Message from the President

Saludos Amigos y Colegas
(Greetings Friends and Colleagues),

On the second leg of our journey (a.k.a., my second term), we’re at the time of year where things refocus after our 2nd Quarter Executive Committee meeting and we set our attention on the annual training conference. Our ongoing committee efforts such as legislative and strategic/business planning continue tracking forward while we breathe 2008-life into our Airman Database project as well as our annual tasks to elect new officers and update our Constitution and Bylaws. With that in mind, we set our course in a southeast direction toward San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, it’s appropriate to finally hold our National Training Conference on the enchanted island for the first time. If we take a close look at the state of events in the NHCFAE and in the FAA, it becomes apparent we could learn much from our ancestors who developed the island. Let’s take the example from our conference logo depicting a sentry house from the iconic structure, El Morro.

Construction began on El Morro well over 400 years ago. As Governor Diego Menendez begins the massive project, he must ask himself the fundamental question, “What are we building here?” Based on the result, the answer undoubtedly had to be, “We’re building an edifice unlike anything seen in this part of the world. We’re building a foundation that will support a long-standing establishment in the new world. We’re building a solid structure that will stand the tests of time. This structure must be every bit as magnificent as the island it protects and the sovereignty it helps to build. In short, we’re ‘building greatness’.”

As the NHCFAE reestablished its mission and examined its direction, we asked ourselves, “What are we building here?” As the FAA rebuilds itself by reinventing the way business is conducted and replacing a huge portion of its workforce, we have to trust the same question was posed. The answers have to be similar to those we imagine Governor Menendez came up with. We’re rebuilding this agency in a way never seen in government. We’re building a foundation to support a long-standing establishment in aviation. Our product must be one that will stand the tests of time. The people, procedures and direction from the Agency leading the world through the next century in aviation must be every bit as magnificent as the mode of transportation it helps to build. The focus for the FAA and NHCFAE must be on “Building Greatness.”

Our training this year is shaping up to be a top-notch event for the FAA. I’m proud to be on the flight deck of this professional, diverse organization as we focus on “building greatness” by advocating career placement and advancement through representation, education and alliances.

Ron R. Lozano
President, NHCFAE