Contact: Dan Hubbard, 202-431-5970, dhubbard@nbaa.org
Washington, DC, Oct. 16, 2024 – Organizers of the 2024 National Business Aviation Association Business’s Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) will dedicate the Media Headquarters for this year’s event to the legacy of Bill Reavis, an aviation communications leader revered as both a friend and foremost subject matter expert by those in his many personal and professional circles.
A longtime media relations specialist for Honeywell Aerospace and its legacy companies, Reavis displayed a natural ability to simplify the often-complicated technical concepts behind aviation technologies. He passed away in March, following a yearslong battle with cancer.
“Today’s business aviation industry stands on the shoulders of giants, and Bill Reavis is one of those giants,” said NBAA Senior Vice President, Communications, Dan Hubbard. “Bill was one of a kind – his profession was media relations, but his passion was in helping others feel welcome in the aviation community. This year, we’re honored to welcome the journalists who knew and admired Bill to the NBAA-BACE Media Headquarters, named after him in tribute to his legacy.”
The William “Bill” Reavis NBAA-BACE Media Headquarters will be open to registered and credentialed media professionals throughout the show. As always, the facility will offer workspace, meeting rooms, multimedia resources and refreshments throughout each day of the show.
Special signage located in the Media Headquarters will highlight Reavis’s unique and inspiring life story. After returning home from a tour in Vietnam with the U.S. Army’s 199th Infantry Brigade, Reavis studied at the University of Missouri Columbia School of Journalism and earned his degree in 1973. Over the next 15 years, he worked as a broadcast journalist for television stations in Missouri and Oklahoma.
Reavis was also fascinated by the aerospace industry and worked briefly with Wichita, KS-based aircraft manufacturer Gates Learjet in the early 1980s. In 1988, Reavis joined avionics manufacturer Bendix/King, serving as a communications and media relations manager for the company’s air transport and commercial aviation division. He later became media relations manager for AlliedSignal Engines, which become part of Honeywell in 1999.
There, Reavis established himself as a witty and knowledgeable public relations professional, earning the respect and trust of media outlets both within and outside the aviation industry. He is widely credited with fostering greater understanding by reporters and their audiences about technologies like terrain awareness warning systems (TAWS), enhanced ground proximity warning systems (EGPWS) and auxiliary power units (APUs).
He was named the company’s director of media relations in 2005, a position he held until retiring from Honeywell in 2012. Even in retirement, Reavis continued to guide and assist several aerospace companies with their external communications.
NBAA-BACE, taking place Oct. 22-24 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Henderson Executive Airport (HND), is the world’s most powerful business aviation event of the year. Learn more about NBAA-BACE.
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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The association represents more than 10,000 company and professional members and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at nbaa.org.
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International Business Aviation Council Ltd.