The 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) opened Oct. 20 in Las Vegas with “The Launch,” a celebration of business aviation’s remarkable accomplishments and pioneering spirit, and the collaboration and innovation that continue to propel aviation forward.
Held on the convention’s new Horizon Stage, the program brought together business aviation executives, accomplished pilots, aerospace innovators and association leaders to discuss the industry’s contributions to economic opportunity, its commitment to safety and the importance of inspiring future generations.
Aviation advocate and “Pink Jet” pilot Stephanie Goetz served as emcee, sharing how attending NBAA events helped strengthen her own commitment to aviation. “We all came here for the airplanes, right?” she said. “But we stayed because of the community, the relationships, the people that we build things with.”
NBAA Board Chair John Witzig kicked off The Launch by welcoming attendees and thanking the association’s Leadership Council, volunteers and members for their contributions to a successful year.
“As an operator, I come to NBAA-BACE every year to connect with my current business partners [and] my old friends, to learn and to see all of the innovations that have taken place within technology in our industry,” Witzig said. “This is just an incredible industry that we have, and it’s likely the most exciting industry anywhere in the world.”
Dan Hubbard, NBAA senior vice president of communications and interim chief operating officer, previewed appearances throughout the week by FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and congressional lawmakers from both houses of Congress and across the aisle.
“That said, someone important is missing,” he added. “That’s our friend and NBAA’s President and CEO, Ed Bolen. Ed’s not able to be here with us this week, [but] we know that he’s cheering us on.”
Commemorating Bolen’s upcoming induction into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame, NBAA is distributing sunflower lapel pins, reflecting Kansas’ state flower. “We hope you’ll sport one of these pins this week to show that just as Ed is cheering us on here in Las Vegas, we’re cheering this important accomplishment and recognition,” Hubbard said.
Steven Udvar-Hazy Honored for Transforming Global Aviation
Next, NBAA Board Vice Chair and Treasurer Matt Byrd and business leader Ross Perot Jr. presented NBAA’s 2026 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award to Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, whose innovations in aircraft leasing helped transform global air transportation.
Udvar-Hazy recounted his childhood in Budapest following World War II as Hungary came under strict, and at times violent, Soviet control.
“When I was 6 ½ years old, my father took me to an air show in Budapest,” he said. “I saw a MiG-15 jet take off [and] it was the first time in my life I saw aircraft doing aerobatics. I sensed that aviation might be the path to freedom away from this communist-oppressed country.”
His childhood fascination ultimately led him to envision an opportunity for a new financing model for commercial aviation. Udvar-Hazy and two fellow Hungarian immigrants pooled their money in 1973 to establish International Lease Finance Corp.
While ILFC primarily serves airline clients, Udvar-Hazy’s contributions also encompass business aviation, which he noted has experienced even faster growth than the commercial airline sector over the past several decades.
“In 1980, there were 1,230 private jet aircraft registered in the U.S.,” Udvar-Hazy said. “Today, it’s more than 17,600. That’s a fifteenfold increase since I bought my first private jet.”
Learn more about the Meritorious Service to Aviation Award.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman Outlines a New Era of Aerospace Exploration
The Launch also included a discussion between NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and NBAA board member and former NASA astronaut and space shuttle commander Charlie Precourt, on topics ranging from aviation safety practices and organizational leadership to experimental flight testing and the emerging “space race” with China.
Isaacman credited his own aviation and spaceflight experiences, including as commander of the all-civilian Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions, with shaping his approach to leading NASA.
“Step one: It’s a team,” he said. “There are a lot of people coming together to make that possible, give you the best chance of success. It’s always imperfect, no matter how well you plan and train for it. And that’s the opportunity to learn and do it better the next time.”
That same philosophy now informs changes at NASA, Isaacman continued, with an emphasis on transparency and accountability as the agency pursues ambitious national space policy objectives, including lunar exploration and the development of nuclear power technologies for space.
Isaacman pointed to NASA’s X-59 experimental supersonic aircraft as an example of the agency’s renewed commitment to flight testing and cutting-edge aerospace research. “The test data so far is extremely encouraging,” he said. “We are doing a lot better than we thought we would experience so far, so that’s exciting to think about the prospect of truly quiet supersonic flight.”
The conversation then shifted to NASA’s goal of returning American astronauts to the moon before the end of 2028 and beginning construction of a permanent lunar outpost. “This one’s going to be close,” he said. “The Chinese have stated publicly they intend to land their astronauts on the moon before 2030. Our timeframe is before the end of 2028.”
Reflecting on his own spaceflight experiences, Isaacman recalled being struck by the sight of the moon and the vastness of the universe.
“Seeing the moon was just a reminder that we really only just began this journey,” he concluded. “We don’t even know what’s in our own backyard, in our own solar system …. We just have to keep going.”
NBAA Legacy Society Panel Looks Toward the Next 80 Years
The Launch also included discussion about business aviation’s future and the organizations helping to shape it through NBAA’s 80th Anniversary Legacy Society. NBAA Senior Vice President for Product Development and Sales Emily Deaton moderated the discussion with four founding Legacy Society representatives.
“As we celebrate NBAA’s 80th anniversary, we’re not just looking back at eight decades of progress,” she said. “We’re also recognizing the people and organizations whose leadership, generosity and commitment have helped make this industry what it is today.”
The audience heard from Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of global sales and marketing for Textron Aviation; Dassault Falcon Jet CEO Thierry Betbeze; RTX Senior Director Scott Polverari; and Don Dwyer, co-managing partner for Guardian Jet, about the value of NBAA and its role in advocating for and supporting business aviation.