Professional Pilot, May 2018

dards that one must meet to hold some of those positions Take for example the role of an aircraft broker While most work hard to service their clients interests there are no industry regulations or formal training requirements in place allowing sufficient room for a handful of unethical characters to generate bad publicity for our industry The value of NARA and ASA Enter NARA the National Aircraft Resale Association NARA already has standards in place covering ethical behavior by its members but the organization is taking ethics to a new level NARAs leadership is now focused on establishing a full array of ethical standards that are simple to understand and easy for its members to implement If being NARA Certified has value today and it certainly does in the eyes of many aircraft buyers and sellers imagine the additional industry clout NARA members will attain once expanded ethical standards are in place Such a focus on ethics is not a new concept Take for example the ethical standards used by the American Society of Appraisers ASA and the organizations commitment to their enforcement These standards are adopted by the ASAs Board of Governors and filter through to the membership Moreover they are a key reason why people seeking an appraisal will request it from an ASA certified appraiser Knowing the difference between right and wrong Professional people know the difference between right and wrong Regrettably sometimes they are also able to convince themselves that some rules or agreements theyve made are not entirely relevant to them because they dont fit the goal they seek to achieve Nobody said that the difference between right and wrong was fair 18 PROFESSIONAL PILOT May 2018 Leadership of the National Aircraft Resale Association NARA is planning to strengthen the organizations existing Code of Ethics in an effort to reduce potential gray areas but an ethical person or company does not view ethical standards through the lens of convenience or preferences Members of organizations that establish acceptable business standards dont get to choose which ethics standards or rules to follow Unless one has been living in a monastery for the past few years it would be difficult not to notice the ethics centered time we live in While much of the news has been focused on what has taken place in the past a new day is coming to quote Oprah Winfrey Those entities be they individuals or companies not taking notice of and tightly adhering to acceptable business standards will find it necessary to deal with adverse reputation issues and have to budget for hefty legal bills The need for a sharper focus on ethics Kudos to NARA for its focus on this important subject and for the guidance it provides its membership The organizations leadership is to be commended for its efforts It would be nice to see other industry associations that have not adopted such a focus follow NARAs lead There may never be a solution for problematic employees but ethical entities can differentiate right from wrong and make a positive impact on our profession and industry Anthony Kioussis is President of Asset Insight which offers aircraft valuation and aviation consulting services His 40 years of experience in aviation includes GE Capital Corporate Aircraft Finance Jet Aviation and JSSI While most aircraft brokers work hard to service their clients interests a lack of industry regulations allows sufficient room for a handful of unethical characters to generate bad publicity for our industry