When Congress Takes a Break, NBAA’s Advocacy Efforts Continue

July 21, 2014

NBAA Flight Plan podcast about NBAA’s summertime advocacy efforts.

In the nation’s capital, summer is usually the time when lawmakers leave town and head back to their home states and districts, to hear from constituents. For NBAA, it’s also a good time of year to talk about the benefits of business aviation, said Dick Doubrava, NBAA’s vice president of government affairs.

“We try to take the opportunity – especially during the August congressional recess – to do outreach with airports, local officials and NBAA Members,” said Doubrava. “We work closely with other aviation organizations to advocate and educate throughout the country. We try to hit all the meetings and conferences to talk with people who work in this industry as well. Outreach is an important aspect of the work we do. Now’s a great time of year to do it.”

One such summer meeting was the recent the General Aviation Issues and Security Conference, which was hosted by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) in Pittsburgh, PA.

That annual conference is a prime opportunity for Doubrava – as well as officials from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the National Association of State Aviation Officials and the National Air Transport Association – to discuss with AAAE officials issues that affect the entire industry.

“The good news coming out of the conference was that community airports are continuing to recover – there is increased activity,” Doubrava reported. “We also talked about ongoing challenges. Chief among them is the pressure some airports are feeling from the communities they serve to curtail aviation activities or close altogether.”

To that end, Doubrava said he and AAAE members talked about strategies for better telling the story of how general aviation – and business aviation in particular – contributes to local economies by providing jobs, as well as opportunities for growth. Other discussion topics included wildlife management, residential through-the-fence agreements and FAA reauthorization, he said.

“We also talked about the ongoing success of the General Aviation Caucus on Capitol Hill and how that can certainly be replicated in state capitals around the country,” he added.