At this year's NBAA show, the association has held and is holding a series of two-day workshops with a specific audience in mind. While there are courses such as the Friends & Partners in Aviation Weather course (Wednesday, October 11 and Thursday, October 12), a majority of the two-day workshops are professional development program (PDP) courses.
The goal of NBAA’s PDP is to prepare business aviation professionals for flight department management roles. Anyone who has or is looking for a role in a management position for a company associated with business aviation is eligible to take part in this program. This includes supervisory pilots, maintenance personnel, line service personnel, schedulers, dispatchers or flight attendants. Participants are rewarded for searching for professions in business aviation and completing PDP coursework.
The Emergency Response Planning workshop, held before the show opened, was presented by the VanAllen Group and taught attendees the skills and knowledge to effectively respond to any emergencies that may happen within their company. It also offered tips for updating their company’s emergency response plan.
The International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Flight Operations Manual workshop, also held before the show opening, examined the importance of up-to-date flight operations manuals. Attendees learned about standard operating procedures as well as safety management systems, flight operations, training, administration/organization, maintenance and international standards. By the end of the day, participants gained materials and skills to create an IS-BAO-compliant draft manual when they return to their home base.
Held on Friday, October 13 and Saturday October 14, the Management Fundamentals for Flight Departments workshop will cover basic management practices for those leading flight departments. Topics covered include safe operations, vendor selection and tracking, internal and external communications, case studies, budgeting and accounting and more. Attendees will gain skills in analyzing data, monitoring regulatory changes and understanding the idea behind dispatch, crew and technical interrelations.
As with all PDP courses, the workshops offered at the NBAA show meet different objectives for the program. The Emergency Response Planning workshop meets operations objective five, meaning that participants will learn skills in developing and implementing an emergency plan while learning how to develop a public relations response within their plan. Covering objectives one and four, the IS-BAO Flight Operations Manual workshop helps attendees communicate better and develop standard operating procedures while putting basic IS-BAO essentials into practice. Finally, the Management Fundamentals for Flight Departments workshop covers objectives two and three, meaning that participants will gain knowledge in operating computers, scheduling and reducing travel expenses while learning how to monitor regulatory changes.
