NBAA YoPros ‘Fly In’ to Advocate for Business Aviation
With FAA reauthorization on the horizon, NBAA’s Young Professionals in Business Aviation Council recently spent a day on Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and discussing the industry’s most pressing priorities.
The “Fly-In” allowed these industry leaders to contribute to the legislative process, get a sense of what happens in Congress and serve as business aviation lobbyists for a day.
“It’s a ‘pinch-me’ moment,” said council member Claudia Arnold, from AEG Fuels. “You always hear about it, but you don’t get to experience this as a regular citizen.”
Hannah Wolf, of Hagerty Jet Group added, “Five years ago I would have never thought I had a reason to be here, that my job would be a factor into what happens on Capitol Hill. It’s important for general aviation to have a presence.”
With talking points about NBAA’s legislative priorities – from strengthening the aviation workforce, to digitizing to deliver safety and efficiency, to ensuring infrastructure and other support for advanced air mobility – the gathering of about 25 council members and association staff divided into groups to get the word out to as many lawmakers as possible.
Though a few council members had meetings with lawmakers themselves, many of the meetings took place with staffers for committees and legislators. These included: staff from the House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-30-TX), Rep. Ron Estes (R-4-KS), Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA).
Council members also met with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).
““I really appreciated the meeting with Sen. Sinema,” said Jay Gallagher, with Aviation Search Group, following his group’s talk with the senator at her “Coffee with Krysten” event.
“I wanted to be a voice for business aviation,” he said, explaining why he took part in the Fly-In. “I’ve been in the industry for almost 10 years now; I wanted to get some experience with this and see the people who are making the policies.”
During the meeting with Duckworth, AbbVie pilot Kim Kissh had the opportunity to talk about her career path and the importance of bringing more people, especially women, into the industry.
“I got to represent the industry and such a specific niche of the industry – young professionals who want to do more, and want to succeed,” she said about her time on Capitol Hill. “We’re here to make the industry better than how we found it.”
Sierra Grimes, NBAA’s senior manager of government affairs, said the annual NBAA YoPro Fly-In augments the work the association does daily in Washington, DC.
“This experience is what draws the young professionals to want to be engaged with advocating for the industry,” she said. “When they go back home, this inspires them to connect with their local representatives, invite them to their facilities and give them a firsthand look at the value business aviation provides to their communities.”
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