The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Maintenance Conference gathered professionals from around the world for three days of embracing innovation, exploring new technologies and redoubling the sector’s focus on pursuing the highest levels of safety.
“More than ever, this year’s Maintenance Conference demonstrated business aviation’s intense focus on aviation safety and underscored the inextricable link between the maintenance profession and the safety of flight,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.
This year’s Maintenance Conference was among the largest to date—more than 1,100 attendees from 44 states enjoyed a roster of expert speakers and industry authorities, along with 155 top exhibitors representing a variety of business aviation products and services, including many that are safety related.
“Business aviation has a legacy at the intersection of innovation and safety, embracing game-changing technologies like super-strong carbon composites, GPS and flight-data monitoring,” said Stewart D’Leon, CAM, NBAA director, environmental and technical operations.
D’Leon added, “This year’s conference, with its theme, ‘Built on History, Driven by Innovation,’ highlights an awareness that a record of safe operations doesn’t offer an opportunity for us to rest on our laurels, but instead to innovate toward ever-higher safety standards.”
Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned
During his keynote presentation, retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Manuel “Manny” Sanchez, a former maintenance officer with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, shared memorable insights surrounding the famed squadron’s rigorous safety regimen.
“The Blue Angels are not perfect in any way, shape or form, but we strive for perfection,” Sanchez said, “After every airshow, we locked ourselves in the Ready Room, and we debriefed it. We always talked about: What could we improve on? What are things that could go wrong? What are some of the risks we’re taking? I’m happy to say that in my entire 33 years of naval aviation, I never had a Class A mishap. And it wasn’t because of me, but because of the culture.”
A keynote by flight safety champion Gregory Feith, a former senior air safety investigator and Go-Team captain with the NTSB, focused on the importance of collaboration, communication and the right mental attitude when it comes to reducing accidents caused by human factors.
“We all have to be empowered to work for the same common goal: It’s called safety – period,” Feith said, “Safety is an attitude. Yes, you have very particular skills, but it is all about the attitude that you take into what you do.”
Essential Education Sessions
The conference also offered education sessions across a broad spectrum of topics, including engine airworthiness, recruiting top talent and using AI to support safety teams.
“Providing these essential resources for the business aviation maintenance community is a big part of what this event is all about,” said Conference Chair Nate Dietsch.
“Attendees especially enjoyed getting direct access to a wide variety of subject matter experts, including FAA officials,” said Conference Vice-Chair Brett Semple. At the beginning of the conference, an NBAA Professional Development Program (PDP) course also focused on developing new leadership skills.
The conference hosted aviation students from Purdue University, St. Francis University, Columbus State Community College and Columbus State University who attended education sessions and toured local business aviation facilities.
Strong Traffic and a Targeted Market
“We’ve exhibited for years at the NBAA Maintenance Conference, and I think the show has been really well received this year. We’ve seen a lot of heavy traffic and a high number of quality contacts,” said Scott Lawson, president of Texas-based aftermarket aircraft components firm HJS.
Lawson continued, “We’re all maintainers in our past life, and now we’re selling parts. We see a lot of lead maintainers and directors of maintenance who attend this show who we might not see in other places. Here, at this show, we see the real people that we want to meet.”
Another exhibitor, Florida-based Academy Aviation Group, saw the conference as an effective opportunity to announce the launch of a new learning management system called Academy Aviation Online. “This event is more concentrated for maintenance staff, which is great,” said Group Chairman Andy Trinchero, “That’s our target market.”
Paving the Way for the Next Generation
The conference brought opportunities throughout the week for NBAA’s Young Professionals in Business Aviation and aviation maintenance students to meet, connect and engage at receptions designed for career building and networking.
The NBAA Maintenance Committee also presented Maintenance AMT Scholarships and Hilsmann Memorial Scholarships to a total of 27 aspiring maintainers to help them jumpstart their business aviation careers.
Learn more about the Hilsmann Memorial Scholarship recipients.
Learn more about the Maintenance AMT Scholarship recipients.
Thanks to generous donations and a silent auction, the conference raised more than $50,000 for the NBAA AMT Scholarship Travel Fund to support travel for NBAA scholarship students.
Next year’s NBAA Maintenance Conference takes place May 5-7, 2026, in New Orleans.
