Top 10 Most-Read Articles on NBAA’s Website in 2014

Dec. 26, 2014

In 2014, there more than 1 million unique visitors to NBAA.org. Apart from standard website resources, like the popular NBAA Member Directory, the website included news articles that were referenced in the Association’s weekly email newsletter, NBAA Update, and shared on NBAA’s official social media accounts.

“Web traffic statistics show that our Members turn to NBAA for guidance on business aircraft operations, as well as to obtain information about NBAA events and the Association’s ongoing advocacy efforts” said Jason Wolf, NBAA director of Internet communications. “Knowing what Members are looking for and what resources are popular helps us focus on developing original website content that directly serves our Members needs.”

Here are the top 10 most-read articles on NBAA’s website for 2014:

NBAA ‘Climb Via’ Training Presentation Addresses Upcoming Phraseology Changes

Feb. 24 – In advance of the new “climb via” and “descend via” instructions that went into effect on April 3, the NBAA Access Committee developed an extensive training presentation to foster better understanding of the new ATC procedures.

NBAA Welcomes FAA’s Announcement to Consider Third-Class Medical Exemptions

April 3 – FAA officials announced a formal rulemaking project to consider whether to allow private pilots, in certain instances, to use a driver’s license in lieu of an FAA medical certificate. In response, NBAA noted that businessmen-pilots, especially light business aircraft owners, who fly themselves in furtherance of their business needs could benefit from relief from FAA third-class medical certification requirements.

NBAA Releases New Fatigue, Fitness for Duty Guidelines

April 21 – NBAA released a new safety resource, “Duty/Rest Guidelines for Business Aviation,” at the 2014 Business Aviation Safety Summit in San Diego, CA. The report, a joint effort with the Flight Safety Foundation, was the culmination of nine months of work by the Fatigue Task Force of NBAA’s Safety Committee, and it addressed one of the committee’s 2014 Top Safety Focus Areas.

Federal Court: Mandatory Retirement Age for Pilots Is Not Age Discrimination

May 2 – An article by attorney and NBAA Regulatory Issues Advisory Group member Gregory Ripple explained to NBAA Members a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that allowed a Part 91 operator to continue to apply the “Age 65 rule” to its operations.

FAA Cuts Paperwork for ADS-B Approvals

May 12 – The FAA created a new and more efficient operations authorization for U.S.-registered aircraft in order to comply with early automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) directives mandated by a growing number of other countries, primarily in the Asia-Pacific region. The FAA’s decision to issue OpSpec/MSpec/LOA A153 cut the length of the application from 200 to 20 pages, “reducing the burden on the operator and decreasing the time period to process applications.”

NBAA, Industry and Media Challenge Recent, Inaccurate General Aviation Coverage

June 20 – Three major news organizations – NPR, USA Today and The Washington Post – covered various industry-related issues and, in some cases, wound up far off the mark. NBAA, other industry groups and even media outlets challenged the coverage from these organizations, setting the record straight with facts, context and relevant information.

Significant Changes Coming This Week to North Texas Airspace

Sept. 15 – The FAA launched its second NextGen-related airspace revision project of the year, with significant changes to arrival and departure procedures for the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX metropolitan area going into effect Sept. 18. As one of the changes, the North Texas Metroplex project replaced most standard terminal arrival route and standard instrument departure procedures for both Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field (DAL) with new procedures.

Addressing Talent Pipeline Challenges in Business Aviation

Sept. 22 – NBAA Safety Committee named the talent pipeline in business aviation as one of the committee’s 2014 Top Safety Focus Areas, as flight departments around the country were looking to attract more young people to careers in business aviation and keep them in these jobs.

A Look at ‘Climb Via,’ After Six Months in Use

Sept. 29 – Six months after the rollout of new “climb via” phraseology, the revised communications protocol continued to cause confusion among flight crews and air traffic controllers. It was estimated that only 5 or 10 percent of pilots were using the appropriate climb via phraseology.

NOTAM Mandates Cold-Weather Altitude Correction, Reporting at 272 Airports

Dec. 11 – After conducting a risk analysis of cold-weather altimetry errors at airports with FAR Part 97 instrument approaches, the FAA compiled a list of 272 cold-temperature-restricted airports in 30 states that need altitude corrections to ensure the required obstacle clearance. When the temperature falls to an airport-specific threshold, pilots are required to correct for the cold temperature and report the corrected altitude to air traffic controllers.

While not a standalone article, also popular on NBAA’s website in 2014 was the Association’s coverage of its 2014 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA2014), held Oct. 21 to 23 in Orlando, FL. Articles, video, photo galleries and more were captured by the NBAA Online News Bureau site.

What was your favorite NBAA story in 2014? Share your comments at webmaster@nbaa.org.