The
National Business Aviation Association has announced an outstanding
lineup of aviation industry leaders and legends for the Opening
General Session, taking place on Oct. 10, to kick off the
association’s 2017 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).
At the
session, held on the show’s exhibit floor at the Las Vegas
Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, attendees will hear from Rep.
Dina Titus (D-1-NV), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Administrator Michael Huerta, newly confirmed National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt and famed
NASA Apollo 13 commander, Capt. James A. Lovell.
“NBAA’s convention always brings together top leaders to share their
perspectives, and that will clearly be the case this year, when
we’ll have an opportunity to hear from speakers with long-standing
service to the country, and from all corners of the aviation and
aerospace industries,” said NBAA President and CEO
Ed Bolen.
“We are very excited to welcome this group, and we look forward to
hearing their insights about the policies and issues shaping
business aviation today.”
Rep.
Dina Titus
Titus is
making a return appearance at NBAA’s convention, having delivered
the official welcome at the 2015 event. She represents Nevada’s 1st
congressional district, which includes McCarran International
Airport. She is in her fourth term in Congress, where she has a
strong record of achievement as a supporter of the nation’s aviation
system. Titus is a member of the Aviation Subcommittee of the
House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and also a
member of the House General Aviation Caucus.
Michael Huerta
Huerta,
who spoke at NBAA’s 2014 Asian Business Conference & Exhibition, was
confirmed as the FAA administrator in January 2013. There, he is
responsible for the largest aviation system in the world and
oversees 47,000 employees, and its NextGen air traffic control
modernization program. Before his confirmation, Huerta was the FAA
deputy administrator. His career spans both the public and private
sector, including a tenure as managing director of the 2002 Winter
Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. He also served as the executive
director of the Port of San Francisco from 1989 to 1993 and as
commissioner of New York City’s Department of Ports, International
Trade and Commerce from 1986 to 1989.
Robert Sumwalt
Sumwalt,
who was confirmed to lead the NTSB in August, is a former member of
NBAA’s Safety Committee and managed a small flight department for a
utility company in South Carolina before being appointed to the NTSB
in August of 2006. He has more than two decades of experience with
Piedmont Airlines and US Airways, including serving on the company’s
Flight Operations Quality Assurance monitoring team and completing a
special assignment to the flight safety department. Sumwalt is a
regular facilitator and presenter at NBAA events, sharing his wealth
of knowledge with attendees and focusing on safety leadership,
voluntary adoption of safety programs and proactive safety
management at the National Safety Forum and participating in NBAA
Safety Committee’s Risk Assessment meetings.
James
A. Lovell, Commander, NASA Apollo 13 and Other Missions
While
serving in the U.S. Navy, Captain Lovell held numerous aviator
assignments, including a four-year tour as a test pilot at the Naval
Air Test Center and as program manager for the F4H Phantom Fighter.
He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1962. While with NASA, he
served as a backup pilot for the Gemini 4 flight and backup
commander for the Gemini 9 flight. In 1965, he was launched into
space on the Gemini 7 mission. He completed four missions as
spacecraft commander of the Apollo 13 flight, and became the first
man to journey to the moon twice. He has logged a total of 715 hours
in space.
NBAA-BACE,
which runs Oct. 10-12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and
Henderson Executive Airport, is business aviation’s most important
annual event, where participants have an unequaled opportunity to
view the latest business aircraft, products, technology, and
services the industry offers, as well as take part in numerous
education sessions and networking events. |