Page 43 - Volume 15 Number 7

July 2011 NATIONAL BUSINESS AvIATION ASSOCIATION focusOwner-Operators Can Count on Support, Resources from NBAA by Ed Bolen NBAA President and CEOAt NBAA, we are mindful that business aviation encompasses a variety of missions, each with unique needs. We are dedicated to serving the diverse interests of our industry with an array of tailored products and services, including those designed for the airplane owner and operator like many readers of Twin & Turbine.Whether it is standing up for your rights to privacy from real-time tracking by anyone with a Web browser to providing you with helpful resources for managing your single-pilot operation or upgrading your airplane, NBAA is advocating for your interests and providing you with tools to succeed.For instance, the NBAA LBA Buyers Guide is a unique resource available to Members who are thinking about upgrading to a turboprop or small turbine aircraft, as well as to entrepreneurs considering how they might use a general aviation airplane to help their businesses succeed.Plus, NBAA offers a wide variety of webinars and information materials on important aspects of flight management and operations, and regular opportunities for owner-operators to stay informed about best practices and other important topics at special conferences devoted to their interests.NBAA is proud to announce that for the second consecutive year, we are teaming with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) for an event that caters specifically to owners and operators of light airplanes, ranging from single-engine pistons to light business jets.At the 64th Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2011), the Light Business Airplane (LBA) Conference will be held on the first two days of NBAA2011, which will take place in Las Vegas, NV, on October 10 to 12. AOPA will feature similar programming at its annual summit in Hartford, CT,on September 22 to 24. More information on the event is available in this edition of Twin & Turbine.Advocating on behalf ofbusiness aviation also includes representing your interests on a variety of important topics, such as when the Department of Transportation recently announced that general aviation operators will no longer be able to “opt out” of having their flight information broadcast over the internet unless they can prove a “valid security concern.”NBAA has strenuously objected to this change in the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. Congress enabled the BARR program a decade ago out of the recognition that getting on an airplane should not be tantamount to forfeiting security or privacy.The move puts the government on a slippery slope when it comes to privacy protections. If this rule passes, what’s to stop the government from releasing the records on drivers’ E-Z pass use on highways, passenger manifests for airline flights, individuals’ cell- phone calling traffic, and consumers’ credit card use?That’s why the House of Representatives, thousands of individuals and companies and organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Business Roundtable have joined with NBAA in opposing the government’s gratuitous invasion of privacy rights.Recently, NBAA joined with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association to announce our plan to mount a legal challenge to the government’s decision to dismantle the BARR.For more information on the BARR program or NBAA’s many services and resources for owner- operators, visit NBAA’s web site: www.nbaa.org. mJULY 2011 TWIN & TURBINE • 41