Connection - Aero Club of Washington

A Quarterly Publication of the AERO CLUB of Washington DC
Spring 2013
Connection
Inside
Secretary LaHood swears-in Michael Huerta as FAA Administrator at January Aero Club luncheon
President’s Message
David Castelveter
www.aeroclub.org
Serving our Members for 104 Years
O
“I also want to thank the
members of our Board of
Governors for their tireless
commitment to the
Aero Club of Washington.
These individuals serve as
volunteers, dedicating
time to Club activities and
supporting the Aero Club
Foundation while serving
on the various committees
that keep our Club vibrant
and growing.”
Coming Up
April 9
Fabrice Bregier
President & CEO, Airbus
May 20
Angela Gittens
Director General, ACI-World
n Jan. 25, 1909, the Aero Club of Washington was founded with the
first luncheon held on June 10, 1909, at the renowned Cosmos Club.
Washingtonian Thomas Walsh emceed that luncheon in his role as the
Club’s first President. Since then, many distinguished men and women have
voluntarily presided over the Aero Club of Washington and I salute their willingness
to give their time and experience to preserve and advance our proud history.
I am honored to serve as President of the Aero Club of Washington for 2013.
I share with our past presidents a genuine passion of aviation and aerospace and I
remain equally committed to providing a forum for the healthy discussion of topics
that promote the interest in the principles and development of aeronautics.
The Aero Club of Washington hosts hundreds of national and international
aviation and aerospace industry enthusiasts at our monthly luncheons. Our
informative and educational speakers are experts in their fields, luminaries by all
accounts and celebrated leaders of businesses that drive our economy. We have
hosted government leaders, industry chief executives, association presidents, Wall
Street observers, formidable industry pundits, our nation’s courageous astronauts and
last but not least, the brave members of the U.S. military.
Thanks to the hard work of our program chairs Clay McConnell and T.J.
Schulz, this year started with a strong group of speakers. U.S. Department of
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke in January, followed by National Air
Traffic Controllers Association President and CEO Paul Rinaldi in February and
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman, Congressman Bill
Schuster. April and May have shaped up nicely as well.
With your support, the Club has seen a strong attendance in the first quarter,
helping to ensure a healthy balance sheet enabling not only an exciting slate of
speakers going forward, but also a healthy contribution to the Aero Club Foundation. The Foundation was established to assume and expand the Aero Club’s
efforts to support aviation education programs at public schools in the District of
Columbia. Your continued support of the Foundation will help pave the way for the
next generation of aviation and aerospace pioneers.
Our Club is committed to seeking out deserving candidates for the Donald D.
Engen Aero Club Trophy for Aviation Excellence and also the Wright Memorial
Trophy, which is awarded at the Wright Memorial Dinner in December.
I also want to thank the members of our Board of Governors for their tireless
commitment to the Aero Club of Washington. These individuals serve as volunteers,
dedicating time to Club activities and supporting the Aero Club Foundation while
serving on the various committees that keep our Club vibrant and growing.
Last but not least, the pulse of the Aero Club is our Executive Director of
23 years, Nancy Hackett. I want to personally thank Nancy for her years of
unswerving devotion to the Club.
I look forward to working with the board this year and seeing all of you at our
luncheons and other sponsored events throughout the year.
Thank you for your continued interest in the Aero Club of Washington.
2013 Board Members
Officers
President
David Castelveter
Vice President
Peter F. Dumont
Air Traffic Control Association
Treasurer
Greg Principato
ACI - N.A.
