![]()
Flight departments are crucial to a company, needing to reflect the business practices of a well-managed company and evolve with the industry. The NBAA's recently updated Management Guide is a resource for aviation team leadership, available now for association members online.
"Flight department personnel are expected to reflect company priorities and values, establish and measure key business objectives and evolve to meet emerging challenges and opportunities," said Bill Riter, CAM, aviation department manager for the Rich Products Corporation and chair of the NBAA Management Tools Subcommittee that produced the guide.
Riter said the newly updated guide is only offered in an electronic format, making it available everywhere in an industry that is increasingly interested in mobile offerings.
"The approach also allows for continuous updates to the resource," Riter said. "For example, hyperlinks are now incorporated into expertise provided throughout the guide, for ease of accessing the most updated information, at the desk, or on the go."Find the updated Management Guide here
With the update, the guide aligns with the Certified Aviation Manager program domains, or the blueprint for the CAM exam. This program is an important tool for those preparing for the NBAA's CAM designation, which is a credential accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies for excellence and setting a standard for excellence in business aviation leadership.
"The 2024 edition of this authoritative resource equips professionals for today's dynamic business environment by bringing together the industry's collective wisdom on long-standing operational best practices," Riter said. "Equally important, it provides guidance on present-day considerations, including workplace diversity, employee work-life balance, ethical business transactions and other managerial concerns."
The updated guide also includes a forward from NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, who said the resource will adhere to the organization's mission to serve the needs of professionals in all member flight departments, regardless of operation type, size and core function. Along with the NBAA Management Guide and CAM designation, the organization produces events like the annual NBAA Leadership Conference, focusing on the fundamentals of leadership, as well as offering the NBAA Professional Development Program to help BizAv professionals to rise in their careers by preparing them for management roles within their companies, providing over $100,000 each year in scholarships to help professionals accelerate their careers.
The guide is a "how to" manual for business aviation management and one of the NBAA's most popular member benefits. The updated guide can help flight departments with operational, maintenance and administrative work. While this is not a complete guide for all the functions of a flight department, it covers every possible situation a BizAv manager could face. The guide does attempt to summarize the essential information concerning the operation of a flight department.
Most of the information in the guide can be used as reference material to inform non-aviation company personnel about the accepted practices and norms of the BizAv community. An essential function of flight department personnel is ensuring that all company personnel can appreciate and understand daily operations, capabilities and the value of the flight department. The NBAA will occasionally issue content updates for the guide and welcome feedback and questions.