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    U.S. Supports Venezuelan Passport Extension

    Posted by Claudia Culmone on Mon, Dec 23, 2019



    In June of 2019, the U.S. State Department expressed support of the National Assembly of Venezuela’s decree, extending printed expiration dates on Venezuelan passports for an additional five years. The move comes in the midst of a crisis that has been building for years within Venezuela’s borders and has now expanded into the global arena.

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    Marijuana and Safety-Sensitive Functions Don’t Mix

    Posted by Whitney Sigafoose on Thu, Sep 26, 2019



    With the rise of legalized marijuana, it’s no surprise that its use is also on the rise. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse state that marijuana is the “most commonly used illicit drug in the United States." According to a 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 22.2 million people have used marijuana in the past month. With multiple states approving marijuana for recreational use and many more legalizing it for medicinal use, the laws can be very confusing for employees. The below map, posted by DISA Global Solutions, depicts how each state ranges from fully illegal to fully legal.

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    General Aviation Security Guidelines for Airport Operators and Users

    Posted by Joe Dalton on Tue, Jul 02, 2019



    Updated November 29, 2022

    Do you know in 2004 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) published Security Guidelines for General Aviation Airport Operators and Users? The guidelines provided general aviation (GA) operators a quick resource on topics that had only been communicated to commercial operators. In June 2021, the security guidelines document was updated by the TSA’s Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) to reflect current practices.

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    Singapore Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS) To Implement New Alcohol Testing Program For Pilots

    Posted by Joe Dalton on Fri, Apr 05, 2019



    Did you know that under the European Union (EU) Ramp Inspection Program, both private and commercial aircraft are subject to inspection when operating into/out of any of the 48 participating country states? The inspection covers 53 items and is expected to take 60 minutes, if all items are checked. Recently, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) added to their list of standard inspection items.  

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    Mark your calendar, folks. Phase 4 of REAL ID is here!

    Posted by Bailey Wong on Fri, Mar 29, 2019



    National Security is a top priority for the United States, and the forms with which we identify ourselves are being upgraded to meet the minimum-security standards established in the REAL ID Act. The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005 as an effort to boost the security features of identification cards and therefore, circumvent tampering and counterfeiting. The Act also establishes stricter document requirements in the application process as an added measure to prevent unauthorized individuals from obtaining a REAL ID.

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    Is Your Company Safe from Insider Threat?

    Posted by Claudia Culmone on Mon, Jan 28, 2019



    First, what is an insider threat? According to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) 2018 Report of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee on Insider Threats at Airports, “The term insider threat refers to individuals with privileged access to sensitive areas and/or information, who intentionally or unwittingly misuse or allow others to misuse this access to exploit vulnerabilities in an effort to compromise security, facilitate criminal activity, terrorism, or other illicit actions which inflict harm to people, an organization, the air transportation system or national security.”

    With that definition in mind, let’s examine the components of insider threat and how you can protect your operation from them.

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    Drones: The New Generation of Aviation

    Posted by Claudia Culmone on Fri, Jan 11, 2019



    Know someone who had a drone on their holiday wish list? Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or unmanned aerial systems (UAS), attract individuals young and old: weekend hobbyists, professionals, and those seeking a new career opportunity. As industries and individuals find new ways to use them, their popularity continues to grow.

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    Is Uber Weed in Our Future?

    Posted by Bailey Wong on Wed, Nov 14, 2018



    Whether it be recreational or medicinal, marijuana is becoming more accessible and its use is growing in popularity. The THC and CBD compounds of marijuana are being added into a lot of edibles. Candy, baked goods, coffee and now beer (yes, it’s a thing) are just a few of the innovative ways the cannabis industry and consumers have incorporated the substance into everyday consumables. While the creativity is impressive, is adding THC and/or CBD to edible items posing a bigger risk than we think?

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    Are Retired Veterans the Answer to General/Business Aviation's Personnel Shortage?

    Posted by Claudia Culmone on Mon, Nov 05, 2018



    Military veterans, especially pilots, have long chosen to pursue a second career in civil aviation. The Washington Post, this year, reports a little more than 80 percent of U.S. civil pilots served in the military during the 1960s. Many saw the military as a gateway to an aviation career; the military provided superior training and the opportunity to fly aircraft that was second to none. Having a military background gave pilots a clear advantage over other applicants within the general aviation industry. 

    Today, military veterans continue to be valuable to commercial airlines and aviation operators, but the number of veterans transitioning from the military to general aviation has decreased significantly. As a result, only “a third of private-sector U.S. pilots have military backgrounds.” Why the change?

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    Awareness Training Saves Lives

    Posted by Whitney Sigafoose on Tue, Oct 30, 2018



    Human trafficking is a worldwide epidemic. According to the International Labour Organization, an estimated 40.3 million people are victims of modern-day slavery. Of those 40.3 million people, 24.9 million people are in forced labor and 15.4 million are in forced marriage. Contrary to popular belief, this is not just an issue overseas, it is happening right in our own backyard. The image below from the Polaris Project shows the largest hot spots for human trafficking here in the United States.

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    "I have to say that using NATA is the the best decision I have made in starting and running our 135 Dept. Early on Emily and the entire group never got tired of my endless questions! *Not that they showed anyway;-). We use them for EVERYTHING, starting at PRIA, Drug Program, Records Storage, all the way thru Audit Prep and just answering all my questions. I seriously could not do this without them. Even when my rep Emily is busy, I can rely on Claudia, or Dan for immediate help. The service we receive is well worth what we pay and then some!!"

    Shellie Foster

    - Charter Director

    Clemens Aviation LLC
    I got a gold star from the TSA inspector who inspected our flight school last year, but that's because my company paid me ground time to research AFSP and make a new AFSP student checklist. Even so, I had one (of 3) AFSP applicants rejected initially due to some of the errors you talk about in the blog. I just wanted to shoot you an email and say thanks for making the effort to clarify the process for all of us. I get the impression that there are a lot of the CFIs out there in the small flight schools who haven't got a clue about the AFSP process. So go ahead and feel good about yourself for helping all us lost boys stay in business and out of the trouble.

    Patrick

    - The CFI