NATA Compliance Services Blog

The Aviation Industry in China and Asia Pacific is booming, bringing new opportunities to American flight schools. According to Brookfield Aviation International, the region’s commercial airlines are expected to acquire around 35,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years. This need for additional aircraft is a direct result of a strengthening economy that is generating an ongoing, annual 5.7 percent increase in air travel demand. In fact, it is estimated that by 2036, 40 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) will belong to Asia Pacific.

Do you know that a conviction of a crime in the United States, or any country, can impact an individual’s entry into Canada? If your operation plans to send a pilot, flight attendant or any employee into Canada, you should ensure they are not criminally inadmissible before doing so. In a previous blog post, we discussed how running a driver’s license check is a good way to spot any potential complications with an aviation worker, and this is just another potential hurdle to be aware of.

Safety is paramount in the aviation industry and hiring the right pilot is important in maintaining that high standard. In a previous post, we looked at background checks concerning a person’s criminal record. While running a Federal Aviation Administration records check is required under the Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996 (PRIA), you also have the option to run an Accident, Incident and Enforcement (AIE) report; or submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. However, what is the difference between the two?

Conducting a full review of an applicant’s background is an effective way to determine if they will be an asset to your company. In this three-part background checks blog series, we dive into the benefits and challenges associated with these checks. In Part 1, we discussed running a criminal background check. Now we will review checks that provide valuable information about an applicant’s driving record.

The two options when retrieving driving record details are as follows:

1. The National Driver Register (NDR) check
2. The Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) check 

As part of the new-hire evaluation process, one of the options available to you is to run a criminal check on the person you are considering for employment. You may be wondering if such an action is actually necessary. Checking the criminal records of your employees may provide you with clues into an applicant’s future behavior and alert you of potential issues. Three types of online database criminal history records checks available are: the National Criminal Records Check, the State Criminal Records Check and the County Criminal Records Checks.

Has it been a while since your last FAA inspection? Or are you new to the requirements and regulations you need to follow?

If so, you may be shocked by the FAA Inspection Items that your company is required to provide; and even if it’s not a "regulatory requirement", you will undoubtedly get through the inspection a lot easier with the extra documentation.

Over the last two years or so, the FAA-issued Inspection Items have evolved to be more in-depth and require more preparation than in years previous. So what should you expect for your next inspection?

Terminating an employee is never a task managers enjoy or seek to do, but occasionally it has to be done. For those of you that think letting a subpar employee skate by is easier than confronting the issues straight on, give it enough time and you'll wish you terminated that employee months ago. There's nothing worse than waiting for an employee to quit while they poison the rest of the business. So, when is it time to cut ties? Some key indicators are...

We've all heard the phrase 'organized chaos', but what about the phrase 'organized system'?

Studies show that working in an unorganized and cluttered environment negatively affects our ability to focus. Still, many people don't set time aside to put things where they need to go. In no time, there are boxes and paperwork piled up that will take days to sort through, as well as a never-ending inbox full of new emails. With even less time to organize than before, the constant cycle of 'organized chaos' can cost companies thousands of dollars in fines, overhead, and time.

The threat of cybercrime is growing rapidly. Now that smart phones, tablets and laptops are a fundamental part of our lives, the threat of webcam hacking is more real than ever, especially as more people use video apps such as Hangout, Skype, Zoom and Blue Jeans. With sophisticated malware, cybercriminals can easily hack your computer and gain access to your webcam. Not only is the webcam on your smart devices an easy target but the security systems and monitors on your home network are also vulnerable. Read about protecting your home network. 

In a previous blog post we discussed, 'Everything you need to know about the Known Crewmember^® Program'; during this time the program was being launched by NATA Compliance Services from the partnership with Airlines for America. Now that the program itself has been in full swing for over 5 years and several improvements have been made, the Known Crewmember^® Program is surprising us all. It has become more than we could have ever imagined and yet it continues to evolve. The KCM Program isn't just a luxury for pilots and flight crews, it's becoming an industry standard and is trending to be a crucial factor in hiring, scheduling and employee retention.