Issue 16
March 9, 2004
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Welcome to the NATA Safety 1st e-Line Service newsletter, a quarterly summary of the latest NATA Safety 1st news and education, dedicated to line service staff. Please make copies available to all line service technicians, both full and part-time.

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In this Issue of NATA Safety 1st e-Line Service ...

****NATA Safety 1st Program and Other NATA News
****Featured Safety Article... A Supervisor's Role in Preventing an Accident
****FAQ --- NATA Safety 1st and Fueling Issues
****Safety Tips … AirSure Limited Last Quarter 2003 Mishaps & Safety Meetings
****Safety Review...Aviation Alphabet
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****NATA Safety 1st Program and Other NATA News
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PROGRAM NEWS
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NATA has a telephone number dedicated to the NATA Safety 1st Program. Please call (703) 575-2045 and ask for Amy Koranda or Louis Soares. Our direct FAX number is (703) 845-0396.

NATA Safety 1st has its own website at http://www.nata.aero/safety1st/. Check it out! There is information on training, testing, continuing education (including past issues of the e-Line), program information and additional links for line techs.
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NATA Safety 1st Exhibits during the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in Savannah, Georgia

It was good to see many of you at the Schedulers & Dispatchers in Savannah. What a great show it was! There were around 75 NATA Safety 1st participants that showed their participation by displaying countercards at their booths. Many thanks for waving the Safety 1st flag! Schedulers & Dispatchers is a great show that makes you feel like you've really connected with all your customers. We look forward to Reno in 2005 and hope to see many more Safety 1st participants there.

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NATA Safety 1st bids farewell to a friend and supporter

Gary Jones of Jones Aviation in Sarasota, Florida passed away after a brief, but valiant battle with cancer. We will miss Gary's smile and enthusiasm for the NATA Safety 1st Program as well as the aviation industry. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his brother, Wayne, and the rest of the Jones Aviation team.

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NATA Safety 1st Participants Receive Yearly Renewal

We mailed yearly renewal notices on January 9, 2004. We want to thank all who have returned the yearly renewal payment. We encourage your participation as we continue to expand the program.

In 2004, we expanded the NATA Safety 1st Professional Line Service Training (PLST) offerings to include the most up-to-date Aircraft Ground Service Guide (AGSG) in color and also the 2004 Aircraft Towing Guide (ATG). Both publications are on the current January 2004 CD ROM that will be mailed to those that renew participation in the training program. These publications make great reference sources and a master copy should be printed and made available to all your line techs.

Both publications are available in pocket-size print. Purchasing copies of the AGSG and ATG is easy. Click here for the AGSG and ATG and your copy will arrive before you know it! These guides will help your line technicians provide the ultimate customer service by giving them pertinent details on arriving aircraft.

We added other valuable information to the 2004 PLST CD-ROM so that you may take advantage of our many services. In addition to the 2004 versions of the ATG and AGSG, we also included the current Employee Career Reference Guide (ECRG), the Trainer's Guidebook, a certification checklist, 2004 NATA Safety 1st product brochure and order form, NATA Safety 1st logos for marketing, the 2004 Line Service Supervisor Training (LSST) seminar schedule, the NATA Safety 1st Trainer seminar schedule, NATA membership application and the order form for the NATA Safety 1st Lesson Plans / Supplemental Training Modules for the PLST. We hope these resources will make it easy for you to maximize your Safety 1st benefits.

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10th Module on Aviation Security Update

The 10th module of the NATA Safety 1st PLST on Aviation Security has gotten positive feedback from both participants and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). There is excellent information that gives your line service a thorough understanding of security on the ramp. All training with the PLST in 2004 must include this module of the program. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO USE THE CURRENT LINE SERVICE SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION FORMS AS THIS INCLUDES TRAINING AND TESTING ON THE AVIATION SECURITY MODULE.

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NATA Safety 1st Participants Review Tug and Tow 101

The FAA produced a training CD ROM called Tug and Tow 101. Several of our NATA Safety 1st participants helped review the training CD. The FAA appreciates these evaluations and is currently reviewing comments and making changes. We will share the results in a subsequent eLine as they are made available.

