS). Starting on Monday, May 22,
DFW tower will not be utilizing the queue position controller during a two-week test. Flightcrews should ensure that the correct departure runway,
SID and transition route are properly loaded into the aircraft's FMS prior to takeoff. For more information, contact NBAA's Mark Larsen at mlarsen@nbaa.org or visit the NBAA web site at:
http://www.nbaa.org/ops/airspace/DFWQueueRemoval20060518.php
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Cancun Radar Outage May Cause Delays
The FAA's Houston Center Traffic Management Unit has advised that the Cancun (MMUN) radar will be out of service for maintenance from May 22 to June
9. Due to non-radar operations in the Gulf, flights will require five minutes in trail on a variety of routes in order to manage the demand. Based on
an analysis of the daily demand, departure delays will be possible throughout the various origin airports in the U.S. and Canada. For more
information, contact NBAA's GA Desk at gadesk@nbaa.org.
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FAA Releases Grand Junction Letter to Airmen
In the FAA's Grand Junction FCT Letter to Airmen (LTA) No. 06- 01, pilots are urged to exercise caution while taxing on Taxiway Charlie One at Grand
Junction, CO's Walker Field Airport (GJT). Due to obstructed vision, Grand Junction Tower is unable to provide airport traffic control services in
certain areas. Direct questions to FAA's Barry Davis at (310) 725-6594 or barry.j.davis@faa.gov. The LTA,
which graphically depicts the obstructed area, may be downloaded in PDF format at:
http://www.nbaa.org/ops/airspace/GJT_LTA0601.pdf
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Massachusetts Legislators and Aviation Leaders to Meet in Boston, Jun. 7
The Massachusetts Airport Managers Association (MAMA) will hold its traditional "On the Hill Day" from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on June 7 at the State
House in Boston. On the Hill Day gives the Massachusetts aviation community an opportunity to interact with state legislators and to educate and
petition them on aviation-related issues critical to the industry. Members of the Aviation Legislative Caucus (ALC) will be key participants in this
event. A result of previous On the Hill Days, the ALC consists of state legislators and individuals representing both MAMA and the Massachusetts
Aeronautics Council (MAC), Massachusetts Business Aviation Association (MBAA) and NBAA. For more information, contact NBAA's Dean Saucier at dsaucier@nbaa.org.
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Next Northern Ohio Business Aviation Association Meeting Is Jun. 9
The next Northern Ohio Business Aviation Association (NOBAA) luncheon meeting will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Bistro dining room of
Flight Options headquarters at Cuyahoga County Airport (CGF). Presenters will discuss the prospects for regionalization of airports in northern Ohio,
as well as the top issues facing general aviation and Cleveland's two airports. In addition, an Embraer representative will discuss their entry into
the VLJ market. Space is limited; RSVPs are required by June 1 to debmarcellino@yahoo.com. To learn
more, visit http://www.nobaa.org or contact NBAA's Dan Burkhart at dburkhart@nbaa.org.
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FSF/NBAA CASS Has Record-Breaking Attendance
From May 9 to 11 in Phoenix, more than 400 aviation professionals and 28 Exhibiting Companies participated in the Flight Safety Foundation/NBAA 51st
Annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS). The attendance set a new record for the CASS meeting, which offered presentations on some of the
most important and timely safety topics facing the industry, from accident investigations to flight-data analysis. During the event, FSF presented
the 2006 Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award to James S. Waugh, Jr., executive vice president at FlightSafety International and a former NBAA
Board Member, for his outstanding contributions to corporate aviation safety. The next CASS will be held in spring 2007 in Tucson, AZ. When
available, this year's CASS proceedings may be purchased online at:
http://www.flightsafety.org/pubs/cass_proceedings.html
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Members Invited to Attend NBAA's June Seminars
NBAA Members are invited to attend any of the following information-packed events slated for this June, including a Business Aviation Taxes Forum on
June 2 in San Francisco; Business Aviation Regional Forum on June 8 in Washington, DC; Flight Operations Manual Workshop on June 19 and 20 in Denver;
Management Fundamentals for Flight Departments Workshop on June 21 and 22 in Denver; and Flight Attendants Conference on June 23 and 24 in Denver. To
learn more about these and other upcoming NBAA events, or to register, visit:
http://www.nbaa.org/events
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NBAA2006 Schedule, Registration and Housing Information Online
The program schedule and registration information for the NBAA 59th Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2006), to be held October 17 through 19 in
Orlando, FL, are now online. At NBAA2006, more than 1,100 Exhibitors will be featured in nearly one million square feet of exhibit space at the
Orange County Convention Center, and over 110 aircraft will be on display at Orlando Executive Airport. On the NBAA2006 web site, visitors may view
the preliminary program schedule – including the Convention highlights, Informational Sessions, Committee meetings and pre- and post-Convention
Seminars – as well as register for the Convention and related events, make hotel and travel arrangements, and purchase NBAA Gala tickets. Visit
the NBAA2006 web site at:
http://www.nbaa.org/2006
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Complete LABACE2006 Proceedings to Be Held on Congonhas Airport
The 4th Annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (LABACE2006) will be held from August 10 to 12 in São Paulo,
Brazil. This year's LABACE will be the first to be held in its entirety on Congonhas Airport, with the indoor exhibits situated in the Varig
Engineering and Maintenance (VEM) hangar on the airport, immediately adjacent to the Static Display of Aircraft. Top Latin American industry
representatives, government leaders and consumers from the Americas and Africa wishing to make major purchases for their growing business needs will
be in attendance. To learn more, visit the official LABACE web site at:
http://www.labace.aero
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Deadline for October CAM Exam Is Aug. 31
Through the certification process, NBAA and the Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Governing Board seek to recognize excellence in the field of
business aviation and raise the level of professionalism and quality of management within flight departments. The next CAM Exam will take place on
Monday, October 16, in Orlando, FL, in conjunction with the NBAA 59th Annual Meeting & Convention. Applications for the exam should be submitted
no later than Thursday, August 31. For more information, contact cam@nbaa.org or visit:
http://www.nbaa.org/cam
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Business Aviation Taxes Forum
June 2, 2006, San Francisco, CA
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Business Aviation Regional Forum
June 8, 2006, Washington, DC
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IS-BAO Implementation Workshop
June 9, Washington, DC
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Flight Operations Manual Workshop
June 19–20, 2006, Denver, CO
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Management Fundamentals for Flight Departments Workshop
June 21–22, 2006, Denver, CO
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11th Annual Flight Attendants Conference
June 23–24, 2006, Denver, CO
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4th Annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (LABACE2006)
August 10–12, 2006, São Paulo, Brazil
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Review the Full NBAA Events Calendar
http://www.nbaa.org/events
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Review Future NBAA Convention Dates
http://www.nbaa.org/conventions/futuresites.htm
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