Secretary
Margaret Jenny
RTCA
Immediate Past President
Robert A. Bergman
UPS
Committee Chair Board Members
Aero Club Foundation Liaisons
John Provenzano
Delta Air Lines
Yvette A. Rose
Cargo Airline Association
Awards
Ed Faberman
Wiley Rein
FAA Liaison
Carl Burleson
Federal Aviation Administration
Government Affairs
Nancy Van Duyne
United Airlines
Historian/Special Projects
David Traynham
The Boeing Company
Legal
Jeff Shane
Hogan Lovells
Long Range Planning
Margaret Jenny
RTCA
Membership
Mike Nichols
NBAA
Policy and Programs
Clay McConnell
Airbus Americas
TJ Schulz
Airport Consultants Council
Publicity
Scott Brenner
Gephardt Government Affairs
Sponsorship
David Mandell
AIA
TSA Liaison
Karin Glasgow
TSA
Wright Memorial Dinner
Gerald Dillingham
U.S. GAO
Susan Walsh
Pratt & Whitney
Board Members
Russell Bailey
Air Line Pilots Association
Faye Black
Regional Airline Association
Bob Blouin
Beechcraft Corporation
Jose Ceballos
NATCA
Paul Feldman
GAMA
Tom Hendricks
NATA
Lorraine Howerton
AOPA
Margaret McKeough
MWAA
Sharon Pinkerton
Airlines for America
Melissa Sabatine
AAAE
Nancy Hackett
Executive Director
Aero Club Foundation
Another Busy School Year!
T
he academic year 2012-2013 has been a busy one for the Aero Club Foundation.
There are six District of Columbia Public Schools and Public Charter Schools
active in our program: McKinley Technical, Cardozo (TransSTEM Academy), Deal,
Stuart-Hobson, Phelps, and Washington Mathematics Science Technology. Two are
middle schools, the rest are high schools.
The Foundation works closely with staff at National Air & Space Museum to coordinate
transportation and meals at the ten sites students visit around the Washington Capital Region.
Readers will know students are already busy in their day-to-day schoolwork, so it takes
considerable effort on the part of teachers and school administrative staff to make arrangements for the site visits. We are fortunate participating schools have become familiar with
the program run by our Foundation and Air & Space, so we’ve have good results with our
site visits and many students have been exposed to the world of aerospace and aviation.
We also want to welcome Yvette Rose (Cargo Airline Association) and John Provenzano
(Delta Air Lines) to the volunteer group working on behalf of the Foundation. It’s a big
commitment, and they will bring new ideas and vigor.
»Kerwin Wilson of the TSA talks to Cardozo students at brown bag lunch discussion series
Share Your Aviation Job with High School Students!
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Bro
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Bag
Brown bag lunches at Cardozo High School have been led by a varied group
of volunteers this year. They included representatives from Transportation
Security Administration, Aerospace Industries Association, Air Line Pilots
Association, Airbus Americas, and The Wright Experience. The key to
these gatherings is for industry reps to engage students in
dialogue, rather than giving a speech, and we’ve had an outstanding group so far. Please let us know if you want to volunteer.
The lunches are the third Wednesday of every month. Students
will welcome your unique experiences.
A Quarterly Publication of the AERO CLUB of Washington DC
Historic Ceremony
FAA Administrator Huerta Calls for
“Fostering Open Lines of Communication”
I
n his first address as the newly sworn-in FAA Administrator, Michael Huerta said that
the best way to enhance safety is to keep the lines of communication open between
business and government.
“We want to create an atmosphere where people feel they can share what they know,
all in the pursuit of safety,” Huerta said. “We all want the same outcome. We want to
harness advances in technology to produce the safest aircraft possible.”
“We will never lose sight of our respective roles, but that does not mean that there
is not a seat at the table for bright minds from industry to help inform the best way to
navigate the complex technological issues we encounter,” Huerta said.
New Members
from January through March
Ivan Bekkers
CSSI
Edmond Boullay
U.S. Crest
Shawn Bullard
Duetto Group
Roger Cohen
Regional Airline Association
Steve Dash
LS Technologies
Fred Eissler
Air Line Pilots Association
Parker Erkmann
Dow Lohnes PLLC
Adam Gerhardt
TASC
Daniel Hanlon
Raytheon
Kevin Henry
SWAPA
Tom Jensen
UPS
Annabeth Killen
Cessna Aircraft
Tom Loftus
LS Technologies
George Novak
Aerospace Industries Association
Donnie Simons
Don Simons Associates
Greg Thom
Ultra ProLogic
Richard Thoma
LS Technologies
Helen Tremont
Maryland Aviation Administration
Mark Wachter
Aerospace Industries Association
Paul Wagner
CSC
»LaHood Swears In New FAA Administrator at Aero Club Luncheon
Calling him a “tremendous leader,” U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood swore in Michael
Huerta for a five-year term as the 17th Administrator of the FAA at the Aero Club’s January luncheon.
