Southeast Aviation Expo on Final Approach to Greenville

This month the third annual Southeast Aviation Expo (SEAE) will be held on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28 at the Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) in South Carolina, located just off I-85 between Atlanta and Charlotte.

The event will showcase the latest aviation products, have a static aircraft display and educational sessions. The focus of the educational sessions on Friday will be more on business use of aviation and on Saturday will be more towards the personal use of aviation.

Friday, September 27 – SEAE opens at 1 pm

1:30 – 2:30 pm - Business Aviation Industry Update – National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen to speak.  The business aviation community is a large, diverse and important industry, which plays a key role in job creation and economic growth. Companies of all sizes, all across the U.S. rely on an airplane to get their people out into the 'field,' so they can conduct business. Business aviation reaches about 5,000 public-use facilities where there often is little or no airline service.  According to NBAA’s website, only about three percent of the approximately 15,000 business aircraft registered in the U.S. are flown by Fortune 500 companies, while the remaining 97 percent are operated by a broad cross section of organizations, including governments, universities, charitable organizations and businesses – large, medium and small.  Common uses of business aircraft are for medical and emergency transport, mapping and surveying, aerial photography, agricultural applications, security and law enforcement, news gathering, pipeline and utility monitoring, weather monitoring and humanitarian missions.

3 – 4:30 pm:   Light Business Aviation Safety Seminar – Cliff Jenkins, SC Safety Council

4:45 – 5:15 pm:  Business Aviation Safety and Compliance – Baldwin Aviation / Tax Planning For Business Aircraft Owners – Aviation Tax Consultants, LLC            

5:30 – 6 pm:  Sparkplug Maintenance and Troubleshooting – Champion Aerospace

Saturday, September 28 – SEAE opens at 9 am

9:30 – 10 am:  Tire Care Service – Michelin Aircraft Tires / Piston Transition to a Very Light Jet – Eclipse Aerospace

10:15 -10:45 am:  Aviation Insurance – Hope Aviation Insurance / Opportunities with ForeFlight – Airwolf Aviation            Services           

11 – 11:30 am:  Spark Plug Design and Maintenance – Tempest                                 

11 am – Noon:  ForeFlight Optimization - Jason Miller, ForeFlight co-founder

11:45 – 12:15 pm:  Advantages of the Touring Motor – Pipistrel                        

12:45 – 1:45 pm - Lessons Learned from a Blue Angels Pilot - Lt. Commander Scott "Yogi" Beare, U.S. Navy (Retired).  The fastest he got was 1.78 Mach, which is 1.78 times the speed of sound, which equals about 1300 miles per hour.  It will be incredible to hear about his fast flying experiences since not many pilots ever get to go that fast or fly those type planes! 

Beare is a graduate of the famed Naval Fighter Weapons School “TOPGUN”, as well as a combat decorated veteran of Desert Storm where he was awarded two air medals and a navy commendation medal for valor in aerial combat. Beare's formal education includes a M.B.A. and a B.A. from George Washington University. He has authored two books: Yogi Beare! Values of a Blue Angel, an inspiring story of how personal values build character to overcome hardship and drive success; and, The Power of Teamwork, inspired by the ultimate team, highlights key principles of teamwork embraced by the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.

2 – 2:30 pm:   2013 Tax Incentives for Aircraft Used Primarily for Business - Advocate Consulting Legal Group

2:45 – 3:15 pm:  All You Need to Know About ADSB – PF Flyers / Aviation Insurance – The James Gardner Co.

Five sessions at the SEAE will be eligible for WINGS - Pilot Proficiency Program credit.  See:  http://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_details.aspx?eid=51725&caller=%2FSPