Any time I can meet up with old friends is a good time for me. And NBAA’s Convention in Las Vegas last week provided plenty of opportunities to catch up with people I have known over my many years in aviation.
But more than just meeting up with new and old friends, NBAA’s annual convention provides an opportunity to take the pulse of business aviation. And from all indications at Las Vegas this year, business flying is steadily making head way against some pretty punishing headwinds of the last few years.
Among the many people I spoke with, were a number of FBO owners who unanimously reported that business flying is definitely on an upswing. As many people in the general public may not realize – but all of us in aviation know – business flying is a very important economic engine for growth. Many businesses large and small need the benefits of flying that cannot be provided by the scheduled airlines. Hearing this news from FBO owners was certainly reassuring.
The other indicator that the economy is moving in the right direction for business aviation was the number of equipment exhibitors. A number were back after several years’ absence undoubtedly due to the downturn in the economy. Of particular interest to me was the growth in the number of power carts powered by lithium batteries. For small operators, this could certainly be an economical way to provide 28-volt ground power for FBO operations with low activity levels.
