Experience milestone moments with a powerful start to 2026 NBAA-BACE as we set the trajectory for the future of business aviation featuring welcome remarks from NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, the presentation of the association’s prestigious Meritorious Service to Aviation Award to Steven F. Udvar-Hazy and a fireside chat between Udvar-Hazy and Ross Perot Jr.
Safety First, Safety Always: A Celebration of Organizational and Individual Safety Excellence
Safety is built over years, strengthened by people and proven through performance.
Presented by Stephanie Goetz, this Horizon Stage celebration will honor organizations reaching 50, 60 and 75 years of accident-free operations through the NBAA Flying Safety Awards, highlighting the commitment and operational excellence behind those milestones.
The Dr. Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award will also recognize the pilots, maintenance technicians and aviation professionals whose leadership, ethics and selflessness continue to strengthen safety culture across business aviation.
Did you know that nearly 20,000 aircraft were impacted by GPS jamming and spoofing this year? This talk will cover the impacts of GPS interference, the latest trends using GPSThreatMap.com, and available options to help navigate safely through GPS-denied regions.
Be part of an inspiring morning session designed exclusively for transitioning service members, veterans and military families. Hear directly from distinguished aviation and legislative leaders about the critical role military talent plays in driving the future of business aviation. Gather with fellow veteran attendees to build your network, gain key industry insights and set the stage for a high-impact day on the exhibit floor.
Every decision a flight department makes is only as good as the weather data beneath it. Route, fuel, ramp, go/no-go – each one inherits the quality of its source. The Weather Company has spent four decades building the world's most trusted weather data, now the intelligence behind more than 25,000 flights daily. But accuracy at the source only pays off if it survives the trip to the people making the calls – and today dispatchers sort through disjointed NOTAMs and SIGMETs, ramp crews make lightning calls on instinct, and flight crews absorb hazard information out of context. Ravi Vanmali, SVP of Aviation at The Weather Company, shows how trusted data becomes common situational awareness across the operations center, the airside and the cockpit – and why the biggest gains come when the best data is also the shared one.
Partnering with NBAA, Alpha Wingman’s business aviation pitch contest, PitchAv, will return this year on the show floor during NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas. Alpha Wingman will host this aspiring entrepreneur competition allowing individuals and start-ups to pitch their business aviation ideas live to industry-recognized judges.
© 2026 National Business Aviation Association