As Business Aviation Meets in Orlando ...

… the phrase 'cautious optimism' is reverberating off the walls as the industry sector plods through the economic turmoil of the past year. Monday was media day at NBAA '09 and the difference from shows of the past 15 years was stark. Gone were records for the manufacturers' order books … gone were the onslaught of new model introductions … and gone, too, were some of the OEMs on the show floor itself. Cessna and others chose to strut their aircraft only at the Static Display being hosted at Orlando Executive Airport near downtown. Take away the manufacturers and their behemoth displays of years past and you have a changed trade show. In fact, NBAA's senior VP of communications Dan Hubbard says that while the association has managed to retain some 91 percent of the exhibiting companies from 2008, the show encompasses some 80,000 square feet less of floor space, down from 500,000 square feet in recent years. Of course, as he aptly points out, some of those companies not on the floor are no longer selling aircraft period (think Eclipse, Grob, Epic). NBAA president Ed Bolen offers a silver lining to this murky situation. He reports that the effort by NBAA and GAMA via its 'noplanenogain' public relations effort to highlight the benefits of business aviation is starting to get the attention of Washington politicos and other civic and business leaders around the country. Bolen is encouraged by the formation of a General Aviation Caucus in both the U.S. House and Senate, which can only serve to make legislators more informed. And this summer the House passed a resolution recognizing the value that the industry brings to commerce and transportation in the U.S. Bolen is also encouraged that lawmakers are pushing TSA to take a more consultative approach with general aviation before attempting to impose unnecessary handcuffs on an industry that is in a severe struggle to recover from this downturn. The industry's reaction to TSA's proposed Large Aircraft Security Program earlier this year appears to have resonated with at least some in Washington – not an easy accomplishment. The NBAA media day is a good barometer of how the show will go, but the true tale will come on Tuesday when the floor is opened for business. At this point, cautious optimism sounds about right. Thanks for reading. jfi