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NATA News - NATA and Aviation Maintenance Industry Praise Congress for Bipartisan Legislation
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View HTML Version of Newsletter   May 14, 2018 — Volume 17, Issue 20 

This Week's Top Stories 


NATA and Aviation Maintenance Industry Praise Congress for Bipartisan Legislation to Encourage Career Development

NATA and members of the aviation maintenance industry, including the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), sent a letter to Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) in support of  H.R. 5701, to establish an aviation maintenance workforce development pilot program. The groups note that this legislation will “incentivize businesses, labor organizations, schools and governmental entities to work together to pursue innovative, new strategies to develop technical talent and encourage workers to pursue aviation careers.” Similar legislation, S. 2506, was introduced in the Senate, sponsored by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and was equally supported by the industry. The same group of Senators, including Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), also introduced S. 2792, supported by NATA, to “modernize aviation maintenance training curriculum to foster cutting edge innovation and maintain the highest levels of safety,” according to co-sponsor Cantwell in a press release. To encourage your Member of Congress to support H.R. 5701, S. 2506, or S. 2792, visit NATA’s Legislative Action Center today.

 


NATA and Other Leading Aviation Organizations Draft Advisory Circular for Remote Technology Use

Sixteen aviation organizations developed a suggested draft Advisory Circular to provide guidance on using remote technology and tools. The groups put together the draft AC after consulting with the FAA on a draft policy, covering remote viewing by video that was released for comment earlier this year.

This draft AC is designed to enable FAA-authorized witnesses to use video to view certain engineering tests from a remote location. It also provides a compliance baseline for regulations, while considering the use of audio and visual tools, including video, livestream and more. 

The submitted draft AC was backed by the National Air Transportation Association, Aerospace Industries Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airlines for America, Aviation Suppliers Association, Aviation Technician Education Council, Cargo Airline Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Modification and Replacement Parts Association, National Air Carrier Association, Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, Regional Airline Association, Boeing, Gulfstream Aerospace, Moog Aircraft Group and Aeronautical Repair Station Association.



Urgent Alert: U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office Investigating Organized Ring Targeting Air Charter Companies

The U.S. Secret Service ("USSS") Boston Field Office is currently investigating an organized ring of individuals targeting private air charter companies. The secret service has identified individuals who claim to be promoters/agents/managers in the music industry and use stolen credit cards to book jet charters and luxury rental vehicles across the country. Please contact Special Agent Tyler Martin, USSS Boston Field Office at Tyler.Martin@usss.dhs.gov should any person with the contact information found on the link below attempt to book a private jet charter:



    
 


Participate in NATA’s 2018 Compensation Survey Today

Please participate in NATA’s 2018 Compensation Survey. All information will be kept strictly confidential and cannot be tied back to the respondent or reporting location by anyone (including NATA), and will be reported only in aggregate with other responses. 


The survey will provide valuable information that allow NATA members to:


- Stay competitive in your region
- Assess your current benefit and salary offerings
- Take an in-depth look at your operation from every position

View the survey outline here and participate by contacting Jake Legere at jlegere@nata.aero.

Members that participate will receive a complimentary copy of the survey results.

The new survey deadline is June 30, 2018.

 

 
From the FAA
 


FAA Begins Nationwide Beta Test of LAANC

 

Earlier this month, the FAA began phasing in a nationwide beta test of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) that will deploy the system incrementally at nearly 300 air traffic facilities covering approximately 500 airports. The beta expansion follows successful evaluation of a prototype LAANC system last November.

The
first facilities taking part in the beta test are listed on the FAA website. The final deployment will begin on September 13.

LAANC helps support the safe integration of drones into the nation’s airspace. Drone operators using the system can receive near real-time airspace authorizations. This dramatically decreases the wait experienced using the manual authorization process and allows operators to quickly plan their flights. LAANC uses airspace data provided through temporary flight restrictions, NOTAMS and UAS facility maps that show the maximum altitude ceiling around airports where the FAA may authorize operations under Part 107. 

The FAA and industry are working together to develop and deploy LAANC applications, which will help set the global standard for a safe, and efficient unmanned traffic management system. It is an important step in developing the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management System (UTM).

 
 
Association Highlights
 


NATA Announces 2018 Aviation Maintenance Technician Employer Recognition Award Recipients

 

Last week, NATA announced the recipients of the 2018 Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Employer Recognition Awards. These awards are presented annually to companies that provide qualified new and recurrent AMT training to their employees. Award winners receive either a one, three or five-star award depending on the percentage of employed AMTs meeting the training requirements. This year NATA is granting awards to 36 companies, including thirteen awardees that will receive recognition for five consecutive years as AMT Employer Recognition Award recipients. “NATA is proud to once again recognize businesses that are committed to the high-quality training of AMTs. Their dedication is critical to addressing our industry’s current workforce challenges and these awards demonstrate the investment needed to continue attracting and retaining maintenance staff,” stated NATA President Marty Hiller.

On June 13th, the recipients will be recognized at the NATA Industry Excellence Awards Luncheon Presentation held in conjunction with the 2018 Annual Meeting and Aviation Business Conference. The full list of 2018 AMT Employer Recognition Award winners is available here.

