President’s Message Fueling the Future By Gary Dempsey T he business aviation community made history in January during the Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability event held at the Van Nuys Airport. A coalition of top general aviation associations, OEMs, FBOs, airport stakeholders, fuel companies and suppliers, and hundreds of engaged industry and community members assembled to participate in this ground-breaking event that established the Van Nuys Airport as the first gen- eral aviation airport in the U.S. to offer sustainable alterna- tive jet fuel (SAJF) on a trial basis. Additionally, Bombardier Business Jets, Gulfstream Aerospace, and Embraer partic- ipated in trial flights powered by SAJF to demonstrate the safety and viability of the fuel. I was pleased to take part in this event and very proud of NATA COO Tim Obitts and our staff for leading the charge on this important step forward in the initiative. Several key messages were central to the January 17th activities: 1. SAJF is safe and do not impact aircraft performance. 2. SAJF offers great impact and benefits to the airport and the community, including reduced particulate matter. 3. SAJF reflects the commitment by business aviation to aircraft carbon reduction. As I expressed that day, “the aircraft won’t know the difference, but the environment will.” Photos and highlights from the event are available in NATA Director of Events Karissa Uko’s environmental spotlight article on page 11. More information on this initiative and other advancements by Bombardier Business Jets and Gulfstream Aerospace can be found in the member profile on page 23. Visit www.futureofsustainablefuel.com for archived Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability media assets and intel on future editions of SAJF events and other initiative advancements. Aviation Business Journal | Spring 2019 Sustainable alternative jet fuel will also be among the many topics of conversation at NATA’s Annual Meeting and Aviation Business Conference this June 17-19. A full agenda is available at www.nata.aero/abc, be sure to make your hotel reservations and register today. We are looking forward to seeing you in D.C. for the most comprehensive conference and policy event in the aviation business com- munity. You will have the opportunity to catch up with NATA staff and meet our newest team members: Jonathon Freye, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs, and Morgan Johnson, Education and Training Coordinator. Morgan is a recent graduate of Frostburg State University and will provide customer service to Safety 1st participants and assist in supporting our training workshops. Prior to joining NATA, Jonathon served as Senior Policy Advisor to Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-03), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure’s aviation subcommittee. He will lead the Association’s efforts on Capitol Hill, as well as our strategic communications initiatives. Read his inau- gural ABJ column titled, “Shutdown, Showdowns, and the Road Ahead” on page 9. Another first for the ABJ is the inclusion of the com- plete data on the Top 500 airports ranked by 2018 activity and aircraft type, see page 55. Mark Chambers, Managing Partner of the Aviation Resource Group International, has provided his analysis of FBO market demand in past issues, but this time the data is available right on the pages of the ABJ for quick and handy reference. Finally, in observance of Women’s History Month and the hard work and dedication of the women on NATA’s staff who provide industry intelligence, member services, and associ- ation operation support, we will feature their profiles in the Summer issue. We salute all the women, past and present, who make aviation take flight and inspire the future. 5
