The National Business Aviation Association’s 64th Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2011) kicks off Monday in Las Vegas. Convention planners report that this year’s event, taking place Monday, Oct. 10, through Wednesday, Oct. 12, is anticipated to meet or exceed expectations from previous years.
“We are very excited to be returning to Las Vegas, and we are delighted that our Monday-through-Wednesday show lineup is being enthusiastically received by exhibitors and attendees alike,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.
For example, Bolen noted that the Opening General Session at the start of the first day will feature a lineup of leaders from industry and government, including U.S. Senator Joseph Manchin III (D-WV), FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah A. P. Hersman, John Deere & Company Agricultural and Turf Division President Dave Everitt and doctor, pilot and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee.
The second-day Opening Session will include aviation legends and luminaries such as actor Harrison Ford, famed air show performers Sean D. Tucker and R.A. “Bob” Hoover, FAA Administrator Babbitt, astronaut Gene Cernan, and former Thunderbirds lead pilot and retired U.S. Air Force General Lloyd “Fig” Newton. All will gather to honor industry legend Clay Lacy, who will receive NBAA’s highest award, the Meritorious Service to Aviation Award. The session will also include a panel of general aviation organization presidents moderated by NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, as well as a presentation of the Combs Gates Award by representatives with the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
For all three days, the event will include hundreds of indoor exhibits featuring all that’s new in the world of business aviation, as well as a first-of-its-kind Static Display of aircraft located right next to the Las Vegas Convention Center, which will complement the larger Static Display at Henderson Airport.
More than 100 education sessions will also be offered for business aviation professionals who are interested in seeing and learning the industry’s latest trends, including a host of sessions covering all aspects of maintenance and operations.
For more information: NBAA.org
