Professional Pilot, October 2017

VIEWPOINTS opinions of industry leaders Thoughts on key bizav topics Ours is an industry that has been misunderstood and maligned for far too long We are all responsible for ensuring the continued health of business aviation And so I call upon each of you to ask What can I do to help And then make a commitment to do it Trust me we will not sit idly by waiting for others to act Well be right there with you every step of the way Ed Bolen President CEO NBAA Now is our time to be heard against ATC privatization NBAA and its members have been hard at work this year as part of an historic coalition of voices opposing privatization of air traffic control ATC services in the United States This issue a top priority for everyone in general aviation GA will certainly continue to be in focus during NBAAs upcoming Business Aviation Convention Exhibition BACE in Las Vegas from Oct 10 12 In this editorial Ill outline what I intend to tell convention attendees about ATC privatization and why we must continue to fight this threat to the GA community Privatization is a risky scheme As we know ATC privatization is not a new issue It has been pushed by the big airlines for decades but in the past it has never really generated significant momentum This year however powerful airline interests have redoubled their work to make privatization a reality on Capitol Hill with the backing of the Trump administration Mark Burns President CEO Gulfstream Aerospace Dont wait for others to act Be an advocate for things you believe I recently read an interesting quote from Albert Einstein There is the danger that everyone waits idly for others to act in his stead Not that long ago I was standing on stage in Savannah in front of about 130 of our customers all of them members of our esteemed Gulfstream Customer Advisory Board I was there to kick off a remarkable 42nd meeting of a group that provides feedback on issues large and small For this particular meeting one of the larger topics we discussed was advocacy a topic thats always been important However this topic has climbed even higher on my list especially as our industry faces so many major challenges including Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization certification reform air traffic control ATC privatization dwindling residual values the list goes on and on Sure those challenges change depending on the decade the administration the hot topics of the day But one thing remains the same our commitment to the continued health and well being of the business aviation industry Its all too easy to take a back seat and wait idly for others to act But I firmly believe its important that we and you serve as advocates using our words reputation and ultimately our actions to create a long range positive view of an industry that employs more than 11 million people and has an economic impact of over 200 billion As an original equipment manufacturer here at Gulfstream we recognize we have a critical role to play We need to consistently listen to our customers and then convey their concerns to our local state and national politicians and their constituents ensuring they know the issues that are important to us and the broader implications of the decisions they make Take ATC privatization for example As I said that day on stage we have the safest airspace in the world And while were all for modernization I believe it requires a thoughtful approach We need to understand that privatization is not a panacea that will solve the issues of commercial air travel Privatization will not make delays disappear Ultimately modernizing ATC shouldnt come at the expense of safety or put an undue burden on one industry over another But thats exactly what privatization will do ATC privatization is just one example Remember when the Big 3 automakers were accused of misappropriating funds because they leveraged the safety security and flexibility of their business jets to fly to our nations Capitol 20 PROFESSIONAL PILOT October 2017 Air traffic controllers at EWR Newark NJ The privatization initiative has resurfaced splitting the interests of the airline industry against the general and business aviation community