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International Business Aviation Council
IBAC Planning and Operations Committee
Minutes of Twenty-first Meeting (POC/21)
2-3 September 2009
Washington, DC
Attendants
G. Lachlan / BBGA / S. Barone / CBAAP. Azua / EBAA / P. Gatz / GBAA
W. Stine / NBAA / S. Brown / NBAA
K. Perfetti / IBAC / J. Sheehan / IBAC
D. Spruston / IBAC D.G. (Chair) / P. Ingleton / IBAC (Secretary)
1. Opening Remarks and Administrative Arrangements
Mr. E. Bolen, NBAA President and CEO extended a warm welcome on behalf of NBAA to those present. Mr. Spruston thanked Mr. Bolen for making available the Winant Board Room for the POC meeting as well as for the very productive meeting with USG representatives held on 1 September[1]. In the latter regard, he complimented Mr. D. Carr for so skillfully arranging that meeting.
Mr. Spruston conveyed apologies from Mr. Al Naqbi, MBEAA for his inability to attend.
2. Agenda Approval
The Proposed Agenda was adopted with the addition of Item 16.2 “De-brief on 1 September meeting with USG representatives”.
The POC accepted Mr. Spruston’s proposals for the order of business i.e. to consider Item16.2 forthwith and Items 9 and 8, in that order, on September 2 while Ms. Perfetti and Mr. Sheehan are present, and to consider Item 5 as the first order of business on 3 September.
3. Approval of Minutes of P.O.C. /20 and review status of actions arising
The POC/20 Draft Minutes were approved.
Mr. Spruston noted that POC/20 Item 10 “FBO Auditable Code of Practice” had not been brought forward to the POC/21 Agenda. He therefore proposed that the
POC digress and briefly resume consideration of the matter under this Agenda Item.
The following points arose during the ensuing POC discussion:
- corporate operators are more frequently enquiring during IS-BAO Workshops as to why FBOs do not have an SMS,
- the IBAC-developed SMS is essential generic and therefore should have pertinence to FBOs,
- EBAA is experiencing some degree of pressure form FBOs and handlers,
- while FBOs may be members of MAs, they are not ‘truly’ regarded constituents,
- the attempt by IBAC to advocate and promote a Security Programme for FBOs significantly faltered for ‘lack of buy in’ from FBOs,
- competitive considerations among FBOs could hamper acceptance of SMS,
- it is unlikely that IBAC would have the business leverage to make such an initiative a success with FBOs…it will reside on consumer choice and the operator community is ‘not there yet’,
- IBAC’s role, if any, should be confined to the provision of guidance, encouragement and advocacy,
- could conceivably have an adverse impact on IBAC’s liability exposure
- one way forward could be to adapt the IBAC SMS and FSI E-learning course to substitute those parts which are operator-centric with material appropriate to FBOs,
…such an approach might be affordable from a resources investment point of view, offer a low risk approach to testing the waters and obviate the need to develop a comprehensive business case justification, Such an approach would also be separate and distinct from the IS-BAO,
- NBAA mentioned that there exist a mailing list of US-based FBOs comprising approx 6,000 entries.
In the light of the foregoing and with a view to enabling POC/22 to reach a decision on the matter, Mr. Spruston undertook to:
- Collaborate with Ms. Perfetti and Mr. Sheehan in an endeavor to dimension what
- ascertain from Mr. Rohr and FSI the prospects for adapting the SMS Toolkit and the e-Learning programme content to cater to FBOs,
- approach IBAC MAs with a request that they elicit from FBOs within their respective members the extent , if any, of interest in SMS.
4. Business Aviation Safety Strategy
4.1 Tracking Progress
Noting that ICAO will convene a High-level Safety Conference, Montréal, 29 to 31 March 2010, Mr. Spruston informed the POC that the Safety Strategy will be the basis for the IBAC input to this meeting and used to show case business aviation safety initiatives.
