Fallout from the GSA convention last year has had a devastating impact on all 
US government organizations and their ability to sponsor events such as the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) annual regional airport conferences.
In the FAA’s Central Region, state aviation offices, airport associations and councils have taken a leadership role, stepping up to organize what is being called the ‘Four Corners Conference’, an event that will fill in the gap for what has been traditionally the role of the FAA. The annual conference held in the fall was an opportunity for the FAA’s Airport Division to gather airport officials, sponsors, aviation consultants and state aviation officials under one roof to talk about funding, the airport improvement program (AIP) and anything else impacting airports on a national basis, as well as the four-state region made up of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. (Ed Noyallis pictured above)
Bill Withycomb, Administrator for the FAA’s Western Pacific Region (WPR) said that he will be meeting with Mark McClardy, Airports Division Manager and state aviation directors in his region in late September and will explore other ways to hold their conference at that time. The Four Corners Conference will be held in Kansas City, the traditional site for the Central Region conference, on September 24 – 26. "I believe this is a first for states to sponsor a conference of this scale," said Ronnie Mitchell, (Shown at right) Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics. 
Kansas Aviation Director Ed Young encouraged aviation groups in the four-state region to take the lead in organizing the effort – groups like the Missouri State Aviation Council (MoSAC), the Missouri Airport Managers Association (MAMA), the Nebraska Aviation Council (NAC), the Kansas Association of Airports (KAA) and the Iowa Public Airports Association (IPAA). Ed Noyallis and Marquita Pace of the MoSAC agreed to run point for the conference. Mitchell said that these groups have the full backing from the region’s state aviation offices. "Officials from all four Central Region states believe this conference has immense benefit for the state’s airports, contractors, consultants and many others involved with aviation services."
Noyallis said the conference, which will be held at the Downtown Marriott in Kansas City, will have exactly the same format as FAA conferences in the past. Mitchell said the FAA’s Airports Division has agreed to provide some speakers for the event. "This looks to be a serious rival to prior FAA AIP Conferences, thanks to all the efforts of the four state’s aviation organizations," said Mitchell.
Diana Smith, manager of the Beatrice Municipal Airport in Nebraska and a member of the NAC, is happy that everything is moving forward. "We all feel it is a great conference and one that we want to be a success and worthwhile for everyone," said Smith. "We have a lot of support from the FAA and Exhibitors."
Noyallis and others see this year’s event as a one-time occurrence with the FAA once again taking the reins. "I am hoping that the FAA will take it over again next year," said Smith, "but it is too early to tell if that will happen."
For more information contact Ed Noyallis at 816-289-7218 or go to 4statesairportconference.com.
