National Air Transportation Association Continued from page 26 in the millions of dollars, as well as prohibit the sale of avgas in the state. Starting in 2011, NATA assisted its members’ defense with administra- tive and strategic support, and an- nounced in 2014 that an agreement had been reached with the CEH in which the affected FBOs would pro- vide warnings of exposure to lead as a toxic material to individuals living within one kilometer of the airport. NATA, in fact, continues to work with the FAA as a member of the Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative Steering Committee, as well as the Unleaded Transition ARC. Both are contributing to the effort to find a lead-free fuel which will replace 100 low lead avgas—cur- rently the only product approved for piston engine aircraft. As was the case in the 1980s and 1990s, general aviation continues to face emerging challenges on the airport front. In that regard, NATA is now engaged in a joint effort with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) to encourage the use of minimum standards as a vehicle to ensure fair competi- tion among airport tenants, and to improve airport management-tenant relations—one of NATA’s top priori- ties over the past few years. NATA, in fact, believes it has established a common ground from which tenants and airport managers can initiate a dialog to discuss matters of common concern and conflict resolution. NATA on the Horizon Over the past few years, NATA’s well known Safety 1st suite of safety training products has undergone significant new developments, one of which is the Safety 1st Ground Audit Program. Launched in January 2012, it established the first ever national standard for FBOs, encompassing all activities pertaining to the ground- handling of aircraft and aircraft support equipment, with the goal of reducing damage risk to airplanes and injury incidents to ground service employees. In July 2014, the program was given an international scope with the launch of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH), which NATA accomplished through a partner- ship with the International Business Aircraft Council (IBAC). IS-BAH sets an international standard for the han- dling of business and general aviation aircraft and includes a registry of companies that demonstrate confor- mance through a third-party audit by an IS-BAH accredited auditor. Other recent products introduced under Safety 1st include Aircraft Flight Coordinator Training, launched in 2013. With no FAA licensing require- ment for aircraft flight coordinators working in the FAR Part 135 charter and FAR Part 91 corporate aviation worlds, NATA recognized a need and established a top-notch train- ing program. Safety 1st also incorpo- rated 18 training modules related to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. Unveiled in 2015, the latest Safety 1st product, known as the Safety 1st Digital Emergency Response System, is a cloud-based system, available by subscription, that provides digital ac- cess to a company’s emergency proce- dures and contacts from any location. Today, Safety 1st is the industry standard for line service profes- sionals, reaching beyond America and across the globe. Nearly 800 companies worldwide train their line service employees using Safety 1st and over 25,000 individuals received training since the pro- gram went online in 2008. The association also extended its representation to more gen- eral aviation businesses with the purchase of the Independent Fixed-Base Operators Association. When announcing the acquisition, NATA president Tom Hendricks said, “It will enable NATA to bet- ter serve the smaller, independent FBO operators and ensure a uni- fied voice for general aviation through NATA’s advocacy efforts.” Going forward, NATA will continue to advocate fair regulatory processes for members and the marketplace; NATA will design cutting-edge safety and training programs to ensure personnel preparedness and avia- tion industry wellbeing; and NATA will persevere as THE voice of avia- tion in America and beyond. 26 Aviation Business Journal | 4th Quarter 2015
