NBAA2012 Just Days Away – Have You Registered to Attend?
NBAA's Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2012) is always a must-attend event on the aviation calendar, and this year will be no different. Attendees will hear from a host of notable presenters, including FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica, the renowned political duo James Carville and Mary Matalin, and others. Two aircraft displays will be part of this year's show – one just outside the Orange County Convention Center, and a larger one at Orlando Executive Airport (ORL). More than 1,000 Exhibitors are lined up to be on the show floor, and Attendees will have access to dozens of education sessions about every trend and topic in focus for business aviation today. There's still time to register, and NBAA Members qualify for discounted rates. Register for NBAA2012.

GAO Study Lauds Data-Driven Approach to Improving GA Safety
A general aviation safety study conducted by the Government Accountability Office showed the safety record for business aviation led other GA segments, and "was the least common type of operation to be involved in general aviation accidents." Corporate operations accounted for less than 1 percent of fatal general aviation accidents despite comprising 14 percent of annual GA operations, according to the study. Learn more about the safety study.

NBAA Marks the Passing of Business Aviation Safety Champion Al Ueltschi
Last week, NBAA marked the Oct. 18 passing of an industry legend, 95-year-old Albert Lee Ueltschi, founder and chairman emeritus of FlightSafety International, Inc. "Safety is the foundation upon which business aviation is built, and in a lot of ways, Al Ueltschi is the person who laid the cornerstone," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "Ueltschi's impact on the industry – and the people in it – has been profound. He always said that the best safety device in any aircraft was a well-trained pilot, and he made sure our community had a lot of well-trained pilots." Read more about Al Ueltschi.

iPads in the Cockpit? There's an NBAA2012 Session for That
If you were to look into the cockpit of a business aircraft in flight, chances are good that on the pilot's lap you would see an iPad rather than a paper chart. Tablet devices and the accompanying applications are revolutionizing aviation, and nowhere will that be more evident than next week at NBAA2012. "This is a chance to learn about the latest apps and hardware, but it's also a chance to learn about best practices when it comes to the use of electronic flight bags in the cockpit," Scott O'Brien of NBAA's Operations Division said. Read more about iPads in the cockpit.

New Season of The Aviators Takes Off With NBAA Sponsorship Promoting 'No Plane No Gain'
NBAA is a sponsor of the third season of the PBS series The Aviators, which follows a group of pilots and aviation experts and focuses on the size, diversity and importance of the aviation industry, including the business aviation segment. Episodes of the award-winning show are expected to reach more than 10 million viewers per broadcast. NBAA's sponsorship of the program includes a 15-second advertisement that promotes the message of the No Plane No Gain program, which NBAA jointly sponsors with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Read more about NBAA's sponsorship of The Aviators.

New Industry Advocacy Resources to Be Unveiled at NBAA2012
For those interested in highlighting for candidates the importance of business aviation this election year, new grassroots advocacy resources will be unveiled during NBAA's Convention this month. "The NBAA Convention is the largest business aviation event in the world, and it presents a strong reminder of the importance of business aviation to local, regional, national and worldwide economies," noted Lisa Piccione, NBAA senior vice president, government affairs. NBAA will join with the Alliance for Aviation Across America and other general aviation group leaders at an Oct. 29 press conference to detail the new advocacy tools available for industry to make its voice heard this election year. Learn more about NBAA's industry advocacy plans.

Two Greenville, SC Businessmen Take 'No Plane No Gain' to Heart
Two businessmen who won a local learn-to-fly contest in Greenville, SC in June say the message of the national No Plane No Gain industry advocacy campaign inspired them to learn to fly for business. Chris Beckman, of Beckman Precision, won a complete private-pilot course from Airwolf Aviation at the Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU). "Our business sells machine tools all over the Carolinas and Virginia," said Beckman. "Having the ability to land at small-town airports will greatly reduce fatigue from getting up in the wee hours of the morning to drive from Greenville to anywhere else in our territory to make a 9 a.m. meeting." Read more about the contest winners.