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NATA Safety 1st Works with Flight Safety Foundation

Amy Koranda is participating on the Flight Safety Foundation's Ground Accident Prevention (GAP) Education and Training committee. GAP is a program to aid in the elimination of accidents and incidents that occur during ground operations on airport aprons (including adjacent taxiways), during the movement of aircraft in and out of hangars, and that directly affect airport operations and/or result in personnel injuries or damage to serviceable aircraft, facilities or ground-support equipment.

Our committee will identify, understand and base-line present day industry practices regarding ground handling and recommend proven strategies and processes to education and training. We are currently looking for input from many of our Safety 1st participants. Texas Jet and Banyan Air have already shared valuable "lessons learned" on the ramp. If you would like to share valuable information on how you go the extra mile to assure the safety of airplanes on your ramp, we would like to hear from you.

You will hear more about this as we progress. In the meantime, please email Amy Koranda special programs and/or ideas you have on your line that have minimized or alleviated your ground mishaps. You will receive full credit and help further our GAP efforts.

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NATA Safety 1st SAFETY MEETING LESSON PLANS / PROFESSIONAL LINE SERVICE SUPPLEMENTAL MODULE TRAINING

Are you looking for some fresh materials for your safety meetings? Do you need supplemental training for your line technicians? We have a year's worth of lessons learned on the line. All of these lessons are real-case mishaps that have happened on the line and serve as great training material.

If you'd like to see an example of one of these lesson plans, click here. The lesson plan is the feature article for Issue 12.

If you have an interest in purchasing the lesson plans, CLICK HERE TO PRINT AN ORDER FORM.

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In the each e-Line, we ask you to share safety information or statistics about how the NATA Safety 1st Program has impacted your business. Please keep information coming our way! We really think you are doing a great job of keeping your lines safe.
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NATA NEWS
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2004 NATA Convention & AS3 Tradeshow

The NATA 2004 Annual Convention will be held May 18-20, 2004 in Las Vegas. The host hotel is the LasVegas Hilton. The convention programming will include celebrity speakers, high-level executive and managerial sessions, thought provoking panel discussions, plus traditional and new networking receptions and fun special events. Also, the AS3 and GSE Trade Show will be held May 18-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Come join the fun! You can obtain the official GSE/AS3 Housing Form and the NATA Convention Registration Forms by clicking here.

Don't miss out on our provocative sessions. NATA is the voice of aviation, but let's hear yours during this convention!

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NATA's GENERAL AVIATION SECURITY GUIDE ---in Hot Demand

NATA's General Aviation Security Guide is gaining in popularity. Make sure to get your copy. The General Aviation Security Guide is designed to be used by FBOs, aircraft charter companies, maintenance and avionics service providers, flight schools, cargo handlers and other general aviation service entities operating on an airport. Many NATA members have reported the resources provided in this guide are invaluable.

The General Aviation Security Guide is available on CD ROM for $50.00/ NATA members and $100.00/ non-members. The guide is also available in a three-ring binder for $125.00/ NATA members and $250.00/ non-members. Call 800/808-6282 or go to our website and click on "Publications."

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Aviation Business Journal --- Winter 2004 edition just hit your mailbox

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) launched the Aviation Business Journal (ABJ) in July of 2003. This quarterly publication provides NATA members with business management information to help them run more effective and profitable aviation service businesses.

Make sure you read your copy of ABJ as it features some great articles. The Winter 2004 edition features, "The Dark Story of the Sunshine State's Illegal Air Charter Operators," "Minimum Standards Go Way Beyond Just Leveling the Playing Field," "Hire Right the First Time," "The Cost of Good Quality Assurance" and "Add Muscle to Your Marketing." All these articles supplement the President's Message, Inside Washington, NATA Member Profile: Wisconsin Aviation (one of our NATA Safety 1st participants!) and NATA Member News. Don't miss this enlightening edition.

Have you thought about marketing your FBO? An Aviation Business Journal media kit is available. For information on advertising in Aviation Business Journal, contact Cheryl Stratos or Marnie Murphy. You can also call 703/212-4967.

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SEMINAR NEWS
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Please remember the Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar
(LSST) is a required part of the NATA Safety 1st Program. Please read the following changes that are applicable to your fire safety training.
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Before we begin by giving you the latest dates for our upcoming Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar (LSST), we want to let you know that the final rule has been published on FAR 139. We mention this because it impacts both the LSST and our NATA Safety 1st PLST. It impacts 139.321 on training requirements and recurrency of your training as follows:

"(e) (1) At least one supervisor with each fueling agent shall have completed an aviation fuel training course in fire safety that is authorized by the Administrator. Such an individual shall be trained prior to initial performance of duties, or enrolled in an authorized aviation fuel training course that will be completed within 90 days of initiating duties, and receive recurrent instruction at least every 24 consecutive calendar months."

