NBAA Update Archive
NBAA Update #03-32
Monday, August 11, 2003
NBAA Update is the National Business Aviation Association's weekly e-mail newsletter, providing the latest operational, regulatory and political news for the business aviation community. Send your comments about NBAA Update to update@nbaa.org.
NBAA SUPPORTS
FAA POLICY TO LIMIT WEIGHT-BASED AIRPORT RESTRICTIONS
NBAA filed comments last Friday, August 8 in support of a proposed FAA policy on weight-based
airport access restrictions. "It is vital that the FAA require airports to use weight-based
restrictions only as a legitimate means of protecting airfield pavement, not to mitigate noise
concerns by side-stepping the Part 150/161 airport noise process," said Shelley A. Longmuir,
NBAA president. "If unchecked, the proliferation of such weight-based restrictions by
airports could potentially extend to include smaller, lighter aircraft, for no good purpose."
For more information, visit:
www.nbaa.org/news/pr/2003/20030808-045.php
NBAA URGES MEMBER SUPPORT
OF FAA REAUTHORIZATION
NBAA urges Members to contact Congressional officials to support legislation authorizing FAA
funding and programs, now in the form of a conference report, which can be downloaded in PDF
format from www.nbaa.org/gov. The measure contains many
provisions supported by NBAA, including a mandate for a Department of Homeland Security plan
to allow security-qualified general aviation operators to regain access to Reagan National
Airport (DCA). NBAA's Contact Congress web site is located at:
www.nbaa.org/congress
HOUSE BILL PROPOSES TO
EXTEND BONUS DEPRECIATION
Congressman Bill Thomas (R-CA), chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, has introduced
a sweeping corporate tax revision bill. The legislation, H.R. 2896, would replace the current
tax incentives for exports with a large number of tax benefits. Among the provisions is an
extension of the 50-percent bonus depreciation rules for an additional year. If the legislation
passes, a purchaser of a business aircraft would have to place the aircraft in service before
January 1, 2006, rather than before January 1, 2005. It is unclear whether this legislation
will be enacted this year, but Thomas intends to bring the legislation up for committee consideration
in September. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) also plans to introduce
legislation to replace the current export tax incentive in September. For more information
on tax issues, visit:
www.nbaa.org/taxes
TWO OTHER BONUS DEPRECIATION
BILLS INTRODUCED BY HOUSE
In addition to the Thomas bill (H.R. 2896), two other bills concerning bonus depreciation
were introduced in the House of Representatives before the August recess. Ways & Means
Committee member and longtime proponent of more generous depreciation, Congressman Jerry Weller
(R-IL), introduced legislation (H.R. 2855) to make 50-percent bonus depreciation permanent.
Fellow Ways & Means Committee member Phil English (R-PA) was among the cosponsors. On
the same day, Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) introduced legislation to extend bonus depreciation
until January 1, 2007. For more information on tax issues, visit:
www.nbaa.org/taxes
NBAA CONVENTION
KICKS OFF IN EIGHT WEEKS
The NBAA 56th Annual Meeting & Convention, to be held October 7 to 9 in Orlando, will
feature close to 30,000 Attendees, 1,000 Exhibitors, 75 Informational Sessions and 135 aircraft
on Static Display at Orlando Executive Airport. To help commemorate the 100th anniversary
of the first powered, manned flight, on display will be the most authentic replica of the
1903 Wright Flyer. This exhibit is sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association, Eclipse
Aviation, Ford Motor Company, Microsoft Flight Simulator and NBAA. Also on display will be
vintage aircraft simulators and authentic artifacts provided by the Franklin Institute. For
more information or to register, visit:
www.nbaa.org/conventions/2003
BUSINESS
AVIATION SECURITY SUCCESSFULLY THWARTS BREAK-IN ATTEMPT
A comprehensive business aviation security program can prevent unauthorized access. Recently,
a person claiming to have business with a corporate flight department was challenged by security
at the entrance gate. The security guard determined the person did not have a valid reason
to enter the facility, asked the individual to leave and promptly notified the police. The
individual continued to pressure security to grant him access but was repeatedly denied. The
individual then crashed his car through the closed entry gate and onto the ramp/hangar property.
The police arrived moments later and arrested the man. The attempted break-in confirms the
need for flight departments to have thorough security plans in place. NBAA urges flight departments
to follow NBAA's Best Practices for Business Aviation Security, available online at:
www.nbaa.org/ops/security/bestpractices.htm
NBAA SAFETY COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION #6:
HOW CAN WE PREVENT ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE AROUND THE HANGAR?
Develop a ground safety program tailored to your operation. Begin by assessing the risks and
hazards that do or could occur and then write a set of procedures and policies to manage these.
