NJASAP prepares for appearance at 2014 NBAA convention

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new focus and message will shape the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) scheduled appearance at the National Business Aviation Association's (NBAA) 2014 Annual Convention in Orlando this week. An independent labor organization, NJASAP represents the 2,700-plus pilots who fly in the service of NetJets Aviation, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway (BRK/B) subsidiary.

Last year, the Union focused on its work to defend business aviation against baseless attacks that threatened the industry's long term viability. "We fought hard to salvage the industry's reputation, expending significant financial capital to keep external forces completely unaware of what business aviation contributes to our nation's economy at bay," NJASAP Vice President of Industry Affairs Capt. Coley George said. "That commitment is no less steadfast today than it was a year ago; however, despite our efforts to restore the brand, we face a new threat – one from within the industry itself."

When industry interests like NBAA, NATA, GAMA, NJASAP, and operators joined together to promote and rebrand the industry, those efforts focused largely on its contribution to the nation's economy – and specifically the fact that it provides "stable, high paying jobs" to 1.2 million middle-class American workers. Those very jobs are now under attack. "In a cruel twist of irony, now that operator revenues have reached record levels, multi-billion dollar aircraft orders have been announced, and flight demand across the globe has reached historic peaks," NJASAP President FO Pedro Leroux explained, "our management team, in particular, is demanding unwarranted compensation, benefit and work rule concessions from the very men and women who have led the effort to turn around the industry's financial situation."

What makes this situation even more serious, George continued, is the shortsighted actions of the NetJets executive management team single-handedly threaten the unity of the business aviation community at a time when its reputation is newly restored, and, as such, remains fragile. "Without question, we have made tremendous strides toward educating both government officials and the public about the importance of our industry," George explained, "however, an operator – like NetJets – cannot, with one breath tout the employment our industry provides to hard working middle-class Americans and in the next try to destroy it at the bargaining table."

In addition to this message, NJASAP will also seek to gather support for the NBAA's recently released Crew Duty and Rest Guidelines that move the industry closer to the decades-long goal of achieving one level of safety. The revised guidance is a necessary and vital first step toward making critical changes to the rules for Part 135/91K operators.

"We are currently operating under safety rules developed decades ago – long before unscheduled operations of this kind were contemplated," George said. "What's more, when the current guidelines were written, there was no science-based data regarding fatigue to guide their development." While minor revisions have been made since the original writing, a comprehensive overhaul is long overdue.

Adding another layer of urgency to the situation is the fact that operators, including NetJets, leave fatigue management entirely to the pilot. "Certainly, this is an archaic way of managing one of the most insidious threats to modern aviation," Leroux said. Added George, "Despite the availability of scientific data – the very data used to revise FAR Part 117 for our commercial carrier brethren in recent years – professional aviators currently flying unscheduled operations have been denied the benefit of revised guidance based on the very same." Considering professional pilots and their aircraft share an increasingly complicated, congested airspace, union leaders argued, the time for one level of safety across the industry is now.

About NJASAP  Founded in 2008 as an independent labor organization, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) represents the professional interests of the 2,700-plus pilots who fly in the service of NetJets Aviation, Inc. For more information, visit us at www.njasap.com or www.facebook.com/njasap.

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SOURCE NJASAP

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