NBAA Opposes Santa Monica Council's Latest Action on City's Airport
NBAA has pledged to oppose the most recent action taken by City of Santa Monica officials regarding management and use of Santa Monica Airport (SMO). NBAA's comments came in the wake of a lawsuit, filed on Oct. 31 by the city of Santa Monica against the FAA, which seeks to terminate certain of the city's federal obligations with regard to the airport. The city's complaint centers around an Instrument of Transfer provided from the federal government to Santa Monica after World War II, which requires the city to operate the airport "in perpetuity," with no end date, or the property must be returned to the government. The legal action marks the latest turn in a decades-long battle between the city and the FAA over control of SMO, often involving attempts restrict aviation traffic into the airport or to close it altogether. Read more about the Santa Monica Airport situation.

Aviation Groups Urge Congress to Preserve Contract Towers in FY14
Recognizing the importance of contract air traffic control towers in America's aviation system, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen joined with 11 other aviation leaders in calling on members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to include language in pending legislation to preserve the FAA contract tower program through fiscal year (FY) 2014. In an Oct. 28 letter sent to the lawmakers, Bolen and the other signatories urge the inclusion of language in H.R. 2610, the FY2014 Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, appropriating at least $140 million in guaranteed funding for the contract towers through FY2014, regardless of any subsequent actions towards passing a federal budget. Read more about the request to preserve contract towers.

NBAA: Cold and Flu Season a Reminder for Drug-Impairment Awareness
As cold and flu season progresses, an open letter to pilots, stressing the contribution of common medications to some fatal loss-of-control aviation accidents, is getting renewed attention. First distributed over the summer, the letter was signed by FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen and the heads of 10 additional aviation industry groups. Among a working group's conclusions was a finding that "medications currently prohibited by the FAA are found to be present as causal or contributory in approximately 12 percent of fatal general aviation accidents�. We are concerned that pilots might not be aware of the ubiquitous presence of sedating antihistamines in many over-the-counter treatments for common allergies, coughs and colds and in sleep aids." Read more about drug impairment awareness.

Leader of U.S. Conference of Mayors Joins Aviation Alliance Board
In a further demonstration of the significance of general aviation (GA) to communities across the United States, the Alliance for Aviation Across America recently announced that Mesa, AZ Mayor Scott Smith will join its Board of Directors. Smith also serves as president of the United States Conference of Mayors, which comprises the leaders of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. "Mayor Smith understands the critical importance of general aviation and our aviation infrastructure to communities across the country, and he will bring a unique perspective to our organization," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, who also serves on the alliance's board. Read more about the Alliance for Aviation Across America.

Texas Governor Declares November Aviation Appreciation Month
For the third consecutive year, Gov. Rick Perry has proclaimed November as "Aviation Appreciation Month" in the state of Texas to recognize the value of general aviation. In his proclamation, Perry called the aviation industry in the state "critical to our economy and to our way of life." The governor noted that Texas airports support hundreds of thousands of jobs and transport about 7.8 billion pounds of cargo to Texas annually. The 51,000 certified pilots and more than 19,400 active aircraft flying in the state contribute nearly $60 billion to the Texas economy each year. Read more about GA in Texas.

For Strategies to Help With Information Overload, Check Out Business Aviation Insider
In an industry that requires a high degree of alertness and situational awareness, a serious risk is task saturation: having too much to do and not enough time or tools to do it. It can happen to pilots during taxi, cabin professionals boarding passengers or maintenance technicians working on an engine, and it's often marked by an increase in errors. "You can get overloaded as you try to figure it all out," said Eric Barfield, chairman of NBAA's Safety Committee. "That's anxiety." NBAA offers several ways to recognize task saturation and regain control in the November/December issue of its Member magazine, mailing to print subscribers now. Members may also download the mobile app edition and enter their website password to view the digital edition of Business Aviation Insider.

Bolen Promotes Business Aviation at U.S.-India Aviation Summit in Washington
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen on Oct. 31 led a panel at the U.S.-India Aviation Summit in which industry experts recounted the opportunities for � and challenges to � the development of business aviation in growing economies like India. "We are living in a global marketplace where connectivity of all types is important," Bolen said. "The Internet gives us the computer-to-computer connection, or connects people to data. But throughout history, business gets done when people connect to people. And that's what business aviation does very well." Read more about the U.S.-India Aviation Summit.

New NBAA Program to Allow More Interaction Between Association Staff, Member Representatives
NBAA has launched a new regional program called Insights Connection to improve communication with its Members. "We had requests from Members for more personal interaction between Members and senior staff at NBAA," said Stave Hadley, director of regional programs and Southwest regional representative. "The idea is to form a two-way connection between NBAA staff and Members in their own backyard. That way, together we can focus on the issues that are important to all of us." The first NBAA Insights Connection meeting is scheduled to be held in the Northeastern U.S. early next year. Listen to this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast to learn more about Insights Connection.

