Industry mourns the passing of ‘friend and mentor’ Ed Bolen
Ed Bolen served as president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) before becoming president and CEO of NBAA.
Ed Bolen, the former president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), has died aged 66 following a battle with cancer. His death was announced by NBAA on Wednesday November 11th.
“We are filled with incredible sadness about Ed,” said Dan Hubbard, NBAA Acting CEO and senior vice president of communications. “Ed was not just our colleague – he was a friend and a mentor to many of us. He accomplished so much, and did so with grace and humility. On behalf of the entire NBAA team, we send our condolences and prayers to Beth, Jack, Robert and all of Ed’s family, in this incredibly difficult time.”
Since announcing his retirement on November 6th, NBAA said it received a “tremendous outpouring” of support for Bolen.
Earlier this week, Bolen was inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame in recognition of his general aviation advocacy. A private pilot and native Kansan, Bolen was introduced to flying by his father, who served on the board of the Salina Regional Airport in Kansas.
“It was a fitting honour for a native Kansan and private pilot who first learned to love flying from his father,” said Lou Seno, executive director at the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA).
Seno said the response from across the industry, since Bolen’s retirement was announced, made clear how many lives and careers he touched.
“Ed’s career was defined by service to general aviation,” he said. “Every IADA Accredited Dealer and member company operates in a market that Ed worked for decades to protect and strengthen. The business aircraft we buy, sell and support every day exist in a regulatory and policy environment shaped in no small part by his leadership.
“On behalf of the IADA Board of Directors, our members and our staff, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Ed’s wife, Beth, his sons, Jack and Robert, his entire family, and to our colleagues at NBAA.”
Bolen attended the University of Kansas, graduating with a degree in economics. After earning a law degree and Master of Laws in taxation, he served as legislative director for US Senator Nancy Kassebaum, and majority general counsel to what is today the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. As an aide to Kassebaum, Bolen played a key role in the passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, which revived domestic aircraft manufacturing.
Bolen served as president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) from 1996 to 2004 before becoming president and CEO of NBAA.
He also advised presidents of both parties. Bolen was nominated by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate to serve as a member of the Management Advisory Council to the FAA, which he chaired from 2000 to 2004. In 2001, he was appointed by President Bush to serve as a member of the Commission on the Future of the US Aerospace Industry. He is also a former chair of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics.
In 2021, Bolen was inducted as a Living Legend into the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s International Air & Space Hall of Fame. In 2025, he received the Alpha Eta Rho Award, the aviation fraternity’s highest honour. Earlier this year, he received the Clay Lacy Friendship Medal from Flights to Freedom.
“It’s hard to express how much we miss Ed, and what he meant to so many of us,” said John Witzig, chair of NBAA’s Board of Directors. “What we do know is that we can all take inspiration from Ed’s legacy of service, dedication and leadership.”
