Kandi Spanger takes over as chair of CABA

Kandi Spangler

The Colorado Aviation Business Association (CABA) has announced its new leadership for 2017-2018, as well as two milestones on separate initiatives affecting the business aviation community in the state.

Kandi Spangler from Jet Quest, took over as chair on May 18 and was joined by Chris Swathwood from Jet Advisors, who now serves as the organisation’s vice chair. Both have served on the board for several years and have made extensive contributions to the Association’s progress during that time.

On May 3, the Colorado Senate passed a bill allowing creation of the ‘Support Colorado Aviation’ license plate, which will be available in September 2018. The successful accomplishment of the license plate project, headed by Swathwood and CABA’s legislative committee, is CABA’s most visible and significant achievement to date. Citing his efforts the past three years on the project, Swathwood said: “This initiative was about more than just a license plate. It allowed us to start building important relationships at the capital and introduce the Association to our legislators, while at the same time raising awareness of the significant economic impact aviation has in the state of Colorado.”

On May 9, CABA achieved another success when incoming chair Spangler, along with several members of the BJC Business Aviation Pilots Group, met with members of the FAA’s Denver Metroplex Team in charge of the airspace redesign project currently underway. The redesign affects eight airports in the Denver area, including Centennial and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airports.

Spangler, who has been critical of the FAA’s handling of the airspace redesign on behalf of CABA and the business aviation community said: “This meeting was a year and a half in the making. We wish we had been invited to the table sooner, but I am thankful to the Metroplex Team for taking note of our concerns and working with us to develop feasible solutions.”

The working session yielded several critical changes to the already largely completed design, all of which will have a small but significant impact on all business aviation operators flying in and out of the Denver area. These changes include higher altitudes, reduced speed restrictions, and increased separation coverage within the Class B airspace.

“I am very proud of what CABA has achieved this past year on behalf of its members,” said Spangler. “As a grassroots organisation, these are exactly the sorts of things an organisation can accomplish with the right people.”

The Association is currently preparing its goals and initiatives for 2017-2018 and will present them to the Board in June.

Founded in 1994, the Colorado Aviation Business Association consists of over 300 businesses and individual members who live and work within the State of Colorado.