| Business Aviation News & Issues |
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G-III Accident in Houston Results in Three Fatalities
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Go-Team is in Houston to investigate the crash this morning of a Gulfstream III near William P. Hobby
Airport (HOU). According to the NTSB, at about 6:15 a.m. CST, the airplane reportedly clipped a light pole before crashing in a nearby field. All on
board, two pilots and a flight attendant, were fatally injured. Weather reports indicated fog at the time of the crash, which occurred about 1.5
miles south of Hobby Airport. The flight reportedly was repositioning from Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) to Hobby to carry former President George
H.W. Bush and others on an international trip. For more information, contact NBAA at info@nbaa.org.
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Bolen Meets With Top Bush Administration Officials on Business Aviation Concerns
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen joined a group of business aviation leaders in Washington last week for a meeting with several high-ranking
government officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta, Department of Homeland Security Under
Secretary Asa Hutchinson, and several senators and congressmen. Discussions focused on business aviation concerns such as access to airports and
airspace and the need for the Federal government to promote aviation. Participants in the meeting generally were pleased by the support for business
aviation expressed by the government officials.
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GA Coalition Meeting Focuses on Access and Security Issues
Last week Bolen also represented NBAA in a General Aviation Coalition meeting with DHS Deputy Secretary James Loy and TSA head David Stone to
advocate business aviation views on access and security issues. During the meeting, Bolen led the discussion on general aviation access issues,
highlighting the economic and operational impact of TFRs and the continued closure of Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and other Washington,
DC general aviation airports. Loy agreed that the agency needs to find the right balance in addressing valid homeland security concerns while
including homeland security stakeholders such as the general aviation community in finding solutions to these challenges. Stone also reiterated his
earlier comments, made during the NBAA Convention in Las Vegas, that the TSA views expansion of the current NBAA-sponsored Transportation Security
Administration Access Certificate (TSAAC) program favorably and is committed to working with NBAA to improve secure access for qualified business
aviation operators.
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Dallas Regional Forum Has High Attendance, Record Number
of Exhibitors
Despite poor weather, approximately 1,100 Attendees participated in the NBAA Business Aviation Regional Forum on November 18 in Dallas. Held in
Business Jet Center's new hangar on Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), the event drew a record 79 Exhibitors and featured 28 aircraft on static
display. A series of informative briefings focused on topics of interest to the local community, including business aviation security, DRVSM and the
very light jet market. Keynote speakers were Ava Wilkerson, FAA regional administrator, and Kenneth Gwyn, Dallas director of aviation. NBAA recently
finalized the dates for its 2005 Business Aviation Regional Forum schedule: April 27 in Farmingdale, NY; July 7 in San Jose, CA; and September 15 in
Denver, CO. For more information about the 2005 Forum schedule, visit:
http://www.nbaa.org/news/pr/2004/20041122-080.php
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Expected TFRs for Upcoming VIP Travel
A TFR has been issued for VIP travel to Crawford, TX, from November 22 to November 28. Though no additional TFRs for VIP travel are anticipated, TFRs
can be published shortly before they go into effect. Members must continue to use all resources to prevent flying into restricted airspace, and
operators are urged to review NOTAMs carefully prior to every flight. For more information, visit:
http://www.nbaa.org/airspace/restrictions
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New RVSM Guidance Materials Available
The FAA has released new guidance documents to assist operators seeking to comply with the requirements of the new operating rules for domestic
reduced vertical separation minimums (DRVSM), which will be implemented on January 20. The documents are scheduled to be published in the November 25
edition of the domestic/international NOTAM book and also are available for download at the FAA's RVSM web site at:
http://www.faa.gov/ats/ato/rvsm1.htm
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FAA Releases New Equipment Suffixes for RVSM
FAA has issued a general notice announcing new flight plan equipment suffixes. Effective January 5, 2005, with the exception of operators filing
through DUATS and flight service stations, operators/aircraft that are RVSM-compliant are expected to file "/Q" or "/W", as appropriate, for flights
between FL 290-410 (inclusive). This will allow the FAA to see that operators are filing correctly for flight in RVSM airspace as the implementation
date approaches. Operators filing through DUATS and some flight service stations may not file "/Q" until January 20, 2005. View the full general
notice at:
http://www.faa.gov/NTAP/NTAP04NOV25/GEN04006.htm
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IRS Increases Passenger Air Transportation Tax for
2005
The IRS recently published Revenue Procedure 2004-71 at http://web.nbaa.org/member/ops/taxes/revproc/2004-71.pdf, which provides
inflation-adjusted tax items for 2005. Section 3.29 specifies the applicable rates for 2005 for the following passenger air transportation taxes:
domestic segment fee ($3.20); international arrival/departure tax ($14.10); and international arrival/departure tax for Hawaii or Alaska flights
($7.00). This Revenue Procedure did not modify the 7.5-percent percentage tax that applies to the amount paid for domestic commercial transportation.