Chartering a Helicopter Overseas: What You Need to Know
If you haven't received a request for a helicopter charter on an international trip before, it's still important to be prepared – especially if your passengers need to navigate cities with heavy ground traffic like São Paulo or Mexico City, or visit a remote factory. In the U.S., you can check charter operators' safety records with the local FAA Flight Standards District Office; with foreign operators that's not possible, so you need to do the research yourself. "In some cases," said former NBAA Chairman Jeff Lee, "the only way I'd feel comfortable putting my passengers on board the helicopter is sending someone to go take a look." Read more about overseas helicopter charter in an online extra from Business Aviation Insider.

NBAA2012 Sessions to Discuss How to Do Business in Asia
Together with the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the General Aviation Manufacturing Association (GAMA), NBAA will host a reverse trade mission from Asia at NBAA2012 this month. "Roughly a dozen representatives from aviation safety regulators across Asia are coming to our show to learn about business aviation and why it's so successful in the U.S.," said NBAA Vice President, Safety, Security, Operations & Regulation Doug Carr. "That will hopefully lead to consideration of policies and regulations in their home countries that would facilitate better business aviation access throughout their own nations." The sessions are scheduled for Oct. 29 and 30. Read more about the Asian reverse trade mission.

Study Demonstrates Economic Value of Business Aviation in Europe
A recent study of European business aviation operators determined that the industry provides significant benefits for local industries, governments and communities. Commissioned by the European Business Aviation Association and conducted by the global forecasting firm Oxford Economics, the study confirms that an overwhelming majority (80 percent) of business flights conducted in 2011 were operated for business interests across the economic scale, and for travel to less-accessible areas and communities. Read more about the European study.

Memphis Wake Turbulence Separation Categories Revised by FAA
The FAA issued a SAFO advising operators of changes to current wake turbulence separation categories at Memphis International Airport (MEM). Effective Nov. 1, MEM will be the first site to undergo a permanent change to a new standard of required separation minima. The new six-category standard applies advances in knowledge of wake physics following years of joint research and development by the FAA, Eurocontrol, and science experts. Aircraft will be re-categorized based on weight, certificated approach speeds, wing characteristics and the ability to counteract adverse rolls. The FAA plans to expand the new standard to additional airports in 2013 and 2014. Learn more and review SAFO 12007.

Northern Kansas Dedicates New General Aviation Airport
General aviation operators recently gained a new access point in north-central Kansas: Rooks County Regional Airport (RCP), which was dedicated Sept. 29. The $6 million infrastructure project, funded in part by an FAA Airport Improvement Program grant, involved constructing a 5,000-foot paved runway on a site that lies between the cities of Plainville and Stockton. The investment marks the first new airport built in Kansas since 1989, said Roger Hrabe, director of the Rooks County Economic Development Commission, adding that it opens up the area to new services and business. Read more about the new airport in Kansas.

Houston Executive Getting New FBO Terminal
Houston Executive Airport (TME) announced construction of a new 22,500-square-foot FBO terminal building and a large arrival canopy, citing high demand for additional hangar lease space. The privately developed airport, which opened in early 2007, boasts a 6,610-foot runway and state-of-the-art facilities for business aviation operations. The airport added two new hangars in the past eight months, bringing the airport's total hangar space to more than 122,000 square feet. Read more about TME.

Association Recognizes 2012 Flying Safety Award Recipients
NBAA will recognize four Member Companies for outstanding safe flying achievement during NBAA2012 in Orlando, FL, as well as hundreds more companies that have collectively compiled thousands of hours of safe flying during the past year. In 2012, NBAA recognizes two companies for reaching the safety milestone of flying 60 years or more without an accident – NiSource Inc. and The Procter & Gamble Co. – and two other companies for flying 50 years or more without an accident: Hormel Foods Corporation and Muscatine Corporation. Read more about this year's NBAA Flying Safety Award recipients.

NBAA2012 Attendees Can Spend 'An Evening With Angels' for a Worthwhile Cause
Attendees of NBAA2012 will have the opportunity to enjoy entertainment from legendary musical group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, while also helping support the Corporate Angel Network (CAN), whose mission is to provide urgently needed medical transportation for cancer patients on business aircraft. Individual and group tickets are still available for the NBAA/CAN Soiree – An Evening with Angels, to be held Wednesday, Oct. 31 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of The Peabody Orlando. Attendees may also participate in both live and silent auctions, with proceeds directly supporting CAN. Read more about the NBAA/CAN Soiree.