News

The National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) was formed for the purposes of developing and advancing aviation education and to provide an arena for collegiate aviation competition.

 

 

 

On the evening of January 22, 2016, Daniel A. Wolfe, Associate Vice President and General Manager of Aviation for ORBAA member Nationwide Insurance, was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation.  The award was presented to Dan and other new inductees which included Greg Feith (former NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator) and Michimasa Fujino (Founder, President and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where they have been held annually since 2007. 

The Living Legends of Aviation is an award honoring achievements in the aviation industry given by the Kiddie Kawk Air Academy, a non-profit 501(c)(3) with a focus of dedication to developing youth’s interest in aviation.  The Living Legends have all made significant contributions to many areas of aviation including innovators, astronauts, industry leaders and celebrity pilots.  Jerry Lips founded the Living Legends of Aviation organization.  In 2008, Kiddie Hawk Air Academy acquired the Living Legends of Aviation and the responsibility for the annual awards show.

Current Legends include: Buzz Aldrin, Paul Allen, Ed Bolen, Sir Richard Branson, Gene Cernan, John Travolta, Pat Epps, Edsel Ford II, Harrison Ford, Michimasa Fujino, Barron Hilton, Bob Hoover, Herb Kelleher, Clay Lacy, Maj. Gen. Carl McNair, Zoe Dell Lantis Nutter, Arnold Palmer, Dick Rutan, Bud Anderson, Sean Tucker and Steven F. Udvar-Hazy.

Past Legends include: Neil Armstrong, Forrest Bird, Tom Danaher, Ed Swearingen, Al Ueltschi, Wally Schirra and George McGovern.

Portman Announces Full Funding for NASA Glenn in Cleveland

Included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill

 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced that the Omnibus Appropriations Bill includes full funding for the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. 

 

“This was a hard-fought victory for the NASA Glenn Research Center and for the city of Cleveland," Portman stated. “The Glenn Research Center not only plays a key role in NASA's mission, but is also an economic driver for the local community and supports thousands of jobs. I'm pleased to have worked to secure this funding and will continue to work with the Glenn Research Center to ensure they can remain a leader in important aeronautics and space research and projects.”

 

“Clearly the proposed cut to the NASA Glenn Research Center was a huge threat to our regional economy,” said Joe Roman, President and chief executive officer of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. “Senator Portman and his colleagues stepped up and led the effort to push back on the proposed cuts and to position NASA Glenn for a successful future.  This is a big win for Cleveland and all of Northeast Ohio.”   

 

Funding for the NASA Glenn Research Center is found in the Commerce, Justice, Science budget. When it looked as though NASA Glenn funding could be in jeopardy, Portman worked with House and Senate appropriators to increase the Space Technology budget providing an increased opportunity for the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland to receive much needed funding.

 

As a result of Portman's effort to secure increased funding for Space Technology, the NASA Glenn Research Center will now have access to the funds necessary to continue its Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) program, an important priority for the Glenn Research Center and NASA’s overarching mission.

 

The Glenn Research Center leads the SEP project for the agency; SEP is leading the development of critical technologies to enable cost-effective new trips to Mars and to asteroids across the inner solar system, and also supports a variety of commercial spaceflight activities.

 

Representative Perales, chair of the Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Technology Committee, introduces legislation that would put the Wright Flyer on on the The Great Seal of the State of Ohio.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/ap/ap/ohio/ohio-bill-would-add-historic-wright-flyer-to-ohio-/npZtG/

ORBAA Flight Plan The Official Newsletter of the Ohio Regional Business Aviation Association Edition 1- January 2015 We are proud to introduce the brand new ORBAA newsletter to you.  This newsletter is designed to bring both current and prospective members up to date with the most recent developments and activities, relevant issues, and engagement opportunities that support Ohio Business Aviation through ORBAA. The Ohio Business Aviation Association (ORBAA) is a collective of Ohio’s Business Aviation companies and operators with a common interest in improving our industry through the three pillars of Advocacy, Workforce Development, and Training & Education.  Further information can be accessed from our website at ORBAA.org.

