The slow and destructive passage of Hurricane Sandy before the 65th NBAA Convention and Tradeshow opened in Orlando on October 30 generated great concern about the safety of travelers and worry about what they would find when they returned home to the Northeast. Although New York-area airports opened in time for return flights, many worried about widespread power outages, severe water damage, destroyed infrastructure and ongoing challenges finding out anything about local facilities because so much of the cellphone network was compromised. A day after the show, queries on NBAA’s Air Mail system about how to contact FBOs at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., or whether partially flooded Teterboro Airport was back in business indicated that normal life remained out of reach. Meanwhile, general aviation came to the rescue, with volunteers flying people and supplies to hard-hit areas. These efforts were coordinated via the NBAA’s Humanitarian Emergency Response Operator (Hero) network, once again demonstrating the flexibility and speed that general aviation offers during natural disaster recoveries.
