Lycoming Shares Expertise on Future of Aviation Fuel with Customers
Can you believe that nearly a decade and a half has passed since Lycoming first approved an unleaded fuel for use in its engines? That little tidbit caught me by surprise… but now the company is planning to sharing its expertise on alternative fuels in a series of programs to educate the GA community on the issues manufacturers face in designing the products of the future.
Read more at Aero-News >>
DALLAS — A former federal aviation regulator says the government isn’t doing enough to track down people who may have obtained fraudulent aviation mechanic’s certificates a decade ago without taking the required test.
Gabriel D. Bruno, a former Federal Aviation Administration supervisor, told Dallas television station WFAA that the FAA fell short of ensuring the safety of the flying public.
Some of the mechanics who bought FAA certificates from a Central Florida training school now work for aircraft manufacturers and privately owned maintenance shops, WFAA reported.
Read more on AirportBusiness.com >>
For the past six months, the private jet industry has been hit from all sides. Not only has the recession caused both businesses and high net-worth individuals to travel less, but the government has gotten involved.
Read more on Dailyfinance.com >>
The new Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s $1.5 million advocacy campaign – General Aviation Serves America – is designed to show the benefits of GA to those who have a negative image of using private aircraft for business, President and CEO Craig Fuller said. “There’s an old adage around Washington – if you don’t define yourself, others will define you,” he noted at a press conference last week.
Some members of Congress had become hypercritical of GA, and that created a firestorm, he said. “I do think it has diminished considerably, with many members [of Congress] feeling they have overreached somewhat,” Fuller said. “One of things that helped a lot was the work of the congressional delegation from Kansas and other states where aircraft and avionics companies employ thousands of people and they spoke out, as well as many larger and small businesses that use aircraft to move equipment and people.”
Fuller believes GA Serves America will work in tandem with the “No Plane, No Gain” campaign that the National Business Aviation Association and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association launched in February (BA, Feb. 23/82). GA Serves America is a multiyear campaign that will promote the benefits of GA to key policy people and decisionmakers, using the stories of its members for a print and television ad campaign (BA, March 30/11).
The No Plane, No Gain campaign specifically targets decisionmakers and the media through strategic advertising, as well as appearances on certain television and radio news segments.
Fuller praised NBAA and GAMA for having told the industry’s story more effectively with their No Plane, No Gain campaign. “People are beginning to understand the important impact that GA has around the country, but it’s up to us to define ourselves and tell the story and that’s why we’ve begun this campaign,” he said.
The efforts of NBAA and GAMA are like those of a national political party, Fuller said. “You have multiple committees and organizations with multiple campaigns, but the important thing is to communicate the same message,” he explained. “AOPA represents 415,000 individual aircraft pilots and owners, so it has a little different perspective from those making these fine aircraft or flying them for flight departments for America’s companies.”
New Group Highlights Importance of General Aviation in Communities Nationwide
Washington, DC, April 27, 2009 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) welcomes the formation of the General Aviation Caucus. The caucus is co-chaired by Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers (R-3-MI) and Rep. Allen Boyd (D-2-FL).
The Representatives formed the caucus to inform Members of Congress and their staff about the value of general aviation (GA) to the nation’s economy and transportation system.
“NBAA and the business aviation community thank Representatives Ehlers and Boyd for spearheading the caucus, and promoting the value of all general aviation, including business aviation” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “The formation of the caucus demonstrates a recognition in Congress that general aviation plays a critical role in serving citizens and communities in every state.”
In an invitation letter to colleagues to join the caucus, Reps. Ehlers and Boyd noted that that of the 19,000 small and regional airports across the country only 500 have commercial service, making GA the only travel option for many communities.
“The GA industry contributes more than $150 billion to the U.S. economy annually, and it employs nearly 1.3 million workers,” Reps. Ehlers and Boyd wrote. “In 2008, U.S. general aviation airplane manufacturers delivered over 3,079 airplanes to customers in the United States and abroad. The total value of these aircraft was nearly $13 billion of which 44 percent were exports. The GA industry is one of the few remaining U.S. industries that actually maintains a positive foreign trade balance.”
“We look forward to working with members of the GA Caucus to highlight the many ways general aviation serves the nation’s interests,” Bolen concluded.
The formation of the caucus comes as NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association continue to advocate for the business aviation community through the No Plane No Gain initiative, which underscores the essential role of business aviation in America today. For more information, visit www.noplanenogain.org.
