In the waning hours of business aviation’s largest gathering of the clan—otherwise known as NBAA-BACE 2018 in Orlando, Florida—many attendees and exhibitors were gathered asking each other the inevitable questions: Was it a good show for you? Was the traffic on the booth or at the aircraft static display what you expected? Did you close any deals? Depending on the type of product or service being offered, the responses were probably Yes/Maybe not/A few, but less than I would have liked. The unseasonably hot Central Florida weather and typical high humidity had attendees dashing for any available shade (or exhibit tent) in sight, although many unlucky souls might have found that the only respite that was readily available to them came from a logoed baseball cap and sunshades. The weather was hot, but there was optimism in the air, with plenty of aircraft sales momentum that only a year-end deadline and some available inventory can bring.
Throughout the cavernous halls of Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, NBAA-BACE 2018 participants were greeted with a virtual smorgasbord of aviation technologies, products and services, and at least 40 images into the future of business aviation. A welcome addition to the BACE event this year was a celebration of NBAA’s “Top 40 Under 40,” highlighting the contributions of a remarkable group of young, high-potential individuals who are making key differences in their organizations and in the industry as a whole.