The wording in bold type was added to the final version. As for the individuals you will train, the regulation reads as follows:

"(e) (2) All other employees who fuel aircraft, accept fuel shipments, or otherwise handle fuel shall receive at least initial on-the-job training and recurrent instruction every 24 consecutive calendar months in fire safety from the supervisor trained in accordance with paragraph (e)(1) of this section."

Again, the wording in bold type was added to the new regulation. Recurrency is very important for all your fire safety training. The good news is both the LSST and the NATA Safety 1st PLST, module 9 on Fire Safety, are authorized by the Administrator to comply with FAR 139.321. The final version of 139 is available on our website. Please review other pertinent details on training by reading 139.321 in its entirety.
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The next LSST will be held in Windsor Locks, Connecticut on March 18 & 19, 2004 and there will be one held prior to the NATA Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16 & 17, 2004. Details on registration, hotel and shuttle information are provided.

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Financial Management Tools and Techniques for Aviation Service Businesses, will be held May 16th & 17th, 2004 in Las Vegas prior to the NATA Convention. Phil Botana and Mark Chambers, experts in the financial aspects of running FBOs, will lead the seminar. All information is aviation specific with hands-on exercises that compliment and reinforce your learning experience. Details on registration and hotel information are provided.

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The NATA Safety 1st Trainer Program will be held May 17 & 18, 2004 in Las Vegas prior to the NATA Convention. This seminar, led by industry experts Frank Surface and Walter Chartrand, will share tips related to training. Training is specific to the NATA Safety 1st PLST so your trainer will come back with lots of good ideas on how to manage your line training. Details on registration and hotel information are provided.
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Let us hear from you...If you’d like to share something with other NATA Safety 1st participants, send an email to Amy Koranda with information and/or pictures for the NATA e-Line and website.

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****Featured Safety Article...A Supervisor’s Role in Preventing an Accident
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As part of this e-Line, we will include an educational article. Most of the articles will provide continuing education on issues of importance to line service. In addition, if you are currently taking the NATA Safety 1st written and practical exams, these articles will make great study material. Feel free to copy them
and maintain a book for future reference.
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An ounce of prevention.....

A "near miss" or "mishap" is an unplanned event that has the potential for property loss or injury and prevents a task from being completed. It has been reported that mishaps or near misses preceded 75 percent of on-the- job injuries. These “near misses” are FREE information. Make sure you pay attention and that all of your line techs are doing the same! The next one could cost you!

How do you handle those minor accidents or near misses at your facility? What's your attitude to an incident? Do you feel momentarily relieved an incident wasn't any worse and return to your routine? Do you just tell your line techs that you supervise to be more careful next time? Since you're responsible for line safety, do you have a plan for preventing mishaps?

As a supervisor, you should develop a preventive, not reactive, safety program. The warning signs of "near misses" cannot be neglected. Understand what happened before you try to reduce or control any mishaps. Answering the following questions can help you analyze the cause of an incident:

· 1) Was the line tech using unsafe practices?
· 2) Was the line tech careless because the tasks were too repetitious?
· 3) Was the line tech violating any safety practices?
· 4) Were conditions unsafe?
· 5) Was proper lighting available?
· 6) Was the line tech taking short- cuts?
· 7) Is the line tech accident-prone?
· 8) Was the line tech trained and/or signed-off to do this procedure?

You should be especially interested in each mishap occurring at your facility. Determine if your line tech wasn't using proper safety practices when a "near miss" occurred. Responsible supervisors will try to correct any irregularities in an employee's skills, training or behavior leading up to the mishap.

You supervise the training, line quality and procedures, but might not devote enough time to accident prevention. Spend the time. Remember that accident prevention controls your losses. Remind yourself to conduct safety inspections of line conditions, procedures and practices each time you are on the ramp.

Share safety responsibilities with your line techs. Repeat your mishap prevention message to everyone, not just those involved in a "near miss." Hold a safety meeting following mishaps so that everyone knows about problem areas or about mistakes to avoid in the future. Get everyone involved and discuss the facts!

