Opening-Day Numbers Point to a Strong EBACE2012
As the opening day for the 12th Annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2012) got underway in Geneva, Switzerland today, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen reported that this year's show could be the largest yet. Nearly 500 Exhibitors occupy Halls 5, 6 and 7 at Geneva Palexpo, and 60 aircraft are on an expanded Static Display at Geneva International Airport, making this year's display of aircraft the largest ever for EBACE. As of the close of the first day of the show, 12,155 Attendees were registered, which is comparable to the registration total for the same period last year. "We are thrilled with the excitement surrounding this year's show, and we believe the numbers demonstrate the continuing value and importance of EBACE," said Bolen. "By several measures, it appears this year's EBACE will be as strong or stronger than last year's show." EBACE2012 takes place from Monday, May 14 to Wednesday, May 16. For more information, including a downloadable EBACE app, visit the EBACE2012 site.

NBAA Notes Dismissal of DWI Charges Against Former FAA Administrator
Association President and CEO Ed Bolen released a statement after a Virginia judge ruled on May 10 that a 2011 traffic stop for former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Randy Babbitt, which resulted in DWI charges and led to Babbitt's resignation, was made without just cause. "For decades, Randy has been one of the most recognized and respected people in aviation. His contributions to the safety and efficiency of air transportation in the United States and around the world are significant. We are pleased that the matter that led to his resignation from the FAA is now closed. We wish him all the best in whatever his future plans may be and trust that the aviation community will benefit from his considerable talent, expertise and commitment." Learn more.

Senate Committee Questions FAA's Plan for E-Chart Fees
At the end of last year, the FAA's AeroNav Products Directorate notified NBAA and other aviation organizations it would begin imposing new fees totaling about $150 per year for end users of e-chart data previously available free. However, the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a recent funding bill, noted the FAA has not justified the new fee, nor sought sufficient input from stakeholders. The committee restricted the FAA from implementing the new fee before seeking public comments and justifying its pricing to lawmakers. Read more about the proposed AeroNav fees.

Podcast: Make Sure You Comply With RVSM Monitoring Requirements
The FAA established requirements a year ago that operators must monitor their compliance with RVSM standards by November 18. Operators that are RVSM-equipped, have completed the necessary training and obtained FAA authorization still need to meet these RVSM monitoring requirements. In the U.S., this can be done simply by flying over any one of four Aircraft Geometric Height Measurement Element (AGHME) Constellations, located in Atlantic City, NJ; Cleveland, OH; Wichita, KS; and Phoenix, AZ. For more about complying with RVSM monitoring, listen to this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

Incident Demonstrates Importance of Sterile Cockpit Procedures
Reports of a May 2010 incident involving a Jetstar Airlines Airbus A320 en route to Singapore from Darwin, Australia recently have come to light, underscoring the importance of minimizing cockpit distractions, especially during taxi, takeoff and landing. According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's report, the flightcrew became distracted during the approach by the captain's cell phone and failed to realize the landing gear was not fully extended until the airliner was at 500 feet AGL. The crew had to initiate a go-around from an altitude of just 392 feet. Incidents like this prompted civil aviation authorities worldwide to implement sterile cockpit regulations years ago. Read more about the incident and maintaining a sterile cockpit environment.

NBAA Offers New Resource on One Engine Inoperative Takeoff and Climb Performance
Have you declined to accept a standard instrument departure (SID) because your aircraft cannot comply with the SID climb gradient if an engine failure occurs? Have you ever delayed your flight because of low visibility or low ceilings that required a climb gradient published on the SID, or because of obstacle departure procedures (ODP) that your aircraft could not satisfy with one engine inoperative? Members of the NBAA Domestic Operations Committee have produced a new article that could help in these situations. Review the article about one-engine inoperative takeoff and climb-performance planning.

Value of General Aviation Now Proclaimed by 75% of U.S. States
As of last month, three-quarters of all U.S. states have officially proclaimed the value of general aviation (GA), including business aviation, through official declarations by governors or state legislatures. The 38th declaration was issued last month by Maine Governor Paul LePage, declaring April GA Appreciation Month and highlighting the themes of the No Plane No Gain campaign. "We're delighted that our No Plane No Gain message has been getting through," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "We thank Governor LePage in Maine and the governors and other top officials in the 37 other states that have officially recognized the industry's value." Read more about the success of the No Plane No Gain campaign.

European Challenges in Focus in Business Aviation Insider and at EBACE
As business aviation has expanded in Europe, the industry continues to confront access restrictions, burdensome regulations and onerous tax proposals. Fortunately, EBACE2012 being held this week in Geneva provides not only a marketplace for the industry, but also a platform for advocacy. As the industry gathers in Switzerland to address these challenges, NBAA is featuring a "Focus on Europe" section in the current issue of Business Aviation Insider. That should be valuable, given that the CEO of European Business Aviation Association, Fabio Gamba, calls the current situation in Europe "the toughest business operating environment that we have ever seen." Review the challenges facing European business aviation and more in this special section of Business Aviation Insider.

Today's EBACE2012 Opening Session Features EU Leaders
EBACE2012 opens today at Geneva Palexpo with an Opening General Session featuring many leaders from the European Union (EU) policy community. Speaking are Matthew Baldwin, the European Commission director for air aviation and transport policy; Marian-Jean Marinescu, member of the European Parliament and aerospace engineer; and Salvatore Sciacchitano, executive secretary of the European Civil Aviation Conference. "We are honored to have these important representatives in the European government attending EBACE2012," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, "The EBACE Opening General Session provides an outstanding opportunity … to put forward the true face of business aviation." Read more about today's EBACE2012 Opening General Session.

