Denver, CO – May 25, 2017 – The Colorado Aviation Business Association (CABA) announces its new leadership for 2017-2018 amidst achieving significant milestones on two separate initiatives affecting the business aviation community in the state.
Industry veteran, Kandi Spangler with Jet Quest, took over as Chairman on May 18 and was joined by fellow longtime aviation professional, Chris Swathwood with Jet Advisors, who now serves as the organization’s Vice Chair. Both have served on the board for several years and have made extensive contributions to the Association’s progress during that time.
CABA Reaches Major Milestones Affecting Business Aviation in Colorado
Legislative
On May 3, the Colorado Senate passed a bill allowing creation of the “Support Colorado Aviation” license plate, which will be available in September 2018. The successful accomplishment of the license plate project, headed by Swathwood and CABA’s legislative committee, is CABA’s most visible and significant achievement to date.
Citing his efforts the past three years on the project, Swathwood explained, “This initiative was about more than just a license plate,” he said. “It allowed us to start building important relationships at the capital and introduce the Association to our legislators, while at the same time raising awareness of the significant economic impact aviation has in the state of Colorado.”
Because of CABA’s active involvement in legislative issues the past few years, the Association has been invited to participate in several influential meetings, such as the Colorado Business Roundtable and the upcoming Colorado Department of Transportation’s Division of Aeronautics strategic planning meetings. Swathwood, in his new role as Vice Chairman, will continue to lead CABA’s Legislative Committee in 2017-2018, during which they plan to introduce another bill in the Colorado Legislature. To view a sample of the new license plate, visit #.
Airspace
On May 9, CABA achieved another significant success when incoming Chairman Spangler, along with several members of the BJC Business Aviation Pilots Group, met with members of the FAA’s Denver Metroplex Team in charge of the airspace redesign project currently underway. The redesign affects eight airports in the Denver area, including Centennial and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airports.
Spangler, representing CABA and voicing the business aviation community's concerns, has been critical of the FAA’s handling of the airspace redesign. “This meeting was a year and a half in the making," she said. "We wish we had been invited to the table sooner, but I am thankful to the Denver Metroplex Team for taking note of our concerns and working with us to develop feasible solutions.”
The working session yielded several possible changes to the already largely completed design, all of which will have a small but significant impact on all business aviation operators flying in and out of the Denver area. These changes may include higher altitudes, reduced speed restrictions, and increased coverage within the Class B airspace.
“I am very proud of what CABA has achieved this past year on behalf of its members,” said Spangler. “As a grassroots organization, these are exactly the sorts of things an organization can accomplish with the right people.” The Association is currently preparing its goals and initiatives for 2017-2018 and will present them to the Board in June.
About The Colorado Aviation Business Association (CABA)
The mission of the Colorado Aviation Business Association is to promote the value of business and general aviation across the State of Colorado.
Founded in 1994, the Colorado Aviation Business Association consists of over 300 businesses and individual members who live and work within the State of Colorado. CABA acts to collectively address and respond to issues impacting Colorado Airports including safety and operational effectiveness; to educate the general public about all aviation activities in the state; to preserve the state's airport related businesses as valuable economic assets to the community at large; and to provide for the training of future aviation professionals through the CABA Foundation’s scholarship fund. CABA is a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation, and the CABA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. FMI visit www.mycaba.org.
