Top Aviation Officials to Discuss Challenges Facing Aviation Industry

April 30, 2010
The 2010 Oklahoma Aerospace Summit and Expo will take place June 1-4 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.

OKLAHOMA CITY, April 30, 2010 ¨C Key issues and challenges will threaten the aviation industry in the coming years and leaders of the world¡¯s pre-eminent aviation associations will discuss these threats and how they plan to confront them at the 2010 Oklahoma Aerospace Summit and Expo. The panel will take place Thursday, June 3 from 10-11:30 a.m., in the arena at the Cox Convention Center.

The panel will be moderated by Ed Bolen, President and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association, and will include these top-level industry leaders:

- Introduction, Victor Bird Director Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission

- Pete Bunce, President and CEO, General Aviation Manufacturers Association

- Jim Coyne, President, National Air Transportation Association

- Craig Fuller, President and CEO, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

- Henry Ogrodzinski, President and CEO, National Association of State Aviation Officials

The panel, Threats to General and Business Aviation, will discuss a wide range of topics including AIP & FAA reauthorization, potential new user fees, environmental concerns, protecting community airports from inappropriate development, security issues, the impact of a crippled national economy and the mood in Washington. Questions from the audience will also be taken.

The 2010 Oklahoma Aerospace Summit and Expo will take place June 1-4 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. The Summit will feature high©\level executives, including the Director of Federal Acquisition Policy William C. Greenwalt from Lockheed Martin Corporation, Senior Vice President Rick Stephens from the Boeing Company, President and CEO Ed Bolen from National Business Aviation Association, and President Craig Fuller of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. The summit is open to the media. For more information about the event contact Sam Sims at [email protected] or (405) 516-9686.

Oklahoma¡¯s aerospace industry is responsible for more than 143,000 jobs in the state, a $5 billion dollar annual payroll, and nearly $12 billion in industrial output or about 10 percent of Oklahoma¡¯s economy. In the past, the Summit has drawn as many as 1,000 attendees and more than 100 exhibiting companies. Attendees come from all over the state, and surrounding states such as Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Missouri and Arkansas. For more information or to register, please visit www.okaero.com/summit.