NBAA Flight Plan Podcasts

The European Union's Emission Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) begins operation in 2013, and a session at NBAA2012 can help you be prepared. EU-ETS: Compliance in 2013 and Beyond will help operators not only see the big picture, but give them some insight into the methodology of compliance with Phase III - the actual start of carbon credit trading. This involves the maintenance of registry accounts, the purchase, dissemination and, in some cases, selling of carbon credits.

NBAA2012 education sessions will provide updates on a variety of topics related to electronic flight bag (EFB) applications and platforms. First, on Tuesday, Oct. 30, Members will have a chance to hear from some of the biggest players in the EFB market at a session called "iPads in the Cockpit." Also that day, Jeppesen will sponsor a session called "Mobile on the Move," an interactive look into maximizing the use of mobile technology in daily business aviation flight operations, and a session titled "Training Solutions for Flight Deck iPad Implementation" will be presented by Rick Malczynski of ISBAOAudits.com and Cyndi Nadeau, CAM, of Key Air.

The NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers (S&D) Committee is hosing a session at NBAA2012 that looks at all sides of international trip planning, and if it's better handled in-house or by third-party experts. The session, set for Oct. 30, will look at the economics of the issue and how to get the most for your money. Details about the session are provided in this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast, which features an informative interview with Jo Damato, NBAA liaison to the committee.

At a House Committee on Small Business hearing, NBAA Member Martha King spoke out against user fees on behalf of the business aviation community. King, who, along with her husband, John, founded the King Schools in 1974, employs 50 people. She told members of Congress that her company relies on its Dassault Falcon 10 to maintain and expand their business. "A $100 per-flight tax on all turbine-powered aircraft would be devastating for thousands of small businesses like mine. I hope this important committee will put an end to this nonsensical proposal once and for all," she testified. Hear the full story in this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

Barrington Irving fell in love with airplanes at 15 - turning down a full athletic scholarship to the University of Florida to concentrate on a career in aviation. He hopes his speech during NBAA2012's Career Day will inspire others to follow his path. "Companies have to do something more to spark the interest of these young people," said Irving, nothing that embracing youth would help the future of the industry.

General aviation (GA) operators from around the country have a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with what one NBAA leader calls the "GA brain trust" at Customs and Border Protection (CBP). On Sept. 13, NBAA, along with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and National Air Transportation Association, is sponsoring a discussion with CBP officials at both the national and regional levels. NBAA Vice President for Safety, Security, Operations and Regulation Doug Carr called the meeting a "rare opportunity" for international GA operators. The event, which begins at 9 a.m., takes place at the West Hangar at Landmark Aviation, Kendall-Tamiami Airport in Miami, FL.

As state and federal governments prepare to assess and mitigate damage caused by Isaac, business aviation interests, such as AERObridge, are closely monitoring their progress, ready to lend a hand if requested. "AERObridge has been integrated into the national emergency response mechanism," explained AERObridge President Marianne Stevenson. "We work with a number of groups, all operating in conjunction with each other and the federal government, each doing certain parts. We stand by to provide transportation."

The FAA recently issued an update to the EFB Advisory Circular (AC 120-76B), which includes guidance on electronic flight bag (EFB) systems aimed at certificated operators and operators of large and turbine-powered multi-engine aircraft. The AC is there as a best practices guide, but Part 91 F is a different story, said Rick Ellerbrock, director of aviation strategy at Jeppesen. For them, the AC requires full self-compliance if they intend to use the EFB for paperless operations in all phases of flight.

Every year, business aviation is a target of legislators, said NBAA Senior Manager of Finance and Tax Policy Scott O'Brien. With state budgets tight, lawmakers often consider taxing business aviation as a way to increase revenue, so NBAA constantly monitors efforts to increase taxes or otherwise change tax policies for business aviation. Hear O'Brien discuss instances where NBAA advocacy has averted detrimental changes in state tax policy for the Association's Member Companies.

Improvements at Orlando Executive Airport could pave the way for additional aircraft to be on the Static Display at NBAA2012. The upgrades "Allow for more contiguous space than we've had to work with in years past at Orlando Executive, so we don't have as many corners to work with. It will vastly improve the flow of pedestrians over years past, because we have a much larger contiguous ramp now," NBAA Director of Static Displays Joe Hart explains in this week's edition of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

Catering consultant Paula Kraft urges those ordering catering to maintain the confidentiality of the aircraft passengers. "If you tell a catering source who is on board a particular flight, they can tell their friends who tell their friends and so forth. You end up with people who know who's on board and when and where they're going. That can compromise security in all phases of flight," explained Kraft.

Flightcrews traveling to the Olympic Games in London should be prepared in case of emergency. Matt Burdette, of Frontier/MEDEX, suggests: Keep a phone handy to get in touch with others, be hyper-aware of your surroundings, establish a meeting point in case of emergency and stay together if possible. For these and other tips on traveling to the London Olympics, listen to this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

If your aircraft is unable to fly, you don't have to follow the standard instrument departure with OEI, said NBAA Domestic Operations Committee member Steve Leon in this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast. There are alternatives, such as purchasing an OEI takeoff procedure or developing one yourself. "But there are drawbacks. Purchasing a plan can be expensive. Developing one yourself is extremely difficult and time consuming," Leon added. "That is why so many flightcrews wind up depending on the SIDs."

The NBAA's Corporate Aviation Management Committee's Professional Development Subcommittee. has written the NBAA Business and Collegiate Aviation Pipeline Program Guide, providing information for NBAA Member Companies, regional business aviation groups and college aviation degree programs on how to work together to create opportunities for students who want to pursue careers in business aviation. "The Pipeline Program is a way to link the business aviation industry to collegiate aviation programs that have either a corporate course or a full, embedded business aviation program - or just an interest in having their students exposed to the business aviation world," said Dr. Tara Harl, chair of the Aviation Department at St. Cloud University and a member of NBAA Corporate Aviation Management Committee.

NBAA's Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) program is aimed at anyone who manages or wants to manage any aspect of a business aviation operation. That includes flight department managers, pilots, maintenance managers and technicians, schedulers, dispatchers, flight attendants, FBO managers, contract workers and charter operators. In this podcast, Jay Evans, NBAA's director of professional development, outlines the array of resources NBAA offers for those interested in becoming a CAM.