FAA Issues Notice on Improper Use of Teterboro RVAV Departures
The FAA has issued a notice regarding the improper filing and acceptance of RUUDY Four departures from Teterboro Airport (TEB) by aircraft not RNAV 1 capable. The improper filing and acceptance of RUUDY Four departures at TEB by aircraft not RNAV 1 capable has contributed to an unacceptable increase in lateral and vertical pilot deviations and increases the risk of a near mid air collision with arrivals at Newark Liberty Airport. Learn more.

Outagamie County Regional Enhancing General Aviation Services
With its two long runways, relatively flat terrain, limited commercial service and a new "green" GA terminal, Wisconsin's Outagamie County Regional Airport (ATW) is hoping to attract more business aviation operations to its 1,700 acres just west of Appleton. The new building, which had its grand opening on Oct. 15, utilizes geothermal heating and cooling, a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic display and locally sourced materials, among many other environmentally friendly features. Read more about ATW.

NBAA's Doug Carr to Speak at Arizona Safety Day
The Arizona Business Aviation Association (AZBAA) is hosting its second annual Safety Day on Nov. 12 in Scottsdale, and NBAA's Doug Carr, vice president of safety, security, operations and regulation, will be among the featured speakers. Also featured will be Tom Hendricks, president of the National Air Transportation Association, and Lt. Col. William G. Gregory, former pilot on the Endeavor Space Shuttle, who has flown more than 40 types of aircraft and logged more than 400 hours in space. For more information and to register, contact AZBAA's Barb Conlon at (623) 337-6488 or visit the AZBAA website.

NBAA's CAM Program Receives Widely Revered Accreditation Status
After completing a rigorous, two-year application process, NBAA's Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) program officially received accreditation on Oct. 28 from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, an independent body that developed the standards for professional credentialing programs. "NBAA and the business aviation community acknowledge CAMs as professionals who have demonstrated an exemplary level of industry knowledge and management skills, and this accreditation serves to underscore their outstanding achievements and leadership potential," NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said. Read more about the CAM accreditation.

Lee Medlin Named 2014 S&D Outstanding Achievement & Leadership Award Winner
NBAA will present Lee Medlin, a founding member and past chairman of the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers (S&D) Advisory Council, with the Association's Schedulers & Dispatchers Outstanding Achievement & Leadership Award. Created in 2008, the award recognizes individuals who have shared their outstanding business aviation industry expertise, provided extraordinary service, exhibited leadership and made significant contributions to the scheduling and dispatching function. Read more about Medlin and the leadership award.

Exhibit Space Still Available at 2014 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference
Exhibitor applications are still being accepted for NBAA's 2014 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2014), to be held from Jan. 14 to 17 in New Orleans, LA. With the original floor plan already full, the exhibit hall is expanding to accommodate more displays. The conference offers unmatched networking opportunities with customers and more than 2,500 professionals in the industry. The deadline to be included in the SDC2014 Conference Program and Directory of Exhibiting Companies is Nov. 11. Learn more about SDC2014.

Upcoming Webinar Provides Free Dispatcher Recurrent Training
For both licensed dispatchers and advanced schedulers, NBAA is offering a free webinar on Nov. 13 at noon EST. Sponsored by Jeppesen, this webinar will provide schedulers and dispatchers with the latest information on aeronautical charting, airport familiarization and meteorology. Offering a unique and convenient opportunity for these professionals to update their skills, the webinar will be presented by Jeppesen's Joel Brouhle and Jeremy Vincent, both approved FAA-designated dispatch examiners. Pre-registration is required. Register for the free dispatch webinar now.

Register for Business Aircraft Finance, Registration & Legal Conference
For everyone involved in buying, selling, financing and registering business aircraft, the premier educational and networking event next year is NBAA's Business Aircraft Finance, Registration & Legal Conference. Held from Feb. 5 to 7 in St. Pete Beach, FL, this conference will explore the latest developments and current trends affecting aircraft transactions in the U.S. and around the globe. More than 130 industry professionals are expected to attend. Register for the conference today.

Fatigue Risk Management Resource Available to NBAA Members
NBAA's Jeppesen-sponsored webinar, "Fatigue Risk Management Simplified," proved a popular topic, and the webinar recording is now available, free of charge, on NBAA's On-Demand Education website. "The most effective flight departments will consider this webinar as an additional resource to produce a fatigue management program that will ensure crew fatigue does not affect the safety of flight," said Jo Damato, NBAA's director of educational development and strategy. Order the webinar.