May 5, 2026
With a message of embracing the idea that what makes us weird also makes us wonderful and what makes us weak also makes us strong, the 2026 NBAA Maintenance Conference opened May 5 in New Orleans with an inspiring keynote address as well as an update on the state of business aviation as NBAA prepares to celebrate 80 years of advocating for the industry.
The three-day conference features presentations by 50 subject matter experts and more than two dozen education sessions, under the theme of “Big Easy, Bright Future,” and promises to provide attendees practical resources and tools they need to advance their careers.
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen opened the session by outlining the priorities central to fostering an environment that allows business aviation to thrive, with safety leading the way.
“At NBAA, we’re safety first, we’re safety always. That’s been true since the beginning,” said Bolen. “Safety has always been the cornerstone of NBAA. There’s no group that cares more and has a bigger impact on safety than the technicians.”
Attendees enjoy the keynote speakers at the 2026 NBAA Maintenance Conference in New Orleans.
Bolen also highlighted the association’s advocacy work on behalf of the industry. NBAA is a key member of the Modern Skies Coalition – a group of 60 stakeholders that was formed last year in the wake of several deadly aviation accidents with a goal of modernizing the ATC system to make it safer.
“We’re beginning to make progress,” Bolen said, adding that the FAA has replaced about half of the ATC system’s aging copper wire with new fiber-optic cable, created electronic flight strips to replace old-fashioned paper strips and more. But more funds are needed to continue the work and the “national imperative hasn’t gone away,” he said.
NBAA, said Bolen, also worked to bring back zero-for-zero tariffs for civil aviation trade with most countries, and keep a “flat, fair and reciprocal environment,” which had been in place for decades and saw a marketplace dominated by American exports. Additionally, NBAA worked with lawmakers to permanently reinstate 100% bonus depreciation (immediate expensing) for new and used aircraft acquired and placed in service on or after Jan. 20, 2025.
“No matter what happens out there, NBAA works to be a voice for business aviation,” said Bolen. “Not just a voice, an effective voice.”
Turning Challenges Into Strengths
2026 NBAA Maintenance Conference Keynote speaker David Rendall
Keynote speaker David Rendall challenged attendees to think differently about people’s perceived weaknesses, adding that if we want people to have brighter futures, we must look at possible flaws as strengths.
“I’ve always been different in ways I didn’t choose, but I’ve learned the value of deciding to be different,” he said. “If we want people to have brighter futures, we have to change the way we see people. Weaknesses are pluses to our strengths.”
Rendall encouraged the audience to see perceived weaknesses, such as impulsivity, as strengths, such as spontaneity. Every characteristic, he said, is a strength and a weakness and we need to accept the correlation between the two.
“We succeed because of our weaknesses, not in spite of them,” he said.
Rendall wrapped up his presentation by asking attendees to think about the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which has been tilted since the 1100s. He noted that in the 1930s, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini decided it was a national embarrassment instead of a national treasure and tried to straighten it. They failed.
“Millions of people have traveled millions of miles and spent millions of dollars to see a tower that leans,” Rendall said. “It had an incredibly bright future, not by straightening it, but by keeping the tilt. People go to see it because it leans, not even though it leans.”
The Future of Business Aviation Maintenance
During the conference, 27 scholarships are being given out to help the industry attract, develop and retain the best and the brightest.
Learn more about the Maintenance AMT Scholarship recipients.
Learn more about the Hilsmann Memorial Scholarship recipients.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.