There are several resources available to help create the document. First, the U.S. Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established minimum standards for workplace safety,
including business aviation hangars, and the NBAA Safety Committee has developed an OSHA-compliance
checklist for business aviation operators. The Committee also has assembled a set of ground
safety programs to cover typical business aviation ground operations and produced a PowerPoint
presentation summarizing the business aviation community's best practices for preventing aircraft
ground damage events. These and other documents are available online at:
www.nbaa.org/safety
RUNWAY INCURSIONS
DECLINE IN 2002
The latest FAA statistics show that the number of serious runway incursions in the United
States has declined over the last three fiscal years and that the number of incursions overall
dropped to 5.2 per million operations in FY 2002. However, because the 2002 incursion rate
at the 35 busiest general aviation airports was 7.1 per one million operations last fiscal
year, FAA officials have suggested that general aviation operators in particular need to redouble
their efforts to further reduce such incidents. Although one incursion was reported per day
on average in the National Airspace System during the last three years, the FAA said that
85 percent of those events posed little or no risk of collision. However, three of the four
runway collisions that took place during that period -- including the only fatal mishap, which
claimed four lives -- occurred at general aviation airports. Due to the nature of how the
FAA maintains traffic count statistics, it is difficult to extrapolate the business aviation
community from the remainder of general aviation; however, it appears that business aviation
accounts for a much smaller number of runway incursions than the larger general aviation community.
For more information, visit the FAA web site at:
www.faa.gov/runwaysafety
NBAA
RESPONDS TO USA TODAY ARTICLE ON PERSONAL USE
Review NBAA President Shelley A. Longmuir's response to an August 5 USA TODAY article titled
"Pricey Perk Lets Executives Fly High, Personal Use of Company Jets Soars -- Just Under
the Radar of Watchdogs and Shareholders." Download the letter in PDF format at:
www.nbaa.org/news/letters/NBAALetterUSAToday20030806.pdf
NAV CANADA PROCEEDS WITH
6.9 PERCENT SERVICE CHARGE INCREASE
Effective August 1, Nav Canada increased their air navigation service charges by an average
of 6.9 percent; however, according to officials, the charges still are 28 percent below the
old air transportation tax they replaced. Typical daily user charges increase C$1 to 5 depending
on weight. Other increases in movement-based fees are similarly small. Actual service charges
for a given flight may be computed on the Nav Canada web site calculator at www.navcanada.ca/navcanada.asp.
For more information, visit:
www.nbaa.org/intl
WHO
NEEDS AN FCC RADIOTELEPHONE OPERATORS PERMIT?
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), "At least one person on each
aircraft flying or communicating internationally must have a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator
Permit. This requirement is in addition to the requirement to have an aircraft radio station
license for the aircraft." Individuals are not required to have a permit when operating
VHF radio equipment on aircraft that are flown domestically. Aircraft are operating domestically
if they do not land in a foreign country or communicate via radio with foreign ground stations.
Links to the application forms and more information about the Restricted Radiotelephone Operator
Permit can be found on the FCC's web site at http://wireless.fcc.gov/commoperators/rp.html.
For more information about this and other operational issues, contact NBAA's Operations Service
Group at info@nbaa.org.
MEIGS FIELD DEMOLITION
CONTINUED LAST WEEK
Despite years of efforts to preserve Chicago's Merrill C. Meigs Field (CGX) by NBAA and other
organizations such as the Friends of Meigs, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's mandate to replace
Meigs with a park came closer to fruition last week as demolition of the airport resumed.
Heavy equipment on the airport, including front loaders, bulldozers and dump trucks, signaled
what appears to be the final chapter for this facility. NBAA will continue its efforts to
monitor and affect the situation. For more information, contact NBAA's Pete West at pwest@nbaa.org
or visit:
www.nbaa.org/ops/airports/cgx
FAA
PUBLISHES STMP FOR NBAA CONVENTION IN ORLANDO THIS OCTOBER
The FAA has published the Special Traffic Management Program (STMP) for the NBAA 56th Annual
Meeting & Convention, to be held October 7 to 9 in Orlando. The STMP will require all
IFR flight to or from the Orlando area to obtain a slot reservation prior to filing a flight
plan. The STMP program will be in effect from October 5 to 9. Slot reservations will be required
for Orlando Executive Airport (ORL), the site of NBAA's Static Display of Aircraft, as well
as Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM). Pilots are encouraged
to review and familiarize themselves with the NOTAM at:
www.faa.gov/ntap/NTAP03AUG7/SP03039.HTM
AVOID TRAVEL DELAYS IN MICHIGAN THIS WEEK
Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI is the site of this weekend's Busch and Winston
Cup series NASCAR races. Be advised of increased race-related air traffic and possible congestion
in the area, especially for in-bound traffic the morning of Thursday, August 14 and out-bound
traffic the afternoon of Sunday, August 17. For more information, contact NBAA's Dean Saucier
at dsaucier@nbaa.org.
