NBAA Flight Plan Podcasts

What makes Texas unique, and well-suited for aviation, is its size and its tremendous population, said NBAA Southwestern Regional Representative Steve Hadley. Aviation brings all those entities together, and the new Texas Legislative General Aviation Caucus is a great way to bring GA's issues in front of lawmakers. Learn more about the new caucus in this week's edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

The International Business Aviation Council has been an important partner in ongoing discussions about aircraft-emissions policy. NBAA Chief Operating Officer Steve Brown, who has participated in recent meetings on the issue, discusses the industry's position in this week's edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

NBAA has prepared a letter on the Association's "Contact Congress" website urging Congressional lawmakers to join the GA Caucuses in their respective chambers. Lisa Piccione, NBAA senior vice president for government affairs, is urging NBAA Members to do the same via the Association's Contact Congress tool. Hear from Piccione in this week's edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

Todd Meier, mayor of Addison, TX, says the Obama Administration's proposed $100-per-flight user fees would have huge consequences on general aviation, and communities such as his that rely on GA airports as an economic generator for the region. He recently sent a letter to the White House to voice his concerns and urged other Texas officials to do the same. Learn more in this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

A study by NEXA Advisors offers a counterpoint to a recent Forbes editorial questioning renewed use of business aircraft by GM. The study shows that companies using aviation "mitigated revenue loss and recovered more quickly than non-users."

With a new year comes a new round of NBAA Regional Forums around the country, the first of which will be hosted by AirFlite at Daugherty Field in Long Beach, CA, on Feb. 28. Along with a static display of aircraft and the latest products and services from Exhibitors, NBAA Members will also have an opportunity to learn from the experts. In addition to the Long Beach event, other Regional Forums for 2013 include: June 6, White Plains, NY; July 11, Denver, CO; and Sept. 12, Chicago/Waukegan, IL.

The No Plane No Gain program has had a strong advertising emphasis since its launch in 2009, and that tradition continued in 2012. A new round of print ads promote the campaign's message through real-world stories about people and companies using business aviation. In addition, a new video advertisement is now being aired across the third season of the PBS television series, "The Aviators."

This year business aviation saw continued growth in China, while some European countries, most notably Italy, debated a tax on business aviation. Also in Europe, throughout 2012, industry and government officials in the U.S. grappled with a proposed European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS), a market-based solution introduced by European officials to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The No Plane No Gain program has had a strong advertising emphasis since its launch in 2009, and that tradition continued in 2012. A new round of print ads promote the campaign's message through real-world stories about people and companies using business aviation. In addition, a new video advertisement is now being aired across the third season of the PBS television series, "The Aviators." NBAA Flight Plan has the story.

As 2012 draws to a close, the December 10 edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast looks back on some of the issues that dominated the policy agenda for business aviation over the past 12 months. Among the challenges NBAA and its Members were active on included the debate over user fees, the fight to oppose a European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) and other legislative and regulatory issues.

Exhibit space at ABACE2013, set for April 16 to 18 in Shanghai, China, is set to grow by more than 2,000 sq. ft. in the pavilion, as well as a new chalet plan, allowing for up to triple-sized chalets for Exhibitors to conduct meetings and entertain clients. Learn more about ABACE 2013 in this week's NBAA Flight Plan.

Chinese business owners are clamoring for a place in the sky, according to Jason Liao, chairman and CEO of China Business Aviation Group and NBAA's representative in Asia. A survey by the Hurun Chinese Luxury Consumer White Paper 2012 indicated that 63,500 Chinese citizens are financially capable of owning a business jet. Of those, 13 percent expressed the desire to purchase such an aircraft, said Liao. NBAA Flight Plan has the story.

The decision to recommend a delay in implementation of EU-ETS as applied to operators on international legs flown to or from EU countries, along with a look at action's Congress is taking to protect U.S. interests will be a major topic early next month at the Cross-Border Issues Conference in Ottawa. The conference takes place Dec. 6 and 7.

Jo Damato, NBAA's director, operations and education development, said she's thrilled, but not surprised by the business aviation community's response to Sandy. Damato encourages Members to continue to sign up for NBAA's Humanitarian Emergency Response Operator (HERO) Database. The HERO database gives relief efforts a head start by identifying those in the business aviation community who might be able to help when called upon.

Election Day will soon be over, but once elected officials take office it's important to keep in touch with your representatives. NBAA's resources include Contact Congress, a tool Lisa Piccione, NBAA's senior vice president for government affairs, said is vital in the effort to keep general aviation on the minds of lawmakers in the House and Senate.