Mr. Brown anticipated, as did Ms. Perfetti, that the safety record for on demand air taxi operators could become an issue and that IBAC should prepare well and have ‘pocket brief’ ready should that eventuate. In this regard, Mr. Brown recommended that IBAC should closely coordinate with FAA. Ms. Perfetti suggested that SMS and SMS implementation might also surface as an issue. Mr. Ingleton noted that ICAO does not have safety data for on demand air taxi operations.
Mr. Spruston concurred with the need, not withstanding the foregoing for IBAC to address the Part 135 safety record and expected that the High-level Safety Conference would provide an opportunity to press FAA in this direction. In this regard he proposed, and the POC agreed on, the need to conduct an in depth analysis of the accident record on Part 135 operators and develop a response strategy. He undertook to give further considerations as to how this could be accomplished and provide project terms of reference for consideration at POC/22.
The POC the undertook a detailed review of the status of the Safety Strategy during which the following comments arose (references where indicated below are to those in the Action column of the Strategy):
- 1.1, suggestion that the scope be broadened to explicitly include on-demand air taxi operators as well as tradtional flight departments,
- 1.2 Status, noted that NBAA has done considerable work on safety clubs and has recently expanded this effort …currently 21 meeting p.a. at the regional level,
- 2.2 Status, an operator feedback process based on a pro forma is near completion,
- 2.6 Status, revise to show Bermuda has done so already,
- 2.8 Status, recommended Breiling be approached to provide sequel to his previous study on these accidents, preferably in time for POC/22,
- 2.10 Status, revise to show action completed..Single pilot supplement to IS-BAO published,
- 3.2 Status, recommended that an approach be made to Ed Williams proposing that IBAC deliver a presentation at the next Aviation Insurance Conference,
- 3.3 Status, revise to show action completed… synopsis of study is published in Annual Safety Brief,
- 4.4, may not be sufficient?, should IBAC encourage FAA to implement the ARC recommendations?,
- 6.1, Revise text to read “ Flight Data Analysis Programmes”,
- 6.3 Revise text to read (examples include TAWS, etc….)”,
- 7.4 Revise text to read “ ..Runway Incursion Protection Systems (RIPS)…”
- 8.4 may be subject to change of emphasis depending on whether information provided previously is invalidated.
Mr. Spruston noted the foregoing points and agreed to update the Safety Strategy accordingly.
4.2 Culture Measurement Project Status
The POC was informed that the project is progressing slowly essential due to the significant pro bono contributions from Messrs. McPherson and Garcia and that a decision point had not been reached pending the convening of a workshop, now planned to be held in conjunction with the NBAA AM&C. With a view to gauging the extent of operator interest in this project, Ms. Perfetti suggested advertizing this undertaking as part of the IS-BAO Workshop planned for Orlando.
The POC expected a further report on status for POC/22.
5. IBAC Business Plan
The POC was presented with a first draft of the renewed Business Plan for the period 2010-2014 for review and comment. It noted the schedule for processing the renewed Business Plan.
Consideration was given initially to the two alternative formats for the Action Plan section. Following a careful review of both alternatives, the POC decided that the format presented on pages 15-18 was the preferred alternative.
In order for the POC meeting to focus on the substantive sections of the draft i.e. page 15 and beyond and with regard to the material contained on pages 5-14, Mr. Spruston recommended that the meeting refrain from reviewing the former and that Members do so promptly following the meeting and provide comments/suggestions/edits to him by email.
POC review of pages 15-18 generated the following suggestion/comments:
- Para 1.10, correct “Business Aviation Safety Plan” to read” Business Aviation Safety Strategy”,
- Para 1.20, correct ‘ Flight Data Monitoring Systems” to read : Flight Data Analysis Programmes”,
- SO 1add new Action Plan item, “ Analyze accident record of on-demand/air taxi operators and develop response strategy,
- SO 2 descriptor, at end of sentence add “and other finite resources.”,
- SO 3 naming in parenthesis, change to read “Harmonization”,
- S0 3 add new Action Plan item, “Urge States to adhere to ICAO policies and provisions and to recognize and support ICAO as the lead agency on the Environment”,
- 3.6, correct “(PIRG)” to read “(MIDANPIRG)”,
- S0 4 paragraph 4.1 line two to read “IBAC Member Associations”,
- SO 5, expand descriptor to read “….regulatory agencies, avaiton service providers and in the public domain.”