Advocacy

 The Advocacy team is led by the efforts of ORBAA Board Member Bob Tanner, as well as our retained legal team at Keggler, Brown, Hill & Ritter. ORBAA’s recent Advocacy efforts have led to a new US Customs stand-alone facility now under construction at CMH on the east end of Lane Aviation’s existing structure.  This facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2015 and will benefit of all GA traffic that was formerly directed to the airline terminal to clear at Gate 46 into an area not designed to accommodate business aircraft travelers. ORBAA is currently united on an effort to oppose the AMS/ Federal Excise Tax issue that would heavily weigh on the aircraft management operators in our state.  We encourage you to support our Ohio operators by contacting your representatives through this link. ORBAA supports Governor Kasich’s proclamation of Business Aviation in Ohio found here. ORBAA members are serving and connecting with several industry organizations including Ohio Aviation Institute, The Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Council, as well as Jobs Ohio.  We encourage our members to strengthen these bonds that connect Ohio Business Aviation to the greater industry as well as legislators that can affect ORBAA membership interests.

Workforce Development

The second annual ORBAA Scholarship was awarded to Kent State student Carissa Marion at the 2014 OBATS event.  Carissa will use the $2,500 award to further her flight training as she aspires to a flight career in business aviation.  Congratulations, Carissa! In 2015, ORBAA is offering two $2,500 scholarships; one for a Pilot career track, the other for a Maintenance Technician career track.  Proceeds from the June 2014 ORBAA Golf Outing will fund the Pilot scholarship, and ORBAA Member APEX generously donated $2,000 toward the Maintenance scholarship.  Jeff Adelman is leading the selection committees for these awards as well as communicating the application materials found here to the Ohio colleges and technical schools.  The awards will be presented to the recipients at the spring OBATS event in April. We are also proud to announce that ORBAA received the 501(c)6 charitable status in October 2014 and is now eligible to receive donations for scholarships and career development.  Leadership is working on options to best engage our members and encourage participation in donating to these causes.  Proposed actions include creating a donation category on membership renewal invoices as well as direct solicitation from an internal fundraising team. The Ohio State University has created the “Capstone Project” to research and analyze industry issues as a part of the classroom curricula.  OSU approached ORBAA to solicit a topic and our Board is developing a workable industry project related to organizing and expanding ORBAA membership, as well as articulating the value of business aviation within Ohio.  OSU will be working on this project over the spring semester and we will share the results as they develop. Member Dan Wolfe gathered a team that included ORBAA Board member Lisa Swartzwelder and other professionals from around the US to present a professional business aviation internship model at the 2014 NBAA Annual Conference in Orlando.   ORBAA has many internship guidelines and materials to furnish to its members found here that we hope will encourage participation in this important development of future professionals for our industry.

Training & Education

ORBAA hosted four large events in 2014, including:

• Spring Ohio Business Aviation Training Standdown (OBATS) in Columbus
• ORBAA Golf Outing in Dublin
• Schedulers & Dispatch Training Event in Columbus
• Fall OBATS in Cincinnati

In 2015 the first OBATS event is planned for April 29, 2015. This event, hosted in partnership with Global Aerospace and their SM4 program, will be held on the campus of The Ohio State University at the Blackwell Inn. This year’s program will feature Don Chupp with Fireside Partners and will encompass a full day, in-depth examination on best practices in emergency response planning. Mark your calendars for this very special event! In addition to the April 29 OBATS/SM4 Event, ORBAA is also planning to host the second annual Schedulers and Dispatchers seminar in Columbus, OH as well as smaller regional events throughout the State. President Jeff Poeppelman attended the NBAA User Group Conference in San Antonio, TX in June.  Jeff was able to network and benchmark best practices from among other NBAA user groups from around the country ways to return value to ORBAA.  Leadership has approved continuing a budget item to continue ORBAA participation in the 2015 conference as well.

Administration and Resources

ORBAA has a new business address:  5207 Norwich St. Hilliard, OH 43026.  This is the business address of our contracted accountant Dave Kirkey.  Dave will be handling the ORBAA bookkeeping, taxes, and membership invoicing in our contracted Treasurer position. 2014 ORBAA quarterly Board meeting minutes can be found here. The new ORBAA Organizational Bylaws updated and ratified in November 2014 can be found here. The ORBAA Business Calendar of 2015 scheduled events can be found here. ORBAA creates many values to members for a very reasonable annual membership fee.  Several values are highlighted in this document, and will serve as guidelines for communicating return on investment to prospective members. There is a new NBAA Business Aviation Fact Book with many good facts and resources released in November found here. ORBAA Leadership positions run a two-year term and are up for re-election in December 2015 for terms that begin in April 2016.  ORBAA needs the strength of its members who possess high levels of leadership and commitment to industry to lead the future of our organization.  Any interested members are encouraged to contact info@orbaa.org or any Board Member for further discussion on these upcoming positions.

