The business aviation community should contact their Washington representatives to ensure the industry has a seat at the table in the ongoing budget debates and discussion of FAA reauthorization, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said today at the opening general session of the 2015 NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference in San Jose, Calif. While the most recent budget submitted to Congress does not include any mention of user fees, it does include “the singling out of general aviation as an industry that needs a new depreciation schedule,” a move he described as a political statement.

The second half of the session highlighted this year’s conference focus on safety and emergency preparedness, with an armchair discussion led by Don Chupp, president of safety consultancy Fireside Partners. Joining him were industry experts Denise Wilson, president and CEO of charter provider Desert Jet; Catherine Kidon, aviation director for Washington Penn Plastic; and security expert Matt Bogaard.

A second-day opening session will hit on this year's conference theme, "Soar to New Heights," which evokes a message of elevated safety and preparedness on the part of all business aviation professionals. During tomorrow morning's session, Chupp will facilitate a live emergency response frontline simulation.