Have an open door policy on safety related matters. Demonstrate your interest in protecting everyone’s safety by responding to incidents or problems as your line techs report them to you. For example, if you immediately remove faulty equipment from service, they'll be more inclined to share the responsibility for line safety.

Also, insist that safety practices apply to all visitors, vendors or personnel that access the ramp area. Make sure everyone is aware of visitors on the ramp and that they know your safety procedures and practices. Assure their safety by making personal protective equipment available with a briefing on usage. Don't forget to set the safety example by adhering to your own safety practices.

You don't need to wait for a serious injury or accident in order to analyze what changes need to be made on your ramp or to your safety practices. Use a mishap or “near miss” as an opportunity to find and eliminate potential problems that could result in injuries or property-damaging accidents.

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****FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) --- NATA Safety 1st and Fueling Issues
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This section will help you with the paperwork and study process. In addition, we will include other questions about fueling issues that are frequently asked. If you have any tips to share, please
submit them to us and we will include them in upcoming e-Lines.

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Some of my new line service technicians are not ready for testing within the 90 day NATA Safety 1st Program requirements...what do I do?
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Everyone learns at a different rate. Because of this, we understand that some line service techs will not be ready within this 90-day period. We will rely on your best judgment to determine when this person will be ready to test.

We'd like you to follow this time period as closely as possible though. We encourage you to pair this new employee with one of your more experienced line technicians until they are ready to test. This will provide good training and also a great mentor.

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What can we do about a misspelled name on our NATA Safety 1st certificate?
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Please fax a copy of the certificate with the correction written on the certificate and we will get a corrected copy out to you asap. Also, make sure to write or type the information clearly so that we don't have to decipher your writing.

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****Safety Tip...Ground Mishaps
AirSure Limited

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Normally we highlight your comments or suggestions here. We have reserved this spot for the last quarter mishaps written by AirSure Limited. We highly recommend you read and discuss these mishaps to determine how you would prevent these from happening at your FBO. If you can prevent one mishap from reading these, wouldn't it be well worth the time and effort?

Please click on the following links to review the last quarter of 2003. PDF or Word

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Safety Training Tip: Staying on track with your Safety Meetings

Keep your next safety meeting focused by considering a new rule. Every idea presented needs to be “seconded” before the entire group discusses it. This will help eliminate suggestions that are so far fetched that they waste time during your meeting. This also helps the supervisor from being the bad guy.

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Please share safety information or tips that have increased
safety awareness on your line. Your ideas will be printed
here with credit given. Thanks for sharing with other NATA
Safety 1st participants!
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****Safety Review
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The following safety review was taken from Driving on the Airport Operations Area, Airport Vehicle Operator Safety Study Guide. This publication was created and produced by the Federal Aviation Administration Information Media Division, AMI-700A:

The Aviation Alphabet
The following is the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic
alphabet that is used in radio communications. Use the words in place
of letters to reduce confusion. For example, Taxiway B would be referred to
as Taxiway Bravo.

A Alpha AL-FAH
B Bravo BRAH-VOH
C Charlie CHAR-LEE
D Delta DELL-TAH
E Echo ECK-OH
F Foxtrot FOKS-TROT
G Golf GOLF
H Hotel HOH-TEL
I India IN-DEE-AH
J Juliett JEW-LEE-ETT
K Kilo KEY-LOH
L Lima LEE-MAH
M Mike MIKE
N November NO-VEM-BER
O Oscar OSS-KAH
P Papa PAH-PAH
Q Quebec KEH-BECK
R Romeo ROW-ME-OH
S Sierra SEE-AIR-RAH
T Tango TANG-GO
U Uniform YOU-NEE-FORM
V Victor VIK-TEH
W Whiskey WISS-KEY
X X-ray ECKS-RAY
Z Zulu ZOO-LOO

0 Zero ZEE-RO
1 One WUN
2 Two TOO
3 Three TREE
4 Four FOW-ER
5 Five FIFE
6 Six SIX
7 Seven SEV-EN
8 Eight AIT
9 Nine NIN-ER
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The NATA Safety 1st e-Line Service newsletter is distributed
quarterly. We welcome your feedback on this newsletter and
any topics you would like to see discussed. Send articles/email
to Amy Koranda.

Thank you for your commitment to line service safety...
keep those ramps safe.