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This year\u2019s meeting, which promised to be filled with great\ncontent, exceptional networking opportunities and innovative training\ntechniques, offered more than that; It was an opportunity to get together in\nperson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDespite challenges of the pandemic, NASAO and the Colorado\nDivision of Aeronautics have successfully gathered state aviation leaders,\nstakeholders, and industry for a 90th time,\u201d stated Clayton Stambaugh, Deputy\nDirector of Aeronautics, Illinois Department of Transportation. \u201cBeing back together,\nadvancing industry priorities and raising emerging issues, has been\nreenergizing. The recharge is greatly appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201cThe energy and enthusiasm at the NASAO conference is\nincredible,\u201d agreed David Ulane, Director of the Colorado Division of Aeronautics.\n\u201cEveryone is so excited to be together in person for the first time in two\nyears!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With last year\u2019s convention held virtually, many shared how\ngreat it was to attend in person. \u201cIt is so nice to be back, face to face, with\nfriends and colleagues. You don\u2019t realize how much information, innovations and\nbest practice ideas you miss until you get it back together exchanging ideas\nand brainstorming together,\u201d said Jared Esselman, director of the Utah Division\nof Aeronautics. \u201cThank goodness for NASAO.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNASAO\u2019s 90th Annual Convention is off to a great start,\u201d\nsaid NASAO President and CEO, Greg Pecoraro. \u201cState aviation programs play a\ncritical role in our National Airspace System, and the leaders of those\nprograms are here with other stakeholders for this in-person opportunity to\nlearn about and discuss some of the most consequential issues in aviation\ntoday. We\u2019ve had a great turnout and are enjoying a warm welcome from Colorado\nSprings\u201d, added Pecoraro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sessions to date have included the Role of Airports in\nEconomic Development, the Future of the Block Grant Program, Airline Industry\nSustainability, Powering the Future of Aviation, and an update from Washington\nwith FAA Associate Administrator Shannetta Griffin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anthony McCloskey, NASAO Vice Chair and Director of the\nBureau of Aviation Multimodal Transportation, Pennsylvania Department of\nTransportation, noted that this year\u2019s convention is a success with attendees from\nacross the country representing the states and industry. \u201cThe itinerary clearly\nreflects this year\u2019s theme – \u2018Honor the Past-Embrace the Future\u2019 – by\nshowcasing Airline Sustainability and a look into powering the future of Aviation.\u201d\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday evening attendees were treated to, A Night\nUnder the Stars<\/em>, and experienced a taste of Colorado local fare and a beer\ngarden from local breweries \u2013 all in breathtaking surroundings. \u201cThe venue at\nthe foot of Cheyenne Mountain was awesome,\u201d said Ann Richart, Aeronautics\nDirector, Nebraska Department of Transportation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Tuesday evening Awards Dinner will be held at the\nNational Museum of World War II Aviation, which documents the role that\nmilitary aviation played in the emergence of our nation as a world power. The\nmuseum tells the story of the tremendous technological advancements in aviation\nduring the War and the contributions and sacrifices of the men and who won the\nair war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attendees have agreed that this has been a great event. \u201cIt\u2019s\nbeen extremely encouraging to see our nation\u2019s aviation leaders face to face\nagain and be able to share our challenges and successes over the last year,\u201d\nsaid John Binder, Deputy Commissioner, Alaska DOT. \u201cColorado has been a\ntremendous host and I applaud a job well done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Colorado Division of Aeronautics and NASAO have put on\na great conference,\u201d added Michelle Frazier, Director of Aeronautics for the\nTennessee Department of Transportation. \u201cIt is wonderful to hear from industry\nleaders and collaborate with the other States.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMeeting in person for the first time since 2019, the NASAO\nannual conference kicked off with a terrific slate of speakers in a beautiful\nsetting in Colorado Springs,\u201d said Mark Flynn, Director, Virginia Department of\nAviation. As for enduring the elevation of the venue – \u201cA Virginia-based pilot\nis reminded why the Part 91.211 Supplemental Oxygen rule is important,\u201d quipped\nFlynn<\/p>\n\n\n\n Summing it up, James Stephens, NASAO Secretary and Executive\nDirector of the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission said, \u201cThis year\u2019s annual\nconference hosted by our friend Dave Ulane here in Colorado was kicked off with\nmuch enthusiasm from our host, the exhibitors, and the attendees. It\u2019s evident\nthat this group has a strong desire to reconnect, learn from each other, and\nshare successes that we\u2019ve each been able to accomplish since our last meeting,\nand although we\u2019ve all felt the impacts of COVID, there\u2019s much to celebrate and\nshare. I\u2019m looking forward to the rest of the conference!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" State aviation officials from across the country landed in Colorado over the weekend for the National Association of State Aviation Official\u2019s (NASAO) 90th Annual Convention & Trade Show, which runs through Wednesday at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs. This year\u2019s meeting, which promised to be filled with great content, exceptional networking opportunities and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20210914_002217441_iOSedit-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19415"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19422,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19415\/revisions\/19422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6567edit.jpg\")
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