Final 2019 NBAA Forum Season Ends on High Note in White Plains

June 7, 2019

The final NBAA Forum of 2019 broke records with about 3,200 attendees coming out to Westchester County Airport (HPN) on June 6 – the highest number of any NBAA Forum held in any location.

“With a sold-out indoor exhibit hall of nearly 200 exhibitors and nearly 40 aircraft on static display, the White Plains NBAA Forum was a great value to our members,” said Dina Green, NBAA vice president of events. “Business aviation professionals come to the forums to meet with customers face-to-face, network, gain valuable knowledge and see multiple aircraft models in one venue – the White Plains Forum provided all of that and much more.”

“It’s really well-attended,” said Dianne Tarantino from Collins Aerospace. “I think this year there’s more customers here and it started earlier in the day than it normally does.”

Clay Lacy Senior Vice President of Strategic Development Chris Broyhill, CAM, agreed, “There’s a lot of interaction, a lot of people stopping by and a lot of questions about our products and our services.”

Operations Manager at Clay Lacy Malcolm McKenzie agreed it was a good event for the company, adding that such shows provide a valuable venue for face-to-face interaction.

“Aviation is not the same as really any other industry. Aviation is unique,” he said. “You really need to shake someone’s hands and look them in the eye and sit down and have meetings. That’s why I regard these so importantly.”

Industry Challenges

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen opened the event by talking about the importance of airports and infrastructure in helping business aviation succeed.

“Airports are fundamental to the success of business aviation. We have an infrastructure of airports that opens up the world to us – it’s very powerful,” he said. “All of this is possible because of a broader infrastructure that includes airplanes, it includes airports, it includes FBOs, it includes our ability to access airspace and these airports themselves. It includes a lot of dedicated people who are flying as pilots, but also those who are maintaining the airplane, building the airplane, insuring the airplane, financing the airplane.”

Business aviation employs more than 1 million people and is a major economic driver in the United States. It helps communities and companies grow and succeed. But, in order to keep doing that, it’s imperative the industry come together to attract and retain the next generation workforce. We want young people to say: “A career in the business aviation industry is where I want to dedicate my time, my talent, my passion, my commitment to excellence at a personal and professional level.”

Bolen noted business aviation offers much to young people, including the ability to work with cutting-edge technology, a sense of community and an industry with a purpose.

“We’ll get you out in the world,” he said. “It will be a life well lived.”

Bolen’s opening remarks were followed by a session led by NBAA Northeast Regional Representative Brittany Davies on charting a business aviation career. About 100 local students attended the session designed to showcase the variety of career opportunities available in the industry.

Other education sessions included:

• Questions No One Wants to Ask…Or Answer, presented by Joanne Barbera, Barbera & Watkins, LLC and Eileen Gleimer, Crowell & Moring LLP
• What Makes the Market Go ’Round, presented by Jay Mesinger, Mesinger Jet Sales
• Practical Flight Department Risk Management and Safety Assurance, presented by Tom Huff, Gulfstream
• CAM: Certifying the Future of Business Aviation, presented by Jamie Stember, CAM, CP Management, LLC and T. James Buchanan, CAM, AT&T

The 2020 NBAA Regional Forum schedule is expected to be announced later this year,