Viva Las BACE
The National Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition starts in Las Vegas next week. It has been 14 years since an NBAA convention when the US business aviation market was truly booming.
BACE typically runs every year. For some reason it did not happen last year, but NBAA has used these extra months to add lots of exciting new features. These include the super cool Blade-helicopter shuttle between the convention centre and the aircraft static display at Henderson Executive Airport, an owner-pilot pavilion and much more.
Sustainability is a key theme of the event. NBAA has carbon offset the event with 4AIR and arranged book-and-claim sustainable aviation fuel for anyone flying in. You can expect more announcements.
Speakers include NASA’s lead for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, FAA administrator Steve Dickson, comedian Rob Riggle and lots more. (Let’s hope they all meet up to shoot craps as well – that would be a great table).
Sadly, there will be fewer international visitors due to travel restrictions. They will be sitting at home frustrated not to be there. This includes us.
The event comes at a good time. People involved in operations deserve a break after a crazy summer. Anyone who has been adding aircraft to management or arranging charter should have some fun.
Transaction professionals also deserve a chance to relax before the end of the year. Data from AMSTAT out today shows that resale retail transactions for the first eight months of 2021 are up 57% over the same period in 2020 and up 47% versus the same period in 2019.
It says that the inventory of available pre-owned jets and turboprops has shrunk by 42%. “Continued demand and shrinking supply are pushing up values back to and above their pre-covid levels,” says AMSAT. And there are still a lot of deals to close.
The only problem is that everyone will return home from BACE more tired.
A vintage NBAA convention is in prospect next week in the Las Vegas area.
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