The Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show celebrates its silver anniversary this month.
Part trade show and part educational conference, the show is slated for Feb. 23-24 at the Puyallup Fairgrounds near Tacoma, Wash.
The 25th anniversary event boasts a variety of seminars, including certificate renewal clinics and lectures on several topics, such as avionics and specialized training.
“This year we are offering a seminar on egress training,” said event organizer Rachel Hansen. “People can get into the dry suits and do the whole thing.”
Some of the seminars require pre-registration, so Hansen urges people to check the show website in advance.
“The egress training, for example, proved to be really popular,” she noted. “I barely got the notice out about it and all the spots filled up.”
Among the guest speakers will be Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Phil Boyer and Jeff Renner, a Seattle meteorologist.
In addition to the clinics and lectures, many aviation businesses will be in attendance to answer questions and market their products and services.
The emphasis is on attracting more people to aviation, said Hansen.
“There is a huge need to get more people into it — as pilots or mechanics or whatever,” she said. “Hopefully we will see some high school students or other people looking for potential careers.”
The show runs 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for the whole weekend. Tickets are available at the gate. Parking is free.