general aviation Posts

Brad’s NBAA Flight Plan Interviews: BARR Fight Victory!

29 Dec , 2011 No Comments

In March of 2011, the Department of Transportation made a shocking change which eliminated the Blocked Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program.  The BARR system enabled personal and corporate aircraft operators such as myself to block tracking of our aircraft so that they couldn’t be tracked by anonymous users with nothing more than a web browser.  Once dismantled, competitors and random people online could see every move we made in our aircraft, the equivalent of allowing someone to go online and see the movements of every road you take and location you visit in your personal or company vehicle.  Obviously, this not only caused quite a stir in the aviation industry, but also had much larger implications for society as a whole if this same principal of complete online visibility was applied in the future to other types of vehicles.  Our basic right to privacy had been eliminated, but fortunately, there were numerous industry groups ready to battle this misguided move by our government.  Among those groups were the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association), the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) and the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association).

Throughout the course of the BARR fight, I spoke with numerous media outlets to help explain why this change was a poor decision and how it would affect small businesses such as my own.  I was also in contact with numerous political leaders, urging them to work towards reversing this wrong that had been committed against so many people and businesses such as my own.

On November 17th of 2011, I got an early Christmas present when I received word that the BARR fight was over – WE WERE VICTORIOUS!  I was absolutely thrilled to say the least.  Congress stepped in and reinstated the BARR program which sent a clear message that the rights of privacy were still important to the American people and businesses.

I certainly very thankful and appreciative to each of the aviation industry organizations who worked so diligently to protect the rights of aircraft owners and operators everywhere.  I’m also very appreciative of our elected leaders who did the right thing by ensuring the privacy of the citizens and businesses they represent remains protected.

Interview #1

After the victory was announced, I was honored to be interviewed for NBAA’s Flight Plan Podcast with host Pete Combs. You can read a full article, Congress Reinstates the BARR – What’s Next? by clicking here.   At the bottom of the article there’s the full audio portion of the interview.  I’ve also included a link directly to the audio interview here for your convenience.

Read the Full Article at the NBAA Site:  Congress Reinstates the BARR – What’s Next?
Listen to the Full Audio Interview:  Listen Now

Interview #2

Additionally, as a follow-up to this story, Pete Combs did another segment during his 2011 year in review series.  You can read the full article, BARR Battle Figured Prominently for Industry in 2011 by clicking here.  At the bottom of the article there’s the full audio portion of the interview.  I’ve also included a link directly to the audio interview here for your convenience.

Read the Full Article at the NBAA Site:  BARR Battle Figured Prominently for Industry in 2011
Listen to the Full Audio Interview:  Listen Now

Thanks again to everyone who worked so diligently to make this victory possible!

Brad’s NBAA Flight Plan Interview: Industry United in Thwarting Latest User Fee Threat

26 Sep , 2011 2 Comments

General aviation taxes.  They’re collected each time I fly.  From the moment I start the engine of my Turbo Cirrus SR22 Aircraft until the moment the blades stop spinning, taxes are being collected via the use of an aviation fuel tax.  If I fly a long trip where I’m likely going to be using more air traffic services, I burn more fuel, and therefore I pay more taxes.  If I make a quick hop to see a customer closer to home, I’ll likely use less air traffic services, burn less fuel, and therefore I pay less.  Simple.  Effective.  Proven.  It’s perhaps the most brilliant fair tax in effect today by our federal government.

What disturbs me is the recent proposal by the Obama administration to implement a new type of user fee which would negatively affect the general aviation community.  The proposal calls for a $100 fee to be paid for each business flight.  That means whether I’m flying to Miami or Memphis, I’d pay the same fee.  This simply makes no sense since there’s no correlation between my actual aircraft usage and the amount of revenue collected.  To make matters even worse, a whole new bureaucracy would need to be created (and paid for) simply to collect these new “use taxes.”  This is a bad solution to a problem that’s already been solved.  The current system isn’t broken, so let’s quit trying to fix it.

Beyond the unfair nature of the proposed user fees, I think it’s also important to note the negative effect these fees will have on our economy.  Take for instance my own company’s use of our general aviation aircraft.  We use our Turbo Cirrus SR22 to visit customers throughout the country.  It allows us to visit multiple customers in a single day, often turning three days of travel into one.  We’re able to see more customers, make more sales, grow our business, hire more employees, and better serve our customers so they can grow their businesses.  It’s a win-win scenario for everyone involved.  Our Cirrus has allowed my small business to grow which has a positive effect on the economy.  If these new user fees are enacted, it will mean a substantial increase in costs to our company.  This will stifle our growth, thereby stifling our contribution to our community and to the economy.  Our company isn’t unique, there are thousands of others just like us throughout the country who rely on general aviation which will be harmed by this proposal.  This proposal is simply bad for general aviation, bad for business and bad for our economy.

I recently spoke with Pete Combs, host of the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) Flight Plan Podcast series, to voice my concerns.  He wrote a great article explaining the numerous flaws of the new user fee proposal, along with an audio interview which includes excerpts from our conversation.

You can read a full article, Industry United in Thwarting Latest User Fee Threat by clicking here.   At the bottom of the article there’s the full audio portion of the interview.  I’ve also included a link directly to the audio interview here for your convenience.

