NBAA News Bureau
Like Today, Access Was a Hot Topic of the Original NBAA Meeting
ATLANTA, GA, September 26, 2007 – The continuing battle to ensure business aviation’s access to airspace actually began some 60 years ago, and the threat was so imminent that it galvanized the business community and led a handful of forward-thinking activists to form an organization to protect and promote the interests of all business aircraft operators. Today, NBAA is celebrating the anniversary of the first Annual Meeting of the Association, which was held 60 years ago in New York City.
Indeed, the challenges facing business aircraft operators after World War II were not unlike those confronting the industry today: The volume of airline traffic at the top hub airports was an issue, and the federal government was proposing measures to deal with the problem. Additionally, NBAA’s founders were concerned that if the airlines were given control over the nation’s aviation system, other aviation segments might not receive full representation.
Thus, NBAA’s founding Members met at the Wings Club in New York City’s Biltmore Hotel on May 17, 1946. They resolved to start an organization that would promote and protect the interests of business aviation, and in February 1947, NBAA was established as a not-for-profit group.
The organization held its first Annual Meeting in the Biltmore Hotel on September 24 of that year. Eighteen voting Members and one associate company comprised the Membership in 1947.
Walter Pague, who represented American Rolling Mill Company at the inaugural meeting, remembered that the Association’s first priority in the early days was to keep its head above water. “We were trying to survive [on limited resources], trying to build enough Members to be heard in Washington,” he recalled.
Needless to say, NBAA has not only survived, but has grown, along with the industry, by leaps and bounds since 1947. It is the voice of business aviation, not only in Washington, DC, but in state capitals and even overseas. Today, the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention is one of the country’s top 10 trade shows, and the Association offers myriad services in support of business aviation.
