October Newsletter 2011

THE FLY PAPER OCTOBER 2011 SHOWALTER FLYING SERVICE The Orlando Executive Airport (KORL) 400 Herndon Avenue Orlando, FL 32803 NBAA Update It is almost time to begin our year-long countdown to the 2012 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Annual Meeting and Convention, slated for October 30th-November 1st, 2012 in Orlando. Many of our customers have experienced an NBAA Convention (or six), but others of you may be new to this. NBAA is the larg- est gathering of corporate aviation in the world and it will be happening right here Special points at KORL and the Orange County Convention Center! Keep up with the planning and of interest: preparation by reading The Fly Paper, receiving email updates, checking Facebook and Twitter. • NBAA 2012 Here is a sneak peak of our 2011 NBAA Issue advertisement for Professional Pilot Magazine. Hope you like it!Inside this issue:USER FEES 2Based Customer 2SurveyLodi’s Lowdown 2Contact us:Phone: 407-894-7331Fax: 407-894-5094E-mail:jenny@showalter.comWeb:www.showalter.comFollow us on:

The Fly Paper Page 2 Have You Heard? General Aviation USER FEEES Proposed by President Obama This is an uncomfortable article for me to write. I consider myself to be rea- sonably aware when it comes to politics, but have mostly kept my feelings Based Customer Survey and views to myself over the years. Perhaps that comes from having politi- cians and candidates of all political persuasions grace our doorstep at theFirst I’d like to offer a big “thank you” airport? Whatever the case, the current political climate of uncertaintyto all of you who responded to Jenny’s paired with the economic hardship faced by our small business, has forcedsurvey! We read every word of feed- me out of the “political closet.”back and all of us appreciate hearingfrom you so very much. I want to take I imagine if you are reading The Fly Paper you are a friend to general avia-a second to address one item that tion. No matter what your political views are, if you follow the news andcame up a couple of times in your re- current events I’m betting you’ve heard the current administration and oursponses: Self-service 100LL. The President mention general/corporate aviation. Does the phrase “Corporateshort answer is that we’d absolutely Fat Cats” ring a bell? Since the beginning of his term, President Obama has,love to offer you that option. The for lack of a better term, been “picking” on the industry that I love and thattruth is that we simply can’t afford the feeds my family. There have been proposals for changes to the tax laws forcapital costs of site prep, a tank and a corporate jet owners, an end to the BARR program which now allows all air-delivery system. Back in the “good old craft to be tracked in-flight, and more. The latest attack came on Septemberdays” of 2006-2007 we actually 19th when President Obama proposed a $100 per flight user fee for all tur-started down the road of planning a bine aircraft. This proposal was described as a way to raise 11 billion dol-self-serve system adjacent to a cov- lars over the next ten years to reduce the national debt in the process. Now,ered wash rack for airplanes. By the I’m no expert at math, but 11 billion dollars from this new fee won’t go verytime we were ready to get serious we far toward reducing our 14 trillion dollar debt. How much will this programwere also watching business fall off cost? Who is going to oversee it? The FAA? Congress can’t even give thedramatically and it just hasn’t recov- FAA a lengthy reauthorization. Come on!ered. Hopefully one day soon we can The bottom line of this article is that we all need to get involved in preserv-get that project back on track. In the ing general aviation. This user fee proposal may only be for turbine aircraftmeantime I know there are cheaper now, but if successful, it could open the door for expansion of the programAvgas alternatives but remember we to all users of the Federal Airspace.show up with a smile, we’ll clean all The time to act is now! Educate yourself. Write your member of congress.your windows, we’ll put air in your Sign petitions (click or visit www.whitehouse.gov/petitions)!tires, oil in the engine, and even helpyou throw that canopy cover on! Our industry has taken a real beating with the spiraling economy and con- stant battering by the President. Help us defend the freedom of flight!On a yummier note, based on themany comments we received request- ~Jennying cookies and bottled water, wehave decided to phase in those com- Lodi’s Lowdownplimentary items. Watch for more Lodi’s Lowdown for the month of September was correctly answered byrefreshments in our lobby in the com- Nicholas Musashe, Steve Sutherland and Wendy Gorham. The creator of na-ing days! val aviation was (depending on how you phrase or read the question) William~Sandy Moffett, Glenn Curtiss or Eugene Ely. Take your pick! The first flight was January 18, 1911 in San Francisco Bay. Thanks for answering! The question for October: What is the name and hometown of the AOPA member-pilot that created the grassroots petition against user fees at www.whitehouse.gov/petitions? (Hint-you’ll find the answer when you add your name to the petition!) Please email your answers to jenny@showalter.com.

October Newsletter 2011

by Showalter Flying Service

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