November has been an important month in business aviation. Growing markets in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) as well as changes to U.S. appropriations affect the industry significantly. Also, the private jet community pays homage to an incredible leader, Teddy Forstmann.
New Association to Support Growth in Chinese Private Aircraft Market
The National Chinese Business Aviation Association (NCBAA) launched its website Nov. 28, 2011. China is a fast-growing market for private aircraft, and the newly formed NCBAA plans to offer a powerful association to support the burgeoning growth. The two main objectives of NCBAA are to provide an informational platform for all players in the industry and to promote the growth of business aviation in China.
Former CEO of Gulfstream, Teddy Forstmann, Died Nov. 20, 2011
Teddy Forstmann was known for many things, especially his incredible philanthropy and love of sports. To the aviation world, Forstmann will be remembered for his leadership of Gulfstream from 1990-1999. During his tenure, research and development were well funded, and Gulfstream became a great innovator of aircraft.
Congress Adjusts the BARR
Since the August changes to the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has worked diligently to reverse course. From 2000 until Aug. 2, 2011, BARR protected the privacy of aircraft’s flight plans, until the August change required operators to prove a security concern in order to be blocked from public, online tracking databases. However, Nov. 22, 2011, saw the passage of an appropriations bill in Congress that keeps the FAA from continuing with its changes to the BARR program that were initiated three months ago.