April 25, 2014
Aviation took center stage in Sacramento, CA on April 23 as state and national aviation organizations, including NBAA and other aviation interests, took part in the second annual California Aviation Day.
“The goal of California Aviation Day is to raise awareness among state legislators about the value of aviation and its economic and social benefits to the state of California,” said Stacy Howard, NBAA’s Western regional representative, who participated in the event. “This year’s Aviation Day drew even more legislators, legislative staff and interested individuals than last year, and was a very successful and informative effort.”
Held under a tent on the north steps of the capital, representatives from the aviation community – including NBAA, the Northern California Business Aviation Association, the SoCal Aviation Association, Aeroplex/Aerolease Group, Napa Jet Center and more – met with and handed out information on aviation to state legislators and their staff.
At NBAA’s booth, Howard distributed a variety of materials developed by the Association to educate the legislators about the value and importance of business aviation to the state and the nation.
Howard’s handouts included products developed by NBAA for the No Plane No Gain Advocacy campaign: NBAA’s Business Aviation Fact Book; the campaign’s Top Ten booklet, featuring 10 CEOs with 10 widely respected companies, each providing a reason business aviation is critical to their success; and the ever-popular No Plane No Gain pins.
California Aviation Day actually kicked off on April 22, when representatives from sponsoring organizations brought targeted aviation information, as well as invitations to the next day’s event, to the office of every state senator and assemblyman. Howard said she met personally with a number of California legislators, several of whom are pilots.
“We were fortunate to have had two informative presentations on Aviation Day by state Sen. Jean Fuller and state Assemblyman Jim Patterson, both of whom understand the importance of aviation to the state of California,” said Howard, adding that the state assembly also issued a resolution supporting California Aviation Day.