The business aviation community continued its ascent into\nthe year, with a Texas-sized NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference\n(SDC2024), featuring nearly 3,300 registered attendees from 54 countries and\nmore than 450 exhibiting companies on hand to \u201cengage and empower\u201d an\nexceptional group of professionals toward a dynamic and promising future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe passion that characterizes the scheduling and\ndispatching profession was front and center at this year\u2019s conference, which\nbrought people together to engage in new ways of thinking, empower each other,\nand come away inspired about the opportunities on the horizon,\u201d said NBAA\nPresident and CEO Ed Bolen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event featured more than 30 education sessions and a\nhost of Professional Development Program courses, covering the industry\u2019s most\npressing issues, from sustainability, to workforce challenges, to the latest\ntechnologies and trends in view for those in the highly specialized scheduling\nand dispatching profession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conference was co-chaired by Jessi Litz-Rowden with\nWomen in Aviation International, and Brian Abrahamson with Merck Sharp &\nDohme Corp., who said the show exceeded expectations and galvanized attendees\nto go back home and share the experience they gained this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAttendees embraced the opportunity to learn from their\nfellow professionals, including many people who were at the conference for the\nfirst time, bringing fresh perspectives to the event,\u201d said Litz-Rowden. \u201cThey\nconnected with people who can have a huge impact on their personal and\nprofessional journeys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keynote: It Takes a Team<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The conference\u2019s keynote speaker \u2013 retired Col. Merryl\nTengesdal, the first and only Black woman to fly the U.S. Air Force\u2019s U-2 spy\nplane \u2013 opened the event\u2019s second day by telling attendees about her quest to\nachieve her dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a childhood goal of being an astronaut, Tengesdal\nfocused on her individual skill set. On her journey into adulthood \u2013 as a naval\naviator, combat pilot, and later, flying the U-2 Lady Dragon \u2013 she came to\nunderstand the value of preparedness teamwork in achieving successful outcomes,\nin all walks of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWithout that team, the mission\u2019s not going to get done,\u201d\nTengesda said. \u201cIt takes a team to make sure the aircraft gets to the\ndestination \u2013 it\u2019s because of you. As a scheduler and dispatcher, you guys are\nthe conductors, the maestros.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Empowering an Industry Through Advocacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the conference date had been secured for more than\na year, Bolen noted that SDC2024 kicked off on \u201cWhat happens to be one of the\nmost important days we\u2019ve seen in a long time.\u201d He detailed for the event\u2019s\nkeynote audience the administration\u2019s recent, troubling tax proposals for\nbusiness aviation, as outlined in its annual federal budget proposal, released\nMarch 11. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bolen urged conference attendees to use a new message available at NBAA\u2019s online Grassroots Action Center<\/a>, which alerts lawmakers to the industry\u2019s concern over the administration\u2019s proposal. \u201cCongress will ultimately consider any changes the president might offer, and there is strength in numbers, so we need to make our voice heard on this issue right away,\u201d he noted.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fueling the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Prior to the opening of SDC2024, NBAA announced a new partnership with fixed-base operator Cutter Aviation, which provides an opportunity to contribute a portion of fuel expenditures to support NBAA\u2019s advocacy efforts, including the industry\u2019s new CLIMBING. FAST.<\/a> advocacy campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re proud to be the first participant in the Fueling the Future<\/a> program and delighted to have the opportunity to help give NBAA a bigger voice than ever,\u201d said Cutter Aviation President and CEO Will Cutter. Learn more about Fueling the Future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SDC2024 Honors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n During the keynote, longtime business aviation scheduler and licensed dispatcher Chris Algee, CAM, was presented with the 2024 Schedulers & Dispatchers Outstanding Achievement and Leadership Award. Algee has been employed with Birmingham, AL-based Encompass Health since 2017 as manager, flight scheduling operations and administration. Read more about Algee and the award<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also recognized were a number of SDC scholarship recipients\nand sponsors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about the Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarships<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n