Page 23 - Volume 18 Number 1

January 2014
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATIO
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No Plane No Gain Message Remains Important in 2014 And Beyond
by Ed Bolen NBAA President and CEO
Emphasizing the social and eco- nomic importance of the general aviation industry, including business aviation, was
the message that NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) wanted to convey when the two associations launched the No Plane No Gain campaign five years ago. It’s a message that remains especially relevant today, as well.
When we launched No Plane No Gain in early 2009, business aviation was grappling with a series of difficulties. Many companies were feeling the pain from the economic downturn in the autumn of 2008, and those challenges were compounded by the scathing, unwarranted criticism that business aviation received after executives from America’s auto manufacturers flew to Washington, DC aboard business airplanes to ask for taxpayer bailouts.
We wanted to set the record straight, so No Plane No Gain was born to combat these troubling, persistent misconceptions. No Plane No Gain focuses on piercing the mischaracterizations about our industry, and ensuring awareness among policymakers and opinion leaders of business aviation’s many positive contributions, including the 1.2 million jobs it generates, the lifeline
business aviation provides to communities with little or no airline service, and its important role in supporting tens of thousands of businesses of all sizes.
Since early 2009, NBAA and GAMA have been taking this positive message about business aviation directly to Capitol Hill, and to local and state lawmakers, every day. Today, more than half of all lawmakers in the House of Representatives participate in the House GA Caucus, nearly 50 percent of U.S. senators are in the Senate GA Caucus, and governors from 49 states have proclaimed the industry’s value.
We have been successful in communicating that value because we have consistently told our good- news story, while finding new ways to keep that message fresh, relevant and compelling. In addition to utilizing television, print, and online advertising and news coverage, NBAA and GAMA have also maintained a dedicated web site (noplanenogain. org) and used social media like Twitter and Facebook to spread the word.
NBAA and GAMA have also commissioned a series of studies and surveys demonstrating how business aviation works for all kinds of companies, in good times and bad times. While it’s nice to have hard numbers, though, we have not just relied on that data.
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JANUARY 2014 TWIN & TURBINE • 21