EBACE2012 Provides Focus on Aviation Safety
For the second year, a free safety workshop was offered in conjunction with EBACE. The workshop focused on human factors and regional safety issues faced by European operators "such as air traffic control concerns and special considerations when operating in specific airspace," according to NBAA's Doug Carr. The workshop was held yesterday, May 13, in conjunction with EBACE2012 opening today. Learn about the EBACE Safety Workshop.

Canada Border Services Agency Requests Participation in Survey
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) provides border clearance service at over 1,200 locations across Canada. In order to better understand the needs of business aircraft operators, CBSA is requesting that NBAA Members complete a brief survey. Over the past few years, NBAA and the Canadian Business Aviation Association have made a concerted effort to increase collaboration with CBSA and facilitate cross-border flights. Operators that conduct flights to Canada are strongly encouraged to complete this survey as it will assist in further work with CBSA. The deadline for responses is May 25. Take the survey now.

This Month's NATO Summit in Chicago Affects GA Operations at Area Airports
Due to the 91.141 Presidential TFR released for this month's NATO Summit in Chicago, general aviation operations will be prohibited at Chicago Midway (MDW) from 8:00 p.m. local on May 19 through 7:00 p.m. local on May 21. Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) and Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) will remain available to IFR GA operations except for a one-hour period on May 19 and 21 for the VIP arrival and departure. Those wishing to operate into Chicago Midway during the TFR can arrange TSA screening at one of two gateway airports: Rockford (RFD) or South Bend (SBN). TSA screening also will be available at Chicago Midway for traffic departing MDW during the TFR. For details, including how to arrange TSA screening and the times screening will be available, visit NBAA's TFR resource.

Regional Groups Plan Safety Events, Charity Benefits
With spring in full swing, regional business aviation associations across the country are planning their annual safety and charity events. This week, the Greater Washington Business Aviation Association is holding its annual Safety Standdown in Ashburn, VA, on May 16. On June 2, the Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association will host its 36th Annual Business Aviation Memorial Open in Chesterfield, MO. The Connecticut Business Aviation Group is hosting a Runway Safety Forum on Waterbury-Oxford Airport (OXC) on June 20, and the Carolina Aviation Professionals Association is holding its 2012 Training, Standardization & Compliance Conference on July 17 and 18 in Concord, NC. Get the details on these and other regional events.

Teterboro Forum to Provide European Aviation Tax Update
As the latest example of a recently passed – and significantly relaxed – tax on aircraft in Italy shows, aviation tax policies in Europe are almost constantly changing. Flying to Europe typically demands some familiarity with value added tax (VAT), importation of aircraft and other key issues. To examine these issues, and available exemptions, NBAA is providing a European aviation tax update, presented by James Walker of CB VATAmerica, at the Teterboro Regional Forum in New Jersey on June 7. Get more information on this session and review the full Regional Forum agenda.

North Dakota Community Moves Toward Reopening Airport
Located north of Killdeer, ND, Weydahl Field (9Y1) has been essentially closed for about two years due to deteriorating conditions and a lack of support for maintaining the facility. However, new oil exploration has driven a statewide economic boom and could soon bring the airport back to life. "Where else do you have an airport where an oil boom is occurring right next to it?" asked Kyle Wanner, aviation planner with the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission. "This is an opportunity to re-plan the entire airport, a new and better airport, to adjust to the oil traffic while also allowing for additional business development." Read more about this North Dakota airport.

Dan Burkhart to Retire; NBAA Seeks New Western Regional Representative
NBAA requests job applicants for its Western regional representative position, which will be vacated in July upon the retirement of Dan Burkhart. Upon joining NBAA 14 years ago, Burkhart was NBAA's first regional representative and was subsequently named director of regional programs with oversight of six U.S. regions. The Western regional representative position will serve the needs of NBAA Members in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico. NBAA will be accepting resumes for this opening through May 29. Review the full job description.

NBAA Scholarship Program Celebrating 20th Anniversary
NBAA's scholarship program will celebrate its 20th anniversary at this year's Convention in Orlando, FL, October 30 to November 1. It was during the 1992 Convention that NBAA handed out its first four scholarships. Since then, NBAA's scholarship program, which is generously supported through Member contributions, has distributed several million dollars in monetary and training scholarships to college students seeking jobs in business aviation and to industry professionals interested in advancing their careers. "We've had many, many scholarship winners who've gone on to have outstanding careers in business aviation," said NBAA's Jay Evans. Read more about NBAA's scholarship program.

Join NBAA for Coffee at EBACE2012
Both new and prospective Members attending this week's EBACE2012 are invited to join NBAA leadership for a coffee social tomorrow, May 15. The gathering will take place at NBAA Stand #1813 in Hall 5, between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. For anyone in Geneva for EBACE, this is a great opportunity to meet NBAA staff, network with industry peers and learn more about the benefits of Membership. Coffee social attendees also will be entered to win two free passes to NBAA's 65th Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando. Review the EBACE2012 schedule.

Tell NBAA About Your Favorite Event
In recognition of Membership Month, NBAA is asking Members to name their favorite NBAA event, and tell what exactly makes it their favorite. Those who share their story with NBAA will be entered for a chance to win an Apple iPad and one free ticket to a favorite event. Complete the form by May 31 for a chance to win.