By Dan Rutherford | October 12, 2016 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 20 seconds.
“We had no idea how robust the aviation sector is in Canada,” enthused one visitor to the inaugural Mid-Canada Business Aviation Show, held Sept. 22 at the James A. Richardson Winnipeg International Airport.
The Canadian Business Aviation Association also held a chapter meeting during the show, which was hosted by Fast Air Executive Aviation Services. About 200 people attended, including businesspeople, political leaders, business aircraft owners, aviation service providers and operators. The response exceeded organizers’ expectations, with those in attendance representing many aspects of a robust biz av community.
“There was a remarkable response from the OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] who generously supported the event by providing their aircraft and personnel for an impressive static display of business jets and turboprops,” said Dan Rutherford, manager of marketing at Fast Air.
Among the aircraft on display were the Gulfstream G280, Learjet 75, Dassault-Falcon 900, Cessna Citation Latitude, Pilatus PC-12NG, and Beechcraft King Air 250. Also on display were some of Fast Air’s charter aircraft, including a King Air 200 commuter and Gulfstream G150.
The static display at the show was accented by delicious local cuisine (Stella’s); world-class wines (Banville and Jones); and great music (Winnipeg Jazz legend Walle Larrson).
During the CBAA meeting, association president and CEO Rudy Toering spoke about some of the challenges his team is addressing with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) concerning tax implications for business aircraft owners.
The second part of the chapter meeting saw Wayne McGhee of Garmin provide a detailed explanation of ADS-B. His talk highlighted the urgency of addressing the upgrades needed to keep aircraft operational in the future.
Participants have reported that while the event was a tremendous experience, it was more significant in that it brought together qualified parties and new business opportunities, at a time when new business is hard to find.
In addition to support from OEMs and the CBAA, the Mid-Canada Business Aviation Show also benefitted from graphics and promotional assistance courtesy of Skies magazine.
Everyone was enthusiastic about participating once again in 2017.
