For the first time in its three-year history, the sun shone on the Southeast Aviation Expo at Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) in South Carolina.
Held Sept. 27-28, this year’s expo attracted a number of pilots, who showed up to browse the exhibitors, attend educational forums and hear National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen discuss the state of the industry.
Expo volunteers shuttled attendees from the parking lots, where traffic was guided by Civil Air Patrol cadets. Airplane rides were offered by Airwolf Aviation, a flight school at GMU, which also sponsored a preflight inspection challenge.
Sponsored by the South Carolina Aviation Association, the expo “provides the only pilot focused trade show in South Carolina on an annual basis,” said Bill New, SCAA president. “Our association’s goals remain focused on events such as this in order to reach out to all pilots in South Carolina and neighboring states in an effort to provide them with pilot education and a venue that offers the opportunity to see what products and services are available.”
More than 50 exhibitors had wares on display on the ramp and in the hangar. Most report a lot of interest from attendees, with one company reporting the potential sales of two aircraft.
The dates for next year’s expo have not yet been set.
Six aircraft piloted by members of the Cirrus Owner’s and Pilot’s Association (COPA) flew in with 16 attendees from the southeast region for the weekend. Staying at the Phoenix Inn, COPA members enjoyed social events and the presentations and exhibits at the Expo. Particularly noteworthy were the presentations by ForeFlight’s Jason Miller, the team from Continental Motors on advanced engine management techniques, the Grand Opening of Special Services Corporation’s Cirrus Training Center and the 2014 Cirrus Generation 5 aircraft and Vision Jet on display.
Great job by the organizers of combining emphasis on all aviation industry elements with safety events and training, new products, and opportunities for interaction between pilots vendors and the public.
The 2014 dates have now been set! The Southeast Aviation Expo will be held on Friday, September 26th and Saturday, September 27th, 2014! SAVE THE DATE! HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT!
Don’t know if anyone from your staff was there or not. But there was hardly more than a couple of dozen people and less than half a dozen airplanes flying in for the few hours I spent there.