 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Visit our directory of manufacturers, suppliers and service providers
Search through years of
AIN past issues
Search through the latest
events and conferences
RSS Feed
| Financing, Insurance and Taxes |
Congress Moves To Stop New Tax Rules
November 01, 2005
Republican lawmakers have taken steps to shelve new tax rules in the 2005 Highway Bill designed to discourage truckers from using jet fuel to avoid higher taxes on diesel fuel. Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) and Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) sent letters to U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow urging suspension of the new rules, which...
moreIndustry challenges threats to trust fund
November 01, 2005
The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) is urging Congress to resist all attempts to “raid” the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, including airline industry calls for new tax breaks, and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) reiterated its preference for having general aviation contribute to the fund through taxes on aviation...
moreAviation Finance: Low rates and competition create a borrowers' market but the economy may hold some suprises
November 01, 2005
A vibrant level of new aircraft deliveries, strong sales of used aircraft, low interest rates and competition among lenders have provided banks and other companies involved in the financing of business aircraft with greater activity this year than last year. But the business aviation industry is notoriously cyclical, and recent signs may indicate the end of...
moreCompressing the Spread
November 01, 2005
Interest rates for aircraft loans and leases are typically negotiated individually for each case, so lenders rarely publish their rates. Aircraft type, the value of the specific aircraft, its intended use, its location and the financial standing of the client, along with the down payment and length of the loan, all figure into the interest rate.
Lenders...
moreVery Light Jets on the Horizon
November 01, 2005
For aircraft financers, insurance and the stability of the OEM are the main concerns when they consider the very light jets (VLJs), three of which are working toward certification next year.
“Other than the Cessna Mustang, all the VLJs are being developed by new companies that have no track record or residual-value histories,” said James Dickerson of...
moreSo What’s Happening to the Economy?
November 01, 2005
Unlike physics, economic forecasting is not an exact science, and significant natural disasters have a way of scattering the tea leaves. Nevertheless, it might be worthwhile to see what two experts are saying.
Bill Hackney, managing partner of Atlantic Capital Management of Atlanta (an investment company for institutional clients), said in a special...
moreAircraft operators may not be aware of all taxes due
November 01, 2005
Conklin & de Decker course helps operators maneuver through the complicated tax maze
moreCrews need specific training for flying in the mountains
November 01, 2005
Pulling into position for takeoff or passing the final approach fix for landing, especially at a mountain airport, presents many challenges. The accident history of corporate jets indicates an apparent lack of preparation for contingencies, such as engine failure on takeoff, mountain wave turbulence, extreme cold temperature errors in altimeters, technology...
moreFrench investigative board blasts flags of convenience
November 01, 2005
The chief of the NTSB’s French counterpart is concerned that an increasing number of aircraft are flying under flags of convenience. Talking to members of the French association of aerospace journalists recently, Paul-Louis Arslanian, director of the Paris Le Bourget-based Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA), condemned the fact that some “rogue...
moreEU considers charging emissions fees
September 01, 2005
Within a decade, aircraft operators flying in the airspace of the 25-state European Union (EU) will likely have to start paying for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from their engines. The long-awaited final report from Dutch consultants CE Delft was published on July 29, and it has advised the European Commission’s environmental directorate (which...
moreLegislation aims to restore funds for aeronautics R&D
September 01, 2005
Before it adjourned for its summer recess, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to authorize an extra $1.3 billion for NASA over the next two years to fund earlier cuts in aeronautics research.
While NASA can trace its roots to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which was chartered in 1915, in recent years aeronautical research...
moreFAA searches for new funding source
September 01, 2005
Although the FAA is not yet advocating new taxes or user fees, the agency continues to emphasize that it needs a consistent, stable revenue stream that is not tied to the price of an airline ticket.
The taxes that feed the Airport and Airways Trust Fund, which is expected to provide 89 percent of the FAA’s FY2006 budget, are set to expire in 2007. “A...
moreFAA readies for budget crunch
August 01, 2005
If there’s one thing that FAA COO Russell Chew has going for him as he faces $8.3 billion in budget losses by 2009, it’s that he has lots of people on the sidelines giving him advice. In addition to aviation’s usual alphabet organizations, the four heavy hitters that have recently come forward have been the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the FAA’s...
moreFBOs want pilots to sign hold-harmless forms
August 01, 2005
In an attempt to limit their insurable losses and reduce premiums, some FBOs continue to ask transient pilots to sign hold-harmless forms. Some go so far as to inform the pilot that they cannot perform the service unless pilots sign the form or that they must charge a higher price for services. Pilots and aircraft owners have protested the practice. Some...
more