Issue 3
December 1, 2000

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NATA Safety 1st e-Line Service News

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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...Fuel Receipt Procedures
****FAQ --- NATA Safety 1st
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****NATA Safety 1st Program and Other NATA News
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PROGRAM UPDATES
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Many of you have reached or exceeded the first year in the NATA
Safety 1st Program. Congratulations! We hope you have seen one
of thebest and safest years your line service has ever experienced.
Let us know what kind of a year you have had. We are particularly
interested in hearing statistics on ramp incidents or the lack of
them since you started the NATA Safety 1st Program.

Just to give you an example of what we are talking about we'd like
to share information from one of our participants. We will call them
Safety Awareness Raised FBO, Inc. "During the testing phase of the
NATA Safety 1st Program, we realized a 27% decrease in ramp
incidents. We strongly feel it was the added emphasis on safety and the thoroughness of the testing. This safety conscientiousness will continue throughout the year as we have incorporated the testing into our training program."

Now that's what we like to hear! We hope you have similar statistics
to share! And remember to share them with your insurance company
when it comes time for your renewal. Another of our companies shared
that they were very happy when it came time for their insurance renewal.
They were very pleased that their premiums remained the same
and attributed it to their participation in the NATA Safety 1st Program.

So. . . let us hear from you! Information will be confidential.

Completion of the first year also requires many of you to renew
for 2001. If you have completed your first year, you have received an
invoice for $50. The renewal fee of $50 goes to offset advertising fees,
administration expenses and program decals. Testing of your current
line staff will take place next year, as testing is required every other
year of the program. We will send a reminder when the time comes
to retest. (If you haven't received a renewal notice, don't worry you will
receive one in the late spring of 2001. We want 100% of you to renew!)
If you received your invoice, you also received a copy of all the line
service personnel participating in the Safety 1st Program. If there is
someone working on your line whose name does not appear, they
should be in the midst of training and/or testing. Please let us know
of any discrepancies or if you require test binders.

If you have participants who are no longer with you, please feel free to
indicate so directly on the list and fax it back to us at (703) 845-8176.
This will help us keep the database current.

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SEMINAR NEWS
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As discussed in the last e-Line issue, you can enroll in any of our
seminars online. And once again don't forget, attendance by one line
service team member at the Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar (LSST) is a NATA Safety 1st requirement. (For the Safety 1st Program, we require one line service team member to attend. As long as that person remains with your company, the LSST requirement has been met.

REMEMBER: If you are a 139 airport, the regulation is currently undergoing change. We will advise the outcome when it becomes final.) The next LSST seminars will be January 18 & 19, 2001 in Dallas, Tx; March 22 & 23, 2001 in Hartford, CT and April 30 & May 1, 2001 in Long Beach, CA during the AS3 - Aviation Services and Suppliers Supershow.

NATA offers other continuing education seminars. Some that may be of interest are the Hiring & Firing Seminar and Excellence in Customer
Service.

NATA is pleased to offer its prestigious executive program for the third year. It will be held July 15-18, 2001 at Northwestern University's Transportation Center. This intensive 3-day seminar is called Strategic Management for Aviation Businesses. It was developed for owners and senior managers of airport fixed-base operators, air taxi/charter operators, aircraft repair facilities and other general aviation service firms. Additionally, major suppliers and other participants in the general aviation industry will find it beneficial.

The Strategic Management seminar allows airport service providers of all kinds to confront a uniquely broad range of management and planning issues, from technical aviation and environmental concerns to long range financial planning in an uncertain industry. It also provides intensive education in key management functions of these firms. Emphasis is placed on measuring and shaping the financial character of the firm, with sessions devoted to valuation of enterprise components and to strategies for maintaining and increasing that value.

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NATA CONVENTION NEWS
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The NATA 2001 Annual Convention Preliminary Program Brochure
will soon arrive at your facility. We hope you will be joining us for
an action-packed time in Long Beach, California from May 1-3, 2001.
Check out ground and air transportation or make hotel reservations.
We look forward to seeing you there.

