Issues 2001

Must-See AS3
• PAMA Professional Workshops
April 29-30, May 3-4
• PAMA Golf Tournament
Coyote Hills Golf Course
April 30, 6:00am
• NATA Strategic Issues Breakfast
May 2, 7:30-9:00 am
• Annual PAMA Chili Cook-off
May 2, 6:00-8:30 pm
• AS3 Industry Breakfast
Speaker: Golfer Billy Casper
May 3, 7:30-9:00 pm

For more information on the Aviation Services & Suppliers SuperShow , contact:
• NATA: (800) 262-NATA
www.nata-online.org
• PAMA: (202) 730-0260
www.pama.org

Keeping Experienced Pilots In The Air
NATA is also working to keep current pilots in the air, and attended a Senate hearing March 13 to discuss modification of the Age 60 rule and submit a statement of approval.
The Age 60 rule was written nearly 40 years ago, when the average life expectancy was much lower. Many industrialized countries allow their pilots to fly well beyond age 60, and there is no documented proof that increasing the 121 carriers’ pilot retirement age to 65 will have any safety repercussions.
"The fewer people that are retiring off the top end, the fewer pilots will be grabbed up from our membership and it will relieve the burden our membership is having now with the turnover and the inability to hire," explains Jacque Rosser, flight operations specialist for NATA.
NATA hopes that by increasing the mandatory retirement age to 65, pilot advancement will slow enough to meet industry needs. Rosser expects to see action on the Age 60 rule within the next year.
• AS3 SuperShow
www.as3.com

Non-technical PAMA Symposium Sessions

PAMA has begun a number of initiatives to develop more "professional" maintenance technicians.

Many sessions at this year’s symposium are devoted to non-technical issues: workforce readiness; stress management; maintenance management; job interviewing skills as interviewer and interviewee; promoting professional development within companies; and understanding corporate culture.
PAMA will also offer two-day workshops before and after the symposium on aviation maintenance management, hazardous materials handling and processing, human factors for aviation technicians, and aviation maintenance safety program management.
Macnair comments that the new symposium programming is brought on "by the fact that a lot of people are focusing their attention on the perceived shortage of technicians ... and what we are really seeing when we delve into this is that it is more a shortage of skills than people."

Fractionals Update
Subpart K and the modifications to Part 135 have been signed off by the FAA Administrator and sent to the Department of Transportation and Office of Management & Budget for approval. NATA does not forsee major problems and expects an NPRM later this year.

PAMA Offers Legal Counsel Services

The PAMA legal services plan covers legal expenses for maintenance professionals in the case of an FAA certificate action. The plan entitles members to everything from a short phone call for advice to full legal representation throughout the investigation. Participants pay a flat yearly rate based on their job responsibilities.

AAAI Campaign Efforts

In Long Beach, NATA will release a "toolkit" (available to anyone interested) that outlines ways to promote, preserve, and expand local airports.

The goal of NATA’s American Aviation Access Initiative (AAAI) is to direct the attention of communities and FAA to airports that want to expand.
The latest step in the program is conducting town meetings. NATA held meetings in Florida in February and Texas and Kansas City in March. The meetings have given airport supporters the opportunity to promote the need for their airports and have given communities the chance to learn the benefits of local airports.