White House Tells Lawmakers It's Still Committed to User Fees
The White House recently reiterated its commitment to imposing new user fees on general aviation, in response to a call from 195 members of Congress, led by the co-chairs of the House General Aviation Caucus, to abandon the proposal. In a letter dated April 10, Jeffrey D. Zients, White House acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), claimed the proposed $100 per flight user fee would help reduce the deficit and "more equitably" share the cost of air traffic services. "In fact, studies conducted by government and industry have shown that, through the fuel tax, general aviation pays its fair share for the cost it imposes on the aviation system," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. Read Bolen's response to the OMB letter.

FAA Issues Update on NextGen Work
The FAA's updated NextGen Implementation Plan, now available online, includes tweaks to its strategy for modernizing departure and arrival procedures, particularly in 21 "metroplexes" (metro areas encompassing multiple airports). Highlights of the plan affecting general aviation include expanded implementation of WAAS/LPV approaches, as well as RNAV RNP. NBAA Senior Vice President for Operations & Administration Steve Brown said of the plan, "They've appropriately prioritized what they need to do first, and they've followed recommendations from the industry advisory committees we participate in, so we're happy about that." Read more about the latest NextGen plan.

NBAA Presents Oral Testimony at IRS Hearing on Passive Loss Rule Change
John Hoover, chair of the NBAA Tax Committee's Federal Tax Working Group, last week represented the Association at a public hearing on proposed Treasury regulations. The regulations, which would treat certain members of an LLC as limited partners for purposes of passive loss limitations, conflict with congressional intent to encourage investment in business assets, including aircraft, said Hoover, urging the IRS to reconsider elements of the proposed changes. In certain circumstances, these proposed regulations could require that an LLC's aircraft leasing operation be treated as a separate activity for passive loss purposes. The result would be that the LLC's losses, typically consisting primarily of depreciation, could be suspended indefinitely. Read more about the proposed passive loss rule change.

NBAA Urges IRS to Address Two Tax Problems in Priority Guidance Plan
NBAA's Tax Committee requested that the IRS address two specialized tax problems that owners of business aircraft can experience: depreciation limitations in IRC § 280F(b) when leasing aircraft to 5-percent owners and related parties, and tax consequences of the use of a business aircraft for charitable purposes. In addition to these issues, which NBAA has previously raised with the IRS, NBAA continues to advocate on other high-priority regulatory issues, such as FET applicability in aircraft management company arrangements. These two requests were submitted in response to an IRS request for industry input as it develops its 2012–2013 Guidance Priority List. For more information, contact NBAA's Operations Services Group at info@nbaa.org. Review the 280F(b) and charitable flight filings.

Business Turbine Aircraft Accident Review Now Available
NBAA Member Robert E. Breiling Associates has released the 2011 Business Turbine Aircraft Accident Review. The review contains over 500 pages of detailed narrative accounts for 393 turbine business aircraft accidents and incidents reported worldwide in 2011. Available electronically or in hardcopy, the review can be purchased in its entirety or sections can be purchased individually and prices range from $190 to $360. Learn more about the business aviation safety findings.

NBAA's Piccione: Business Aviation Must Continue Combating Misperceptions
Lisa Piccione, NBAA's senior vice president, government affairs, told attendees at the recent National Aircraft Finance Association meeting that the business aviation community must continue to combat misperceptions of the industry. "I don't think it's a secret to anybody in this audience that the biggest challenge that we often face is misperception about the use of a general aviation aircraft for a business purpose," she said. "We are working every day to make sure we tell the story, and fight back against the caricatures and stereotypes that are not representative of what you all are doing every day." Learn more about the presentation.

Maine Becomes 38th State to Acknowledge GA's Value
Maine Governor Paul LePage last month proclaimed April as "General Aviation Appreciation Month" in the Pine Tree State. In doing so, Governor LePage made Maine the 38th state to declare that general aviation (GA), including business aviation, is a vital and essential mode of transportation. More than three quarters of U.S. states have now issued such proclamations. In his declaration, the governor noted that the state is home to 12 aeronautical repair stations, 14 flight schools, 23 fixed base operators and more than 2,600 pilots and 1,800 GA aircraft. Read the Maine proclamation.

How to Avoid Tax Pitfalls With Independent Contractors
Facing tight budgets, flight departments are turning to independent contractors for many different aviation jobs. In fact, four out of five companies use some type of nonemployee labor. However, it's estimated that tens of billions of dollars in potential tax revenue are lost each year from misclassifying workers as contractors rather than employees, so federal and state tax agencies are cracking down and aggressively auditing employers. In the latest edition of Business Aviation Insider, NBAA's Operations Service Group describes a new resource to help Members address these issues: NBAA's new best practices guide for companies using independent contractors. Read the Business Aviation Insider article.

