AOPA and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) on Oct. 21 announced an accord that will draw on the strengths of both organizations to support owners and pilots who use their aircraft as effective business tools. As a result of the memorandum of understanding, beginning in 2010, AOPA and NBAA will each host Light Business Aircraft Conferences as part of their annual conventions.
“Combined, AOPA and NBAA have more than 130 years’ experience supporting our members,” said Karen Gebhart, AOPA’s executive vice president of communications. “With more than 415,000 members, AOPA brings strength of numbers, and offers tremendous safety education and one-on-one support through the AOPA Air Safety Foundation and our Pilot Information Center. And NBAA has more than six decades of specialized expertise to help owner/pilots make the most of their aircraft as business assets.”
“NBAA and AOPA have a long history of working together,” added NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “This new collaborative effort to address the needs of a vital sector of the industry—the small businesses which use aviation—will enhance the value of each organization to our members and can help businesses that do not yet take advantage of business aviation understand why it would be in their interest to do so.”
Because the AOPA Aviation Summit and NBAA’s Annual Meeting and Convention are often on opposite sides of the country, the jointly hosted Light Business Aircraft Conferences will be able to reach more pilots each year. They will feature education sessions designed by and for those using light business aircraft and presented in an interactive peer-to-peer format, as well as an aircraft display featuring the kinds of aircraft that make business sense for small businesses.
