NBAA Flight Plan Podcasts

The FAA is considering new training requirements for airline pilots sitting in the right seat, but how can this affect business aviation? "Our Members participate in hiring pilots that have worked for the airlines, and have an interest in their qualifications," NBAA Senior Vice President, Operations & Administration Steve Brown says in discussing the issue in this week's edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast. A rulemaking committee has been formed to look into increasing co-pilot qualifications and Brown is among nine aviation experts on the panel, which is due to release its findings in September. Listen to the NBAA Flight Plan podcast to learn more about the FAA's consideration of first-officer qualifications, and NBAA's work to represent business aviation.

Each year, when Congress breaks for its annual August recess, NBAA staff attend local industry events across the U.S., to provide updates on the work the Association does in Washington to advance the industry's agenda, and highlight the continuing need for NBAA Members to make their voices heard with their representatives in the nation's capital. Lisa Piccione, NBAA Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, updates NBAA Flight Plan on that work, and also outlines what NBAA Members can do to support the industry's priorities.

Officials with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently introduced two security measures that industry has welcomed, because the changes have been informed by input from the general aviation community. NBAA and other industry groups are particularly enthusiastic about plans to streamline the process for international waivers without reducing the security benefit. "We're not going to be effective without a partnership with the general aviation community," Brian Delauter, the TSA's General Manager for General Aviation, says in this episode of NBAA Flight Plan.

In spite of objections from NBAA and other industry groups, the FAA has published an onerous new rule for aircraft re-registration. As reported in NBAA Update, FAA officials believe more than a third of the aircraft registries in its database are outdated or inaccurate and cite the problem as the reason the agency is calling for all aircraft owners to re-register their aircraft within a three-year period. In this edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast, aviation attorney Frank Polk with McAfee & Taft describes what the new rule means for NBAA Members. In spite of objections from NBAA and other industry groups, the FAA has published an onerous new rule for aircraft re-registration. As reported in NBAA Update, FAA officials believe more than a third of the aircraft registries in its database are outdated or inaccurate and cite the problem as the reason the agency is calling for all aircraft owners to re-register their aircraft within a three-year period. In this edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast, aviation attorney Frank Polk with McAfee & Taft describes what the new rule means for NBAA Members.

As the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA's) AirVenture Oshkosh gets underway this week, the NBAA Flight Plan podcast focuses on the role of the Douglas DC-3 in supporting a broad range of military and civilian mission types. In this edition of the podcast, famed San Francisco broadcaster Jim Gabbert describes his first-hand experience with the DC-3. Gabbert today owns the DC-3 that was issued Army Air Corp General Hap Arnold, and flew presidents including Roosevelt and Eisenhower, and other dignitaries. A gathering of DC-3 airplanes is expected at this year's EAA AirVenture show, and NBAA will have an education session on the history of the aircraft at the Association's big white tent, #465 on the event grounds.

In this edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast, Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton talks about the 2010 "Cessna Citation Special Olympics Airlift." On July 17 and 24, hundreds of athletes will be transported by business airplanes to this year's Special Olympics USA National Games in Lincoln, NE, courtesy of Cessna Citation owners who are donating their company's airplanes, pilots and fuel to fly the athletes to and from the games at no charge. Planning for the event has required more than a year, and involves representatives from Cessna, the Federal Aviation Administration, and officials with Lincoln's airport and business community.

One of the original business airplanes used in the 1940's, '50's and '60's was the Douglas DC-3, and as excitement builds for an unprecedented gathering of DC-3's at this year's AirVenture Oshkosh, presented by the Experimental Aircraft Association, NBAA's big white tent will be host to a session on the DC-3's legacy in the business aviation community. NBAA Director of Marketing Aimee Kauffman reports in this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast that the DC-3 session, to be led by Jim Gabbert with Next Century Aviation, is just one of the many exciting events taking place at NBAA's tent, located right on the AirVenture flight line at Wittman Regional Airport. All attendees are welcome.

Chuck McKinnon is a tireless innovator, a staunch business aviation advocate and a man who knows first-hand about the history of the industry. At NBAA's 2010 Annual Meeting & Convention, McKinnon, who started one of the nation's first company flight departments for IBM, will be recognized with NBAA's Doswell Award in recognition for his pioneering role in the industry, and his pivotal leadership in unlocking its future in the U.S., Europe and beyond. In this special edition of NBAA Flight Plan, McKinnon shares his perspective on the decades he spent in business aviation.

As NBAA has previously reported, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently called upon ICAO member states to require commercial and non-commercial operators to have a Safety Management System (SMS) in place, and several countries have established SMS rules for NBAA Members. Although adoption of an SMS remains voluntary in the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has formed an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to consider workable implementation procedures for the industry. NBAA has been invited to participate in the committee, giving Association Members a voice in the process. In this episode of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast, Doug Carr, Vice President for Safety & Regulation, discusses what he's telling his fellow ARC panelists.

As technology improves and changes, so do the methods for reporting accidents and incidents to the NTSB. There are additional reportable incidents, which could be any number of events that affect the safety or operation of an aircraft. NBAA's Scott O'Brien talks about incidents the NTSB wants to hear more about, including flickering glass cockpit display flickering or problems with airborne collision avoidance systems.

Insuring a business aircraft is nothing like buying insurance for a car, home, or commercial property, which is why NBAA hosted a live, interactive June 17 webinar to help Association Members consider the basics of aviation insurance decision-making. Stuart Hope, of Hope Aviation Insurance, notes: "Aviation insurance is uniquely different than other lines of casualty insurance. Each insurance company has its own policy form, and many have multiple forms." What should NBAA Members know before making an insurance decision? Hope provides some answers

NBAA's June 10 Regional Forum at Teterboro Airport highlighted the economic value of the airport to the community. In this edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast, Teterboro Airport Assistant Manager Pam Phillips details the recognition of the airport as a community asset, as demonstrated through the infrastructure investments made over the past decade. "In the last ten years, we've spent over $130 million improving the airfield," she says. Bergen County Elected Freeholders Chairman Jim Carroll agrees on the importance of the airport: "Because of this great facility, we've managed to bring in or keep several corporate headquarters in Bergen County," he says.

In the years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, business aviation flights over the U.S.-Canadian border have been subjected to an ever-changing regimen of government regulations. If your business conducts flights across the border between the U.S. and Canada, what should you know before you go? This week's NBAA Flight Plan covers the basics as a follow-on to a recent webinar on the topic hosted by NBAA and the Canadian Business Aviation Association.

In this edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt talks about his plans for moving ahead with technologies for the Next Generation Air Traffic Control system ("NextGen"), including Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B. In the Flight Plan podcast, Babbitt says that GA - and business aviation in particular - have been stalwart supporters of ADS-B and NextGen for years.

The recent proclamation lauding all general aviation, including business aviation, from county officials in Westchester, NY, is the latest positive outcome from a local grassroots advocacy effort by people and companies in the business aviation community. In this episode of NBAA Flight Plan, Jeff Lee, NBAA Member and Association Board Director, talks about how his group works with nearby residents and local government officials to address concerns of the residents and allow business to prosper at the local airport.