Read the Full Article at the NBAA Site:  Industry United in Thwarting Latest User Fee Threat
Listen to the Full Audio Interview:  Listen Now

Brad’s Flying Adventure Across America

07 Sep , 2011 1 Comment

Click the image above or click here for a larger version version of my flight map.

I’ve recently landed my Turbo Cirrus SR22 Aircraft in all 48 lower United States which was quite an amazing adventure.  Along the way I attended countless business meetings, conferences and events… and I had an absolutely incredible time every step of the way!  There is simply no better, safer, or more comfortable way to travel and see the country than from a state-of-the-art general aviation aircraft.  Those of you who’ve followed my progression from a rookie pilot who did touch-and-goes on the weekends to an avid coast-to-coast flyer have likely heard me ask the rhetorical question, “Where can you find a product that changes your life?  That truly changes every aspect of what you do and who you are?”.  It’s an easy thing to come up with a memorable catchphrase, yet it’s another thing entirely to actually experience the benefits of it.  The Cirrus Aircraft is that product and it truly is phenomenal!  There’s no doubt in my mind if it weren’t for this airplane I would have never been able to see so many amazing sights or accomplish so many great things throughout the country.  I’ve built stronger relationships by being face-to-face with my customers and suppliers, grown my business significantly, lived a better and more fulfilling personal life and have had the pleasure of waking up each morning loving what I do.  It truly feel like I’m living a dream each and every time I take to the skies and experience the joy of flight!

I captured my journey in photographs along the way which I’ve put into the collage you see above.  I tried to incorporate unique elements into a number of the states from the images taken from high above in my Cirrus.  Feel free to explore the large version and you’ll likely recognize a few spots.  You can view various photo sizes of my flight map below (an original 61mb high resolution version is also available upon request):

Small (63k)
Medium (338k)
Large (7.6mb)

While this has been an great adventure, the most spectacular part of it all is I get to visit many of these places again and again, each time being just as magnificent as the last.  Thank you to all of my customers, suppliers, family, friends and co-workers who have been with me along the way.  Without you, and without the wonderful people at Cirrus Aircraft, my spectacular maintenance team at Air Orlando Maintenance, the great folks at NBAA and AOPA who work tirelessly to represent the positive impact of general aviation, and the friendly faces at Showalter Flying Service who always welcome me home with a smile after each of my journeys, none of this would have been possible.  I’m certainly very grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given and cherish every memory made along the way.

Two Great Aviation Events – AOPA Aviation Summit and NBAA 2011

24 Aug , 2011 No Comments

The aviation trade show season is upon us and the I hope that you’ll plan on joining me at two great aviation events which are happening soon.

The first is the 2011 AOPA (Airplane Owners & Pilots Association) Aviation Summit which is being held in Hartford, Connecticut from September 22nd-24th.  I’ll be speaking at this event regarding utilizing general aviation aircraft for business purposes.  You can find out more information and register this event by visiting:  https://www.aopa.org/summit/

The next event is the 2011 NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) 64th Annual Meeting & Convention which is being held in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada from October 10th-12th.  I’m an avid fan of the great work the folks at the NBAA do each day to promote the use of general aviation and know this will be a fantastic event.  You can find out more information and register for this event by visiting:  https://www.nbaa.org/events/amc/2011/

I’ll see you soon at both of these not-to-be-missed aviation events in Hartford and Las Vegas!

Countdown to Landing in All 48 Lower States in My Cirrus

14 Aug , 2011 2 Comments

Update: I’ve completed my coast-to-coast adventure!  There’s a new blog post available by clicking here which will take you to a flight map I created using pictures from each of the lower 48 states.  It also includes my commentary on Brad’s Flying Adventure Across America.

Here’s my original posting of this blog entry:

This morning I’m departing the Denver area for meetings throughout the Northwestern US.   The adventure will take five days and will last until next Friday when I return to Denver for a few days before heading back to Florida.

I’m no stranger to traveling extensively, but this trip is different.  Upon landing in the state of Washington, I will have landed at all 48 lower United States in my Cirrus SR22 aircraft!

I’ll be updating my progress over the next few days as I knock the final states off my list.

Update #1: Time for liftoff… The adventure begins!

Update #2: Three down, only two more to go!  Beautiful flying throughout the mountains in Montana today.  You can click on the pictures below to make them larger.

Update #3: Forty-seven down, only one to go!  Victory is in sight!

Update #4: Victory at last!  As the wheels of my Cirrus SR22 gently touched the runway surface in Washington State, it felt wonderful knowing I had just completed my goal of landing my Cirrus in all 48 lower United States.

Final Update: I’ll be providing another post with a much more detailed recap of my adventure to across America within the next few days.  It’s been an amazing ride and I really look forward to sharing it.  Tonight however, I’ll be putting down the laptop (and the airplane keys) to have a celebratory dinner instead.  Rest assured though, tomorrow I’ll be right back in the cockpit, headed back across the magnificent Rockies to see the great folks at XJet as I start making my way back east.

Safe and Sound: Safe and sound back in the beautiful XJet hanger in Denver, Colorado!

Bonus Picture: I couldn’t resist sharing this amazing picture which I took as I crossed over the border of Utah into Colorado at 17,000 feet.  You can click on the picture below to make it larger.