News

ORBAA is proud to award two scholarships for $2,500 each to students working towards a career in Business Aviation! Our scholarship application window is now open until March 23, 2020. Please review the requirements at www.orbaa.org/scholarship and email scholarship@orbaa.org with any questions.

Ohio Advocacy Update (July 2019)

During the recent budget approval process, the Ohio House of Representatives proposed removing all exemptions and caps currently contained in the Ohio Sales Tax law that benefited the aviation industry.  Many in the business aviation community, including ORBAA and many of its members, informed the Senate Finance Committee why the exemptions are in place and how they benefit the aviation industry in Ohio. Ultimately, the Senate was convinced and the their version of the budget reinstated all of the current exemptions. 

Thanks to the efforts of many ORBAA members and the Ohio business aviation community, the current Ohio Sales Tax law that exempts maintenance and repair, the sale of flight simulators, and places a cap of $800 on the tax applicable to the sale of fractional ownership interests remains in place.

In sync with the ORBAA pillars, we are excited to share that Wright Stuff Dispatch is offering two $500 scholarship credits toward a dispatch course in the fall of 2019. Check out the flyer below for information and how to apply!

Thank you, Bob Quinn, for your support of ORBAA and best wishes on a wonderful retirement!

Bob started with NBAA in 2006 as the Central Regional Representative and has been a 30+-year member of the Greater St Louis Business Aviation Association. He is a graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Industrial Administration. Bob leaned to fly during his college years but started his aviation career as a design engineer with McDonnell Douglas in 1968. Later, he worked for Trane Company and Emerson Electric in engineering and marketing positions. At heart though, his real passion was aviation. During his flying career, he has accumulated almost 17,000 hours with eight type ratings on his ATP plus an A&P with Inspection Authorization. The best part of his flying career was flying the array of large cabin Gulfstreams from the G-2 thru the G-550 and operating them in every continent except Antarctica. He is still flying his biplane and a CJ4 for a friend.

Bob, thank you for your years of dedication to our industry and sincere congratulations on an impactful career! ORBAA truly values your guidance and support. We appreciate your contributions to business aviation and applaud you on your well-deserved retirement. ORBAA hopes you continue to Fly High in your retirement!

IMPORTANT ADVOCACY NOTICE State budget proposal HB166 includes provisions to repeal three aviation tax exemptions that were passed in the mid-2000’s. Cap of $800 on fractional aircraft sales. Maintenance (making service and parts sales tax exempt). Purchase of simulators. These tax exemptions work in tandem to create a positive and vibrant environment for the aviation industry in Ohio.   Contact your local Senator to encourage retaining these tools that contribute to the growth of the aviation industry in the Birthplace of Aviation. http://www.ohiosenate.gov/senators/district-map

Your ORBAA Board is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 Board election.  The newly-elected members will be installed at the completion of onboard training.

Your 2019 ORBAA Board members are as follows:

President: Lauren Behrens, FirstEnergy

Vice President: Scott Kennedy, Parrish O'Neill

Secretary-Elect: Evelyn Merkle, Nationwide

Contract Treasurer: David Kirkey, Kirkey and Co.

Board Members:

John Ginley, Advanced Drainage Systems

Richard Smith, Retired, NetJets

Board Member-Elect (and current): Grant Hundley, Global Appearance Partners

Board Member-Elect: Sarah Northcraft Spann, Aerlex Law Group

Board Member-Elect: Brian Finley, Textron Aviation

Congratulations to our new board members, and many thanks to those who served over the last year.  We look forward to serving our ORBAA membership in 2019.

Read ORBAA's position on ATC Privatization, HR 2997, and learn more about the proposal by viewing our Advocacy subpage.

ORBAA would like to wish a fond FAREWELL and THANK YOU to our Advocacy Co-Chair Mark Myers.  Mark has been an integral part of the ORBAA team since its inception.  He has held many board positions, including Vice President, President, Immediate Past President, and committee chair positions. He has worked tirelessly behind the scenes at all our events, with special emphasis on our annual Scheduler and Dispatchers conference, one of his pet projects.  Mark always offered us solid advice, a quick joke, and unmatched fundraising skills.  His counsel will be missed by all.

Mark has accepted a job in Washington and is fulfilling a lifelong dream of moving to the West Coast.  We wish him the best in his new position and much happiness with his new direction in life!

Dear NBAA Member,

Last week, I urged the business aviation community to oppose efforts to privatize our nation’s air traffic control (ATC) system as proposed in H.R. 2997. In response to that call to action, thousands of letters in opposition were sent to Congress. However, we need to keep the pressure on and make clear that business aviation’s access to airports and airspace is threatened under H.R. 2997.

Recently, proponents of ATC privatization have been promoting myths that misrepresent general aviation and our nation’s ATC system. NBAA has taken each of those myths and provided the real truth about what ATC privatization really means for general aviation.

The Truth about ATC Privatization

Under H.R. 2997, business aviation’s access to our nation’s airspace and airports will be controlled by an unelected and unaccountable board with no Congressional oversight. Our only option to challenge future access restrictions will be to hire expensive lawyers and endure lengthy legal proceedings.

Our nation’s ATC system is the safest, most efficient, most complex and most diverse in the world – we simply cannot risk turning it over to a private board that could be dominated by the big airlines.

Oppose H.R. 2997 to Privatize ATC

By contacting your members of Congress today, you can send a message to lawmakers, and let them know you oppose H.R. 2997.

Thank you.

Ed Bolen

President and CEO

National Business Aviation Association

OHIO HOUSE BILL 26 Update

ORBAA has received some questions from membership regarding the Ohio Fiscal Year 2018-19 Budget, specifically a provision within the Transportation Budget, House Bill 26.

In a effort to begin tracking the revenue from aircraft fuel, and modifying the motor fuel tax to include compressed natural gas, the budget language removed the exemption for aircraft, effectively making it subject to the motor fuel tax. 

The department of taxation maintains that this was an interpretation error by the legislative services commission (and others reading HB 26), and it was not their intent to change the way aircraft fuel was taxed.  While the department believes an amendment is not necessary to make this clear, Chairman McColley is drafting an amendment for the sub-bill to eliminate any uncertainty. 

Procedurally, the bill must pass out of the House Committee and full House Chamber before the Senate Committee will take up the bill. The Senate will make any modifications it believes are needed. After the full Senate Chamber votes on the bill, any differences between the bills passed by the House and Senate will be worked out in Conference Committee. After the Conference Committee comes to agreement, the bill will be sent to Governor Kasich for his signature. The Governor has line item veto power to remove any provisions he is not supportive of. The budget must be signed into law by June 30, 2017. 

This process is repeated for each of the budget bills. The transportation budget moves through this process more quickly as it is not as controversial as the main operating budget. 

ORBAA will update its members as more information becomes available.