As usual, yesterday’s opening session at NBAA 2014 in Orlando, Fla., included speakers from the industry, legislative and regulatory areas: Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.); Christopher Hart, acting secretary of the NTSB; and Enterprise Holdings chairman Andrew Taylor. Shuster kicked off the session by highlighting the importance of general and business aviation to rural communities in his district.

He then turned to the upcoming discussion on FAA reauthorization that he will be heavily involved with as chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “It goes without saying that the U.S. has the best aviation safety system out there. We need to keep it,” Shuster said. “The next FAA reauthorization will lay the groundwork for the future of the U.S. aviation industry, [and] this bill is one of my highest priorities in the next Congress.”

The NTSB’s Hart, who is also President Obama’s choice to lead the Board, discussed his concerns about increasing cockpit automation. Finally, Taylor described the importance of business aviation to Enterprise, which has the largest automotive rental fleet in the world. “Business aviation was one of the reasons why we were able to become successful and so large,” he noted. “We couldn’t have done it without that.”