EBACE2012 to Feature Expanded Static Aircraft Display
The Static Display of Aircraft at the upcoming 2012 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2012) will be bigger than ever this year, featuring more large-cabin aircraft than last year. With the average size of the aircraft up, NBAA has negotiated with Geneva International Airport to add more than 4,000 square meters to the static display. Last year's EBACE featured 63 aircraft on static display, and so far 60 aircraft from 26 Exhibitors are confirmed for this year. Jointly hosted by NBAA and the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), EBACE2012 will be held Monday, May 14 to Wednesday, May 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. Learn more about EBACE2012.

Podcast: Following Efforts by NBAA and Others, Italy Modifies Business Aviation Tax
After advocacy efforts from NBAA and its European counterparts, Italy has modified its potentially destructive tax on business and charter aircraft. Amended at the last minute, the tax originally applied to all aircraft, regardless of their registry, that remained on Italian soil for more than 48 consecutive hours. NBAA representatives met with officials at the Italian embassy in Washington, DC and European business aviation advocates reached out to Italian lawmakers in Rome to explain that the tax would significantly reduce business aircraft activity and harm numerous Italian businesses. Thanks to these and other efforts, parliamentarians extended the length of time operators from other countries could park their aircraft at Italian airports without having to fear being subject to the tax. For more information, listen to this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

Growth of Aviation Benefits Washington State
While some legislators in Washington State have tried unsuccessfully over the past two years to shore up the state budget by adding a 0.5 percent annual tax on aircraft, a new study shows aviation already generates $548 million a year for the state's general fund and $243 million a year for local governments. "The results truly demonstrate the positive impact of aviation in Washington," said NBAA Regional Representative Kristy Ivey, "The message is: let's not attack something that creates a positive balance of trade for the state." In addition, the number of jobs generated by the state's airports has grown 45 percent in the last 10 years. Read more about aviation's economic impact in Washington.

Greater Washington Aviation Open Holds Charity Auction This Week
The 24th Annual Greater Washington Aviation Open (GWAO) is conducting an online charity auction this week, offering a chance to win a FlightSafety International Type Rating Course for a Cessna Citation CJ, CJ1, or CJ2 aircraft. The event and auction proceeds will benefit Corporate Angel Network and Veterans Airlift Command. All eBay auction bids are due by May 11. Learn more about GWAO.

New Auction Link for Northern California Scholarship Fundraiser
As published in last week's NBAA Update, the Northern California Business Aviation Association (NCBAA) is hosting its first aviation scholarship presentation this week on May 8. In conjunction with the event, the regional group is hosting an eBay auction benefitting the scholarship fund. NCBAA has provided a new link for the auction. Learn more about the NCBAA's scholarship program.

Get Tips for Closing Aircraft Deals at Teterboro Forum Next Month
NBAA's next Business Aviation Regional Forum will be held on New Jersey's Teterboro Airport (TEB) on June 7, offering a full education program including a session on "Aircraft Transactions in an Evolving Market: Steps for Success." Presented by Keith Swirsky of GKG Law and Jay Mesinger of J. Mesinger Corporate Jet Sales, the session will examine current market trends affecting aircraft values and how buyers and sellers can prepare for success in any transaction. To attend this and other timely sessions, register now for the Teterboro Regional Forum.

NBAA's Convention Again Named Among Top 10 Trade Shows
Last year's NBAA 64th Annual Meeting & Convention in Las Vegas (NBAA2011) was recently named eighth in a list of the "Top 250 U.S. Trade Shows of 2011" by Trade Show News Network, a leading online resource for the trade show, exhibition and event industry. NBAA2011 brought together 26,077 Attendees representing every corner of the business aviation industry and 88 different countries. This year's NBAA2012 show in Orlando, FL promises to once again be the premier marketplace for business aviation products and services. Learn more about NBAA2012.

A Benefit a Day in the Month of May
At NBAA, May is Membership Month, and in honor of this celebration, the Association is featuring a benefit a day in the month of May to make sure Members are getting the most out of everything NBAA has to offer. To learn about each day's featured benefit, click the ad in the top right corner of the NBAA home page, or for full details, visit the Benefit-a-Day page. Sign up now to receive a Benefit of the Day in your inbox.

NBAA Through the Years: Match Game
Business aviation has made a lot of headlines since 1947. Now Members can test their business aviation history knowledge with the NBAA Through the Years Match Game. Correctly match seven headlines from NBAA publications through the years to the dates they originally ran for a chance to win a $100 American Express gift card and one free pass to NBAA2012 in Orlando. Play NBAA's match game now.

NBAA Announces Recipients of Maintenance Scholarships
At the 27th Annual Maintenance Management Conference in Nashville, TN last week, NBAA announced the recipients of the 2012 Maintenance Technical Reward and Career Scholarship (TRACS). Currently in its seventh year and supported by industry sponsors, Maintenance TRACS enables A&P holders and other professionals to develop their technical skills by participating in model-specific courses at aircraft, engine and avionics training centers. Review this year's list of 35 Maintenance TRACS recipients.