UPDATE ON SIKORSKY AIRPORT RUNWAY SAFETY ISSUE
Slow progress is being made on the runway safety area issue at Sikorsky Municipal Airport
(BDR) in Bridgeport, CT. A proposal currently being considered would reduce the useable runway
length significantly in order to create a runway safety area. As an alternative to reducing
the runway length, NBAA has proposed that a state-owned roadway be moved about 300 ft. in
order to establish the safety area. To date, several meetings have been held on this issue,
and thus far, the town of Stratford, CT is the only hold-out for the NBAA proposal. Hopefully,
a determination will be made in favor of the NBAA proposal within the next few weeks. For
more information, contact NBAA's Dean Saucier at dsaucier@nbaa.org.
EDWARD KING
JR. TO RECEIVE NBAA'S FIRST CENTURY OF FLIGHT AWARD
NBAA's Board of Directors has selected Edward King Jr. to receive a special NBAA First Century
of Flight Award, which recognizes him for his significant contributions to the advancement
of aviation since the advent of powered flight 100 years ago. He and five other First Century
of Flight recipients -- Serge Dassault, David Ewald, Jerome F. Lederer, Ray H. Siegfried II
and John Tucker -- will be honored on Thursday, October 9 at the NBAA Safety Awards Banquet
during the NBAA 56th Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando, FL. For more information
about this event, visit:
www.nbaa.org/conventions/2003
MAINTENANCE
SCHOLARSHIP TOOLBOX RAFFLE DEADLINE IS THIS THURSDAY
Thursday, August 14, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time is the deadline to participate in the NBAA Maintenance
Committee's Toolbox Raffle to benefit the 100 Years of Powered Flight Scholarship for aviation
maintenance professionals. The Committee, in conjunction with corporate sponsor Richard Childress
Racing, will give away a Snap-on Roll Cab Toolbox valued at nearly $7,500. The winning raffle
ticket will be drawn this Friday, August 15, and the winning entrant need not be present to
win. Enter the Snap-on Roll Cab Toolbox Raffle at:
https://secure.nbaa.org/public/cs/mmc/2003/raffle.php
APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR
CAM EXAM LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY
NBAA will offer the Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Exam on Monday, October 6 at Orlando's
Peabody Hotel in conjunction with the NBAA 56th Annual Meeting & Convention. Applications
for the October 6, 2003, CAM Exam date must be mailed to NBAA postmarked no later than Monday,
September 1, 2003. To help applicants prepare for the exam, an official CAM Study Guide is
available in CD-ROM format for a fee by request to NBAA. For more information about the CAM
Program, Application or Study Guide, visit:
www.nbaa.org/cam
NBAA WELCOMES
NEW SENIOR MANAGER, REGIONAL FORUMS & STATIC DISPLAYS
On August 4, Suzanne P. Cole joined the NBAA Headquarters Staff in the newly created position
of senior manager, regional forums & static displays, where she will be responsible for
all aspects of NBAA Business Aviation Forum & Static Display planning, from budgeting
and marketing to on-site management. For more information, visit:
www.nbaa.org/news/pr/2003/20030811-046.php
PRIME HOTEL
SPACE AVAILABLE FOR NBAA ANNUAL MEETING & CONVENTION
Travel Planners, the official housing provider for the NBAA 56th Annual Meeting & Convention,
still has rooms available at the official NBAA hotels in Orlando. Using this service is the
easiest, least expensive and least restrictive way for Attendees to reserve their rooms. To
book a new reservation or re-confirm an existing one, Convention Delegates should visit www.nbaa.org/conventions/2003/attendees/housing
and Exhibitors should visit www.nbaa.org/conventions/2003/exhibitors/housing.
For more information about the Convention, visit:
www.nbaa.org/conventions/2003
YOU
CAN GIVE A CANCER PATIENT A LIFT
As a Corporate Angel, you can give cancer patients a much-needed lift, both physically and
emotionally, without any cost, inconvenience, or extra effort on your part. You may be flying
with empty seats to the very place a patient needs to go for critical testing or treatment.
Patients are fully ambulatory and need no special treatment while traveling. To get involved,
call Corporate Angel Network at (914) 328-1313 -- they make all the arrangements. For current
destinations and date range of rides needed, visit:
www.corpangelnetwork.org/corporate/seats.html
