Professional Pilot, January 2016

Ed Bolen President CEO National Business Aviation Association NBAA thanks Pro Pilot for a half century of contributions to business aviation On behalf of the more than 10000 members of the National Business Aviation Association NBAA I wish to congratulate Professional Pilot on 50 years of publishing a valuable and informative magazine that throughout its rich history has consistently addressed substantive issues confronting business aviation flight departments Whether it has been highlighting the latest technologies available to pilots maintenance technicians and schedulers and dispatchers providing valuable educational guidance on topics such as aviation weather and operational safety and reporting on legislation and regulations affecting the industry Professional Pilot is deservedly recognized for its strong feature writing addressing these and other topics of concern to business aviation stakeholders In fact NBAA recognized these important contributions by recently awarding our Gold Wing Award for aviation journalism to one of Professional Pilots contributing writers Mike Potts for his longstanding journalistic work on behalf of the industry In addition to this quality content Professional Pilot has also diligently informed its readers of policy debates in local communities state legislatures and on Capitol Hill that could affect their interests This also includes spotlighting efforts by advocacy groups like NBAA to represent the interests of business aviation operators in these discussions For a half century this magazine has consistently presented the information that business aviation flight departments need to know and has conveyed a variety of perspectives in important debates affecting our industry I am honored to have been invited on a regular basis to share NBAAs perspective on these issues with the Professional Pilot readership as well Although times have changed in many ways the fundamental issues that we confront as an industry are the same as when the first issue of this magazine was published These include longstanding discussions regarding training methods and technologies available to further improve the safety of business aviation operations as well as concerns over airport access operational costs and regulatory overreach As we look ahead to a new year our industry will again be confronted with another policy proposal that we have seen before the creation of a privatized Air Traffic Control ATC system funded by user fees as part of the debate over FAA reauthorization taking place in Washington DC Business aviation operators and flight departments will also need to be vigilant about other policy developments including the International Civil Aviation Organizations ICAOs work on aircraft emissions As our shared aviation community confronts these and other concerns I look forward to continuing NBAAs relationship with Professional Pilot and engaging readers in our work to make our industry a paradigm of aviation safety and professionalism 24 PROFESSIONAL PILOT January 2016 Heres a rare picture of Bruce Whitman L current Chairman Pres CEO of FlightSafety Intl with company founder Al Ueltschi and Arnold Palmer famed golfer and experienced pilot during the early days Bruce Whitman Chairman Pres CEO FlightSafety Intl Well done Pro Pilot in your milestone of 50 years of publishing and your contributions to safe flying Congratulations Murray and compliments on the 50th anniversary of Professional Pilot magazine All of us in the aviation community are grateful for the significant contributions you and your teammates have made and continue to make to our great industry Thank you especially for your emphasis on flightcrew member proficiency and safety We are very fortunate and privileged to work in an exciting and dynamic business doing what we like with people that we like While much has changed since Professional Pilot magazine was launched in 1967 your passion and dedication to excellence remains the same The enclosed picture shows us next to one of our early simulators in which Arnold trained It had a 3 axis motion system and no visual Best wishes to you and all your staff and contributors for these outstanding 50 years Warmest regards and tailwinds