Bolen Provides No Plane No Gain Update for State Aviation Officials

Washington, DC, March 31, 2009 – This week, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen addressed the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) 2009 Legislative Conference in Washington, where he highlighted the business aviation community’s No Plane No Gain advocacy campaign, and urged state aviation officials across the country to get involved.

“The No Plane No Gain campaign educates policymakers and opinion leaders about the essential role business aviation plays in creating jobs, providing a lifeline to small communities, helping companies of all sizes be more productive and efficient, and delivering emergency relief to people in need.”

Bolen noted that the campaign, which is jointly sponsored by NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), uses a multimedia approach to illustrate the many ways business aviation benefits citizens, companies and communities across the U.S. To illustrate his point, Bolen raised several hypothetical questions with those in attendance.

“No Plane?,” Bolen asked. “No gain in our jobs. No Plane? No gain in the economic vitality of our towns and communities that are losing commercial airline service. No Plane? No gain in productivity for the companies that rely on business aviation. No Plane? No gain in our humanitarian efforts. The goal of No Plane No Gain is to make sure that business aviation is understood to be essential to America, and this name clearly communicates how different a world without business aviation would be.”

Bolen noted that the campaign’s multi-media approach had produced effective results, including interviews on cable television news shows, articles carrying the campaign’s messaging published in newspapers across the country, and a presence in the “new media” arena, with postings on high-profile Internet blogs and daily messages delivered through Twitter.

Additionally, the campaign had placed print advertisements national publications like the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, as well as in periodicals read by Washington policymakers, including Politico, Roll Call and The Hill. No Plane No Gain television ads had been aired on national Sunday public affairs shows like the ABC News program “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” and “FOX News Sunday,” as well as news on DC cable news stations like CNN, FOX, and MSNBC.

Also, incorporated into Bolen’s presentation was a screen capture of the No Plane No Gain web site, which brings together the information and resources offered by the campaign in one easy-to-use location. The site provides anyone who relies on an airplane for business – from piston-powered planes, to turboprops, to jets – with the tools needed to articulate the value of their aircraft to their company.

In closing, Bolen urged NASAO members to help deliver No Plane No Gain’s message. “It’s going to take a steady effort, over a long period of time, to fundamentally shift perceptions,” cautioned Bolen. “We hope that you all will join with us and utilize the resources of No Plane No Gain to tell the good news about business aviation. We’ve begun to see some progress, but we have a long way to go, and we can’t do it without your help.”