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****Featured Safety Article...Fuel Receipt Procedures
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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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Fuel Receipt Procedures
by Mike Mooney, Valley Oil Company LLC
Email: mmooney@valleyoilco.com
Website: http://www.valleyoilco.com
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In the last e-Line issue, we discussed fuel API Gravity. This is just one step in the important process of receiving fuel. In this issue we will discuss the overall fuel receipt procedure of inspecting and testing fuel before it is placed into your storage tanks. Recently I received a call from a concerned line person who reported a change of more than 2 degrees in the gravity from what was printed on the bill-of-lading. My first question was "where is the fuel" his answer "in my tank". Wrong answer.

Receiving Fuel

Some airports receive fuel by pipeline directly into their tanks, most rely on truck deliveries, and so my focus will be on the latter.

1. The driver pulls up to your fuel farm. Can he deliver without you even being there? Believe it or not, I have seen airports where they allow the drivers to deliver fuel unattended. Scary.

First thing: inspect the paperwork. Is it your fuel? Is it the correct grade? Is it the correct quantity? Make sure it will fit in your tank, unless you want to test your high-level shut-off system, or worse, have a spill.

2. Inspect the unloading connection and hoses. Clean off any apparent dirt, or other contamination and inspect the hoses for cleanliness. Rags that were stuffed into hoses, and then flushed into the tank have clogged pumps and filters. If the truckeris going to use his pump, make sure it has been drained or have them pump a sample into a bucket first to ensure that the pump is not purged with a contaminant (such as red diesel).

3. Wait at least 10 minutes. This will allow any water, dirt, or other contaminant to settle to the bottom, before you draw your samples. You are in control; if the driver starts to complain, give your oil company a call.

4. Perform a "White Bucket Test". This employs a white bucket and/or a glass jar and a very sensitive piece of test equipment. The human senses! Draw a sample from each and every compartment and look for water, dirt, discoloration, etc. If you see anything make a mental note of these and draw another sample. If after several samples the fuel does not clear up, stop the delivery, and call your oil company. For a more detailed description of the white bucket test consult the ASTM MNL-5 publication, ATA 103, or your oil company manual.

5. API Gravity - See the last issue (Issue 2 on September 1, 2000 of the e-Line Service News or ASTM MNL-5.)

6. Water Test - Many easy, and effective water test kits are commonly available such as the Velcon Hydro-Kit, the Shell Water Detector or the highly sensitive Gammon Aqua-Glo.

7. Attach a Bonding Cable and Unload the Fuel. If the fuel passes all these tests, and only if, you can begin the unloading process. Check your high-level shut-off if your tank is so equipped. Note and monitor your filter differential pressure. Watch for any leaks.

8. Document it all. Record all of the above, with every load using any of the forms commonly available. Keep these records on hand for at least 2 years. The last thing you ever want to do is show up in court and say "we did all of our Q.C. checks, we just never recorded them." Or even worse "we recorded them, but we never did them."

If you have any questions or comments, please email Mike Mooney.
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****FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) --- NATA Safety 1st
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This section will help you with the paperwork and study process.
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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How will I know when it is time to retest my
line service team?
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The NATA Safety 1st Program requires testing every other year.
During the interim, we do encourage ongoing training and review. In fact, many of you have indicated that you have incorporated the practical testing into your training. That's terrific! We hope all of you will do this if possible.
When you reach your 2nd year, we will notify you. You will receive a list of participants with the date of their last test. Details on how best to proceed with the testing will be included.

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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, and there are many training programs available. Because of this variation, we understand that some line service techs will not be ready within this 90 day period. We will rely on your best judgement to determine when this person will be ready to test.

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

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Would a brochure on the NATA Safety 1st Program
be beneficial to you?
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Now it's our turn to ask you a question. If we designed an information
brochure on the NATA Safety 1st Program for your customers, would it be beneficial to you? Please email Amy Koranda (akoranda@nata-online.org)
with your response. We will get back with you after we have received your comments.

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And finally just one more question... Is there anything
we aren't doing with the NATA Safety 1st Program that you
would like us to do?
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Please let Amy Koranda (akoranda@nata-online.org) know. We
will get back with you after we have received your suggestions.
Thanks for your assistance! I am sure there is something more you
would like to see us do.

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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 akoranda@nata-online.org.

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