For more information, review NBAA's Federal Excise Tax Handbook in PDF format at:
http://web.nbaa.org/member/ops/taxes/fet/FETH200410.pdf
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Approval for P-RNAV in Europe
In the near future, procedures in major European Civil Aviation Conference Terminal Airspace either will be conventional (non-RNAV) or will be RNAV
procedures that require Precision RNAV (P-RNAV) approval. Part 135 operators may gain approval for P-RNAV procedures through Ops Specs (B-34)
approval. At this time, there is no approval process for Part 91 operators. The FAA currently is determining the process for Part 91 operators to get
a letter of authorization for P-RNAV. A draft copy of the advisory circular that will outline the approval process, AC 90-96A, may be found on the
FAA's web site at http://www.faa.gov/avr/afs/afs410/docs/InterimGuidanceDocument.doc.
Ultimately, a Part 91 operator will need to comply with the procedures and equipment outlined in JAA Temporary Guidance Leaflet 10. For more
information on P-RNAV, visit the Eurocontrol web site at http://www.ecacnav.com/P-RNAV/default.htm, or contact NBAA's Berty Damato at bdamato@nbaa.org.
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Westchester Recognizes Companies for 2003 Noise Abatement Efforts
On November 17 Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, NY, honored 29 based companies, including NBAA Members, at its annual "Spirit of
Noise Abatement Awards" ceremony. Winners were identified in three categories: helicopter, turboprop and jet. Those recognized were Air Frantz,
Altria, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cappelli Development, Delaney Aviation, Ernst & Young, Executive Jet, Fayair, IBM, Imperial Transport,
International Paper, John Friel, J.P. Morgan, Kevin Mahaney, Madison Leasing, Mead Westvaco, New York Power Authority, Northeast Air Charter,
Olivebus Corp., Rich Foreman & Associates, Robert Wilner, RT Vanderbilt, Skywalker Aviation, Steven O'Neil, Tala Flight, U.S. Aviation
Underwriters, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, White Cloud and Zip Aviation. For more information contact NBAA's Dean Saucier at dsaucier@nbaa.org.
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SFBAA to Hold General Meeting, Golf Tournament and Clinic on Dec. 7
The South Florida Business Aviation Association (SFBAA) will hold a general membership meeting and its first annual golf tournament on Tuesday,
December 7 at the Atlantis Country Club & Inn in Atlantis, FL. Before the tournament's shotgun start at 12:30 p.m., a golf clinic with a PGA
professional will be held. NBAA's new Senior Vice President, Operations Steve Brown will be the featured speaker at the awards dinner following the
tournament, and a portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to a local aviation scholarship fund. Both Members and non-Members of NBAA
are invited to attend. To register, call Maureen Cole at (561) 307-2501 or mcole@galaxyaviation.com.
For more information, contact Don Roller at don.roller@ins-lua.com or NBAA's Harry Houckes at hhouckes@nbaa.org.
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Deadline for Compensation & Benchmarking Survey
Extended
The deadline for participating in the 2004 NBAA Compensation & Benchmark Survey has been extended to November 30. This survey was
developed to help NBAA Member Representatives and their company salary administrators evaluate their flight departments by providing a comprehensive
review of aviation department personnel salaries and operational data. All NBAA Member Representatives for companies that operate aircraft are
eligible to participate. Participants will receive free online access to survey results once compiled. For more information, contact NBAA's Sarah
Dicke at sdicke@nbaa.org or visit:
https://secure.nbaa.org/member/ops/cbs/forms.php
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Request for Proposals: Flight Attendant Conference Planning
The NBAA Flight Attendants Committee has begun planning the June 2005 NBAA Flight Attendants Conference, to be held in the Southeast United States.
The Committee currently requests proposals for Conference presentations relating to issues relevant to the corporate flight attendant, such as cabin
safety, security, catering, customer service and training programs. To submit proposals for the 2005 Flight Attendants Conference, contact NBAA's Jay
Evans no later than December 31 at jevans@nbaa.org.
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Two Scholarships for Schedulers and Dispatchers Due Nov.
30
The NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee administers two scholarships in conjunction with several corporate sponsors: The 2004 Schedulers
& Dispatchers Scholarship and (new this year) the 2004 Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarship. Applications for both scholarships are
due by Tuesday, November 30. For more information or to download application forms in PDF format, visit:
http://www.nbaa.org/scholarships
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IS-BAO Implementation Workshop
November 19, Dallas, TX
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SPDP Course: Elements of Corporate Aircraft Scheduling
February 12, 2005, Reno, NV
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SPDP Course: Effective Written Communications
February 12, 2005, Reno, NV
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SPDP Course: Developing a High-Performance Team
February 13, 2005, Reno, NV
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SPDP Course: Weather Planning
February 13, 2005, Reno, NV
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16th Annual Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference
February 14–16, 2005, Reno, NV
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32nd Annual International Operators Conference
March 14–17, 2005, Colorado Springs, CO
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LABACE2005
March 31–April 2, Sao 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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