The South Carolina Aviation Association has approved plans for a regional aviation event in 2012, which will be similar to the Southeast Aviation Show that was held at the Greenville Downtown Airport in South Carolina Oct. 29, with a few significant changes.
The inaugural event exceeded expectations, according to South Carolina Aviation Association (SCAA) President Eric Ramsdell, who noted that 973 people attended the event, including 227 pilots. “Many others in attendance had careers in aviation or enjoy it as a hobby. SCAA is very happy with the turnout and we feel that these numbers prove that our suspicions were right, and that this region has enough of an aviation community to warrant having this event become an annual show at the Greenville Downtown Airport.”
“In an effort to learn from our experiences and to grow this regional event, several changes have been made for 2012,” added Joe Frasher, Airport Director of the Greenville Downtown Airport. “First, the name of the event will be changed to the Southeast Aviation Expo. In 2011, the event was named the Southeast Aviation Show. The word “show” led some people to believe that there would be a flying demonstration, like the Thunderbirds. This event is more of an industry trade show for people who work or have an interest in aviation. With this in mind, the word “show” will be changed to expo.”
“Second, many national aviation oriented companies did not exhibit this year because they have a policy to only attend multi-day events,” Frasher said. “So in planning the 2012 event, we have decided to have it cover two days. This change will make our event much more desirable to national companies.”
“Lastly, the event will be moved from the last weekend in October to the last weekend in September,” Frasher stated. “This year the northeast experienced an early cold snap and many people who planned to fly down for the event did not because they were afraid of weather related issues like icing. In September, this is less likely to happen.”
The 2012 Expo will be held Sept. 28-29 at the Greenville Downtown Airport.
For more information: SCAAOline.com