“As most of you know, Michael Huerta has been a tremendous leader at FAA – serving as both acting
administrator and deputy administrator,” LaHood said. “And today, I’m proud to celebrate his continued
leadership with all of you.”
Spring 2013
Keith Wallace
LS Technologies
Jim Walsh
BWI Airport
Jim Washington
B3 Solutions
3
Luncheons
Secretary LaHood Says Aviation Industry is Strong and Applauds Industry for Progress in Safety;
NextGen is Providing Benefits
Calling it a remarkable turnaround, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said
that the American aviation industry is strong and opportunities are growing.
“Today, the American aviation industry is strong, and it’s getting stronger,” LaHood
said. “More people are flying, and more cargo is being shipped around the world. This is a
remarkable turnaround from where the industry was a few years ago.”
At the Aero Club January luncheon, LaHood said U.S. airlines are making money
today and when the airlines do well, we all benefit. “The people who work in the industry
have more secure jobs,” LaHood said. “And the industry is better able to invest in the future
– buying new planes and working to improve the flying experience for travelers.”
LaHood also spoke on the progress of NextGen particularly in Atlanta where operations have improved by creating
16 new satellite-based departures that have resulted in less time on the ground waiting for takeoff and a savings of $35 million in fuel costs per year for the industry.“The bottom line is that we are leveraging the benefits of the latest technology to
move our aviation system forward,” LaHood said. “We’re improving capacity, ensuring safety and enhancing predictability.”
NATCA Leader Warns of Effects of Budget Cuts
National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi told the Aero Club
of Washington on Feb. 27 about the devastating and potentially irreversible negative impacts sequestration will have on the nation’s aviation system and economy if Congress does not act to avert it. “As many of you know,” Rinaldi said, “our National Airspace System is built on redundancy. When
funds and personnel are cut, layers of redundancy are eliminated, and layers of safety are slowly reduced.
Let me be clear – making our national airspace the world’s safest and most efficient is the top priority
for air traffic controllers and we will do everything in our power to maintain it moving forward. But the
inescapable fact is this: continued budget uncertainty is not good for the long-term safety of the system.”
Rinaldi began by celebrating the greatness of the NAS, how the aviation community has worked
to put together several years in a row of new highs in the safety record. It’s never been safer to fly, he
said, and the country’s reliance on the efficiency of the system is contributing $1.3 trillion in economic activity.
But he explained that the drastic cutbacks forced by sequestration will negatively impact everyone. Furloughs for air
traffic controllers will result in fewer flights and increased delays. Additionally, possible FAA and contract tower closures
will greatly affect general aviation, rural communities, private enterprises and the nation’s military.
Chairman Shuster’s First Appearance at the Aero Club
During the March Aero Club Luncheon, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster quoted
Scottish economic philosopher Adam Smith and our Founding Fathers saying that government should be limited but that it
plays a vital role in maintaining public works to facilitate commerce.
Shuster said that the United States has always been the aviation “gold standard” and said we need to continue to
be the world’s leader. “To support that lofty goal,” Shuster said, “it is important that there be a strong federal role in
aviation, just as it is important in other modes of transportation. It is essential that we have a competent federal presence
to ensure that our system remains the safest and most efficient in the world and to allow the aviation industry to grow and
prosper,” Shuster said.
Continuing on the theme of aviation, Shuster said the committee will closely watch the proposed merger between American and
US Airways, calling it another step toward the U.S. airline industry
“right sizing” itself. Shuster also said that the committee would
seek a regulatory balance for the aviation industry saying that no
AERO CLUB of Washington
P.O. Box 17295
one would argue that the aviation industry is under regulated.
Washington, DC 20041
Finally, on sequestration, Shuster urged the FAA to
703-327-7082 • 703-327-9412 (fax)
sharpen their pencils and seek cost savings that will least impact
aeroclub1@verizon.net (email)
employees, the flying public and the economy.
www.aeroclub.org
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A Quarterly Publication of the AERO CLUB of Washington DC | Spring 2013