ORBAA Contacts

There are many ways to contact the ORBAA Leadership including the info@orbaa.org email address that will reach the entire leadership team, or individual leader contact information found here.   The ORBAA main website is at ORBAA.org. Thank you for your continued membership and partnership in ORBAA!  We hope that together we can continue to meet the challenges within our industry and strengthen our businesses, professional bonds, and the business aviation industry within Ohio.

By Alliance for Aviation Across America:

Today, national aviation organizations, commended Ohio Governor John Kasich for declaring December “General Aviation Appreciation Month.” In Ohio, general aviation accounts for $1.7 billion in economic activity annually.

“We thank Governor Kasich for his proclamation, which highlights the benefits of general aviation and local airports throughout the state of Ohio,” said Selena Shilad, Executive Director of the <a href="http://www.aviationacrossamerica.com/national-aviation-organizations-commend-ohio-governor-for-declaring-december-general-aviation-appreciation-month-2/" target="_blank">Alliance for Aviation Across America.</a> “General aviation supports our economy and also assists in healthcare services and disaster relief efforts across the country.”

“Ohio’s community airports are critical for the transportation of goods and services all across the state,” said Mark Baker, President and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). “We thank the Governor for recognizing the importance of general aviation in Ohio and throughout the nation.”

“Business aviation allows companies in Ohio to manage operations in multiple locations, get to far off plants and transport staff and supplies,” explained Ed Bolen, President and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). “We thank Governor Kasich for his proclamation and look forward to working with him and his staff on issues related to general aviation.”

“General aviation is a key component of our nation’s transportation infrastructure and economy,” said Jack Pelton, Chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).

“We thank the Governor for his proclamation reinforcing Ohio’s long support of general aviation, and hope that it will increase awareness about this important part of our infrastructure and help inspire aviation interest among the next generation.”

Greg Principato, President and CEO of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) stated, “Community airports in Ohio support local charities, businesses, healthcare providers and farms across the state and country. We thank Governor Kasich and the Aviation Administrator of the Ohio DOT, James Bryant, for their work to emphasize the significance of general aviation and community airports.”

“Across Ohio, general aviation and community airports help businesses connect with their customers and suppliers, and provide opportunities to compete globally and reach new markets,” stated Thomas L. Hendricks, President and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association. “NATA and our member companies in Ohio thank Governor Kasich for his continued support of general aviation.”

“Helicopters and other general aviation aircraft are vital for first-responders, disaster relief and law enforcement personnel across the United States,” said Matthew Zuccaro, President of the Helicopter Association International (HAI). “We thank Governor Kasich for recognizing the role of aviation in connecting our citizens and communities.”

To view the Ohio proclamation, click <a href="http://www.orbaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Ohio_122314.pdf">here</a>.

With generous support from our sponsors, the first ORBAA Golf outing was held June 27 at the Shamrock Golf Course. Over 40 golfers participated in the 18 hole scramble where all proceeds benefited the 2015 ORBAA scholarship. Over $400 in prizes were awarded to the winners of our closest to the pin challenge, longest dive, longest putt, and the team low score.

During the lunch reception, Dan Boedigheimer, with Advanced Aircrew Academy discussed new training requirements corporate aviation departments are facing and offered solutions for complying with these requirements.

The ORBAA board would like to thank all participants and sponsors for supporting this event. This  inaugural event paves the way for future charity offerings and will continue to bolster our scholarship offerings.

 During the 2014 OBATS event held at the Hilton Downtown Columbus on April 24, the Second Annual ORBAA Scholarship was presented to Carissa Marion from Kent State University. Last year’s recipient Brian Finley presented the $2,500 award on behalf of ORBAA in testimony of the value of our Workforce Development pillar.

Carissa is from Greensburg, PA, and is a Senior at Kent State graduating in Spring 2015 with a degree in Flight Technology. She is active on the KSU Flight Team, as well as Women in Aviation, and the American Association of Airport Executives. Carissa has financed her Private license by working at an upscale dining restaurant, and is progressing with her Instrument rating. She has maintained Dean’s List grades, as well as winning four additional scholarships to assist with her flight training. Carissa aspires to a professional pilot career, and is currently working for the summer as a customer service agent at a FBO located at the Akron, OH airport. Proceeds from the OBATS were used to fund this year’s $2,500 award, proving the cooperative support of our fine organization and its three pillars of focus. We look forward to generating additional funding for the 2015 scholarship award through the ORBAA Golf Outing, and through donations that can be accepted as ORBAA completes its charity taxation status later this year.

Eric Black Vice President- ORBAA