- SO 5 paragraph 5.2 in line two, add reference to “airports”, in line three refer to “ new ATM technology standards”,
- SO 6 naming in parenthesis, change to read “(Organizational Development)”,
- SO 6 Action Plan items, add 6.5 “Continue to diversify IBAC revenue sources”.
Ed Note: Consequential revisions per certain of the above will be required on pages 10 & 11 of the draft Business Plan.
Mr. Lachlan observed that whereas the Strategic Objectives provide the foundations for the respective Action Plans, the latter as drafted do not elucidate the responsibility for the action e.g. IBAC itself and/or its Member Associations.
He considered this to be a disconnect and therefore suggested that those action plans should flow down into the business plans of MAs. The POC noted this suggestion.
It was suggested that, in the context of strategy, the Governing Board discuss and identify from where pressure for change is emanating and, conversely, where initiative for change is absent. The point was made that whereas ICAO and Europe are in the vanguard of change at the international level, this is apparently no longer the case with FAA. It was further suggested that IBAC should be resourcing areas where aggressive change is occurring as well as those where harmonization is lacking and where extra-territorial measures are evident, as well as in those areas where impetus for change is lacking. Mr. Lachlan advocated that IBAC needs to constantly and strenuously remind European States and the Region of obligations to respect the ICAO Convention.
Mr. Barone cited Canada as a case where action is languishing e.g. wrt to the myriad issues pertaining to fractional ownership.
With regard to addressing unilateralism and extra-territorial measures, one POC member contended that this must be where IBAC should provide a leadership rather than defer the lead responsibility to the MA concerned. This presupposed that IBAC could formulate a unanimous position on the specific issue, which customarily had been elusive. Various examples were cited, including the EU ETS. The POC considered it a matter of the resolve within the IBAC GB to forge common positions.
With regard to the Financial Plan section (pages19-22) Mr. Spruston pointed out that this section had been somewhat expanded, that the projections for 2010 is a 10% reduction cf 2009 and that for 2011 a 5% increase on the 2010 projection. The consequence being a projected draw down on the Reserve Fund of $26,200 in 2010 and $21,000 in 2011. The POC had no comment.
With regard to the Summary (page23), the POC had no comment.
Mr. Spruston concluded from the foregoing debate that there was good consensus within the POC on the items raised and that it remained for him to decide how these views could best be reflected in the revised Business Plan or otherwise be considered by GB/50. He undertook to revise the draft to take account of the POC deliberations, comments and suggestions, to submit the revised proposal to GB/50 and thereafter to finalize the Business Plan in light of the GB comments thereon. He requested that should POC members have further inputs for his consideration that they be provided within the next several weeks.
6.1 GNE Task Force Membership
The POC noted from the status report that the GNE TF remains quiescent pending Mr. Humphries being able to devote his attention to re-activating the TF. POC Members were reminded to ascertain whether they can identify experts to serve on the TF and to also advise of any developments considered to warrant the attention of the TF, when re-activated.
6.2 Height Deviation Assessment Report
Mr. Azua provided those present with a UK NATS DVD “CLEAR OF CONFLICT – Raising Awareness of the TCAS User Interface”, the production of which had elicited the support of both EBAA and BBGA.
The POC noted that further information on this work is likely to be available later in 2009.
7. Environmental Issues
7.1 Emissions Policy
Mr. Spruston informed the POC that the initiative to convene a business aviation Environment Summit had failed to gather support, notably from GAMA, inspite of the endeavors of Mr. S. Ridolfi/President and CEO of Bombardier Business Aircraft. In light of and as a consequence of this he had received a suggestion from Mr. Humphries that IBAC consider arranging a meeting with OEM executives during the NBAA Annual Convention in Orlando.