Contact Karissa Uko at kuko@nata.aero for more information on NATA's Industry Excellence Awards Presentation Luncheon and to secure tickets.
 
 
 
Events
 


Hotel Rooms Are Filling Up for the 2018 Aviation Business Conference | Room Block Ends May 22nd

 
NATA’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Aviation Business Conference takes place June 12-14 at the Grand Hyatt Washington. Once again, NATA is providing conference participants an opportunity to meet with their elected representatives to discuss the issues impacting aviation businesses — particularly the importance of long-term FAA reauthorization. The conference agenda covers a variety of topics impacting FBOs, airports, air charter operators and MRO­s—including combatting workforce shortage issues, the impact of unethical aviation business practices, federal excise taxes and illegal charter, safety management systems, changes to pilot training and more! Make your hotel reservations online now, as limited hotel rooms are available under the NATA room block, which ends May 22nd. Once the room block is sold out, the room rate will increase. For more information about registration and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.nata.aero/abc.
 
 

 

NATA Offers Three Upcoming Safety 1st Professional Development Events

 

On July 31-August 1, NATA Safety 1st will hold its popular Advanced Line Service (ALS) Workshop at Austin Executive Airport in Texas. This workshop is designed to develop your line service team into the next leaders of your company. In addition to fuel quality control, the agenda includes sessions on motivation and leadership techniques, customer service and fire safety training, and the impact of human factors on aviation ground handling. Register for the upcoming ALS Workshop or view other workshop dates and locations at www.nata.aero/als.

The second annual NATA Safety 1st Ground Handling Safety Symposium will return September 11-12 at the NTSB Training Center in Ashburn, VA. The Symposium is a two-day event developed by the NATA Safety Committee to promote safety at FBOs and other general aviation ground handling businesses/operations. The symposium is designed for aviation professionals, including directors of safety, line service managers, operations managers and flight departments — any stakeholder responsible for ensuring the safe handling of aircraft. The event will also give attendees the opportunity to network with fellow safety professionals from across the industry. For registration or sponsorship information, please visit www.nata.aero/ghss.

On September 18-19, NATA Safety 1st will hold its new Certified QC Inspector Workshop at Wilson Air in Charlotte, NC. This workshop will provide attendees with a comprehensive education in everything fuel handling related, including topics such as fuel characteristics, filtration, sampling & testing, maintenance and setting up a conformant inspection program. The program features both classroom instruction and hands-on experience in the most common fuel quality control tasks. Additionally, attendees will receive instruction on developing internal QC training programs that assures all refueling personnel understand the basics of aviation fuel handling and quality management. For more information or to register, please visit www.nata.aero/certqc.

 
 
 
Member Spotlight
 


University of North Dakota Could Solve Military Pilot Shortage

 
The University of North Dakota (UND) could play a pivotal role in helping the United States military solve its pilot shortage, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) said during a May 4 roundtable held on campus in Grand Forks, N.D. UND’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences created a Pathways Program partnership between the university and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as a new U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadet training program. The UND and CBP Pathways Program partnership provides college students with professional experience, prepares them for careers, and addresses a key Air Force need, said the senator, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. Under the Pathways Program, 15 UND students were selected in 2017 as student pilots and hired by CBP as aviation enforcement trainees. Learn more here.  


 


Cutter Aviation Appoints Two New Sales Managers

 

Last week, Cutter Aviation announced the appointment of Andy Wilson to the Pilatus Regional Sales Management position covering Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico, and Josh Kovac to the Pilatus Regional Sales Management position serving Texas and Colorado. Since 2014, Andy has served as a Pilatus sales manager for the Southwestern US, serving a diverse customer base in the region. Josh is responsible for providing insightful analysis to current and prospective Pilatus clients regarding their personal and business aviation decisions, based on his detailed and comprehensive knowledge of turboprop and jet aircraft markets, aircraft performance, annual financials, life cycle costs and aircraft valuations. Learn more at www.cutteraviation.com.

 
 
 
  
 


Fargo Jet Center Among Top Aviation Service Companies

 

The Fargo Jet Center has been ranked one of the top aviation service companies in the world. The ranking is based on a survey from the publication Aviation International News. The survey asked people to rate fixed–based operators in categories including flight line service, amenities, and customer service. Fargo Jet Center’s overall score was 4.69 out of 5, landing in the top five percent of 4,500 fixed based-operators. Learn more at www.fargojet.com.

 
 
ACSF News
 


Sun Air Jets Joins the ACSF ASAP Program

 

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) announced last week that Sun Air Jets joined the ACSF-ASAP program. Along with 167 other member companies, Sun Air Jets supports the ACSF’s vision to promote and enable the highest levels of safety in personal, business and charter aviation through the promotion and facilitation of risk management programs. “The entire company is built around a top-down culture of safety that expects and encourages clear, open dialogue, empowering every team member to be an active contributor to the welfare of their passengers. We are delighted that they will be participating in the ASAP program, said ACSF President Bryan Burns.”  

For further information, go to www.acsf.aero.

 
 
 
 
 
 


Q1 2018 Issue

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