A Busy Week for Business Aviation on Capitol Hill
NBAA was in two places at once on Capitol Hill last week, as President and CEO Ed Bolen testified on NextGen implementation, while NBAA Member Martha King of King Schools testified against the Obama administration's plan to impose a $100 per flight user fee. Bolen spoke before the House Transportation Committee's Aviation Subcommittee on Sept. 12, while King addressed the House Committee on Small Business. "What was so important for me to say was that a huge new federal bureaucracy to charge the user fee, build the user fee, collect the user fee and chase anyone who doesn't pay it on time [would be] very detrimental to small business," King said, explaining why she testified. Listen to the NBAA Flight Plan interview with Martha King.

Bolen Tells Congress of Aviation's Support for 'NextGen,' Outlines Concerns
Federal efforts to achieve a next generation air traffic control system ("NextGen") require a consensus among all aviation segments in order to succeed, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said in testimony on Sept. 12 before a House subcommittee hearing on the progress of NextGen initiatives. "NextGen modernization holds the promise of a safer, more efficient, more accessible and more cost-effective national transportation system," Bolen told members of the Aviation Subcommittee for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The subcommittee held the hearing to review the Federal Aviation Association's (FAA's) management of the NextGen program. Read more about Bolen's testimony.

U.S. House Passes Continuing Resolution to Preserve Government Funding
Last week, the U.S. House passed a continuing resolution (CR) to preserve federal agencies for the next six months. The resolution has been passed in lieu of approval for a host of annual appropriations bills, which are still under consideration by one or both chambers of Congress. The Senate is expected to take up the CR this week. For more information, contact Dick Doubrava, NBAA director, government affairs, at rdoubrava@nbaa.org.

Compliance Deadline for New PIC Proficiency Checks Approaching
The FAA issued a final rule last year expanding the proficiency check requirements of FAR 61.58 to include pilots of turbojet aircraft certified for single-pilot operations. By Oct. 31, pilots serving as pilot in command of a single-piloted turbojet aircraft must have completed an annual proficiency check as outlined in 61.58. While the original FAA ruling mandated compliance by Oct. 31, 2011, NBAA and other industry groups were successful in urging the FAA to extend that compliance deadline by a year, thereby giving pilots adequate time to accomplish the required training. The specific requirements on how the checks should be performed and how often they are required have not changed. Review NBAA's explanation of the final rule.

GA Avgas Coalition Applauds FAA's Creation of Avgas Fuels Program Office
In response to a letter from the industry members of the General Aviation (GA) Avgas Coalition, including NBAA, urging funding for an unleaded avgas program, the FAA recently announced the formation of a new Fuels Program Office. The office will be responsible for "providing technical expertise and strategic direction in the planning, management and coordination of activities related to aviation fuels." This is the next important step in establishing an unleaded avgas transition program that will evaluate the viability of candidate fuels and generate the data needed for fleet-wide aircraft certification and development of a commercial fuel specification. Learn more and view the FAA letter.

Avoid Stumbling Into the 'Flight Department Company' Trap
When creating a structure to own and operate an aircraft, buyers must be careful not to unknowingly create a "flight department company" that has no other business except for operating an aircraft. The establishment of a new single-purpose entity to own (or lease) and operate an aircraft under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) may seem logical, but in many cases this type of operation may not be allowed under Part 91. In a new resource for NBAA Members, Tax Committee member Jeff Wieand details problems caused by the flight department company trap and offers strategies to structure aircraft ownership and operations that steer clear of the trap. Review the NBAA Member resource.

Learjet 60XR Stars in National Geographic Show
A recent episode of the National Geographic Channel series Megafactories documented the assembly of businessman David Morgan's Learjet 60XR to tell the story of not only how each business jet is assembled there, but also how business aviation has always been at the forefront of innovation, including manufacturing. The OEM's formula combines cutting-edge technology with a storied history of craftsmanship. Read more about the Learjet 60XR.

NBAA2012 Career Day: Much More Than a Field Trip for Area Kids
Aviator Barrington Irving will be the keynote speaker at the annual NBAA Career Day being held on Nov. 1 during the Association's 65th Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2012). Irving has a proven track record when it comes to innovation, dedication and inspiring young people. He inspired the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Dream & Soar: Youth in Aviation program in 2007 when he became the first African American and the youngest person to fly solo around the world. Read more about NBAA2012 Career Day plans.

Michigan, Connecticut Governors Recognize Value of Aviation
Despite deep divides between Democrats and Republicans, governors in both parties recently reaffirmed the value of aviation. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, and Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, both recently recognized the value of aviation to their states by proclaiming September as aviation month – becoming the 43rd and 44th states, respectively, to recognize the importance of all general aviation, including business aviation. Read more about GA in Michigan and Connecticut.

Tennessee Governor Cites $2.5 Billion in GA Benefits
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has declared September as Aviation Month in the Volunteer State, encouraging all Tennesseans to join him in recognizing the importance of aviation. "General aviation overall contributes $2.57 billion or $431 per capita to Tennessee's economy, and many communities…depend heavily on GA and community airports for the continued flow of commerce, tourists and visitors to our state," Haslam said in his proclamation. The Volunteer State has 79 public-use airports, or about one public-use airport for every 81,000 citizens. Read more about GA in Tennessee.

Utah Government Relies on King Airs to Provide Essential Services
With limited commercial air service, many Utah communities are a six-hour drive from Salt Lake City, which is why the state relies on two King Airs for government business. "This state prides itself on being fiscally conservative," said Pat Morley, director of aeronautics for the Utah Department of Transportation. "Part of the successful formula for running the state efficiently has included the use of business aircraft." Most of the time, it's not the governor or agency heads, but program managers who fly. For example, the Department of Health flies doctors and medical staff to conduct full-day clinics for Utah children in rural areas. Read more about how the state relies on its King Airs in the latest edition of Business Aviation Insider.

CBP and Business Aviation Operators Discuss GA Concerns at Miami Roundtable
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials and a cross-section of South Florida's general aviation community came together for candid discussions last week at an event co-hosted by NBAA, which demonstrated the agency's readiness to work collaboratively to resolve operator concerns involving international GA flights at the regional and national levels. In a demonstration of a new transparency, CBP GA Program Manager Eric Rodriguez described improvements the agency is making with business aviation operators and South Florida port representatives, and listened as representatives from the industry discussed their concerns. Read more and view the CBP presentation.

Pacific Northwest Operators: Don't Miss This Week's Seattle Regional Forum
It's not too late to register for NBAA's fourth and final Business Aviation Regional Forum of 2012, to be held this week on Sept. 20 at Clay Lacy Aviation on Boeing Field (BFI) in Seattle, WA. Education sessions will focus on Washington State tax developments, mitigation strategies for loss of control in flight, best practices for transitioning from paper to digital charts and an update on the Future Air Navigation System. The day-long learning and peer networking opportunity also will include indoor and outdoor products, services and aircraft exhibits. Learn more and register for NBAA's Seattle Forum.

Pilot Alert Issued Due to Runway Incursions at Fort Lauderdale International
A pilot alert has been issued for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in the wake of numerous runway incursions by pilots entering Runway 13/31 at midfield without the proper clearance. General aviation pilots in particular have been identified as failing to hold short of the runway intersection when operating to or from the west side of the field. As the airport continues to undergo various phases of a three-year runway construction plan, pilots are urged to exercise more caution and maintain a higher level of situational awareness while taxiing. To view the alert and information on the construction plans, visit NBAA's FLL page.

Runway Safety Alert Issued for Chicago Midway
The FAA is calling on pilots to exercise greater vigilance in maintaining situational awareness during ground operations at Chicago Midway Airport (MDW). The FAA advises that many runway incursions are caused by transient traffic, and by general aviation pilots in particular. Midway is designed with complex runways and associated taxiway configurations, which creates uncommon runway hold positions. Learn more about the Midway runway safety alert.

Have You Registered for NBAA2012 in Orlando Yet?
NBAA's flagship Convention comes to Orlando's Orange County Convention Center from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1; have you registered yet? Expected to draw about 25,000 Attendees, this year's show will feature dozens of aircraft on display, nearly 1,000 Exhibitors and a full program of educational sessions. Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard will deliver the keynote and Mary Matalin and James Carville will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the political arena in this election year. Highlights include the NBAA/CAN Soiree, with a performance by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons benefitting the Corporate Angel Network (CAN). Members save $200 on NBAA2012 registration. Join NBAA to take advantage of discounted Member rates.

Call for Speakers: 2013 NBAA Leadership Conference
The NBAA Corporate Aviation Management Committee is planning the 21st Annual Leadership Conference, to be held at the Hilton Austin Hotel in Austin, TX from Feb. 12 to 13, 2013. The conference theme is "Leadership Legacy: Inspiring the Future." Speakers who would like to present during the conference to more than 250 business aviation professionals on topics related to the safety, security, service and professional development as they relate to leadership in business aviation are invited to contribute proposals by Oct. 5. To contribute suggestions, contact NBAA's Jay Evans at jevans@nbaa.org or view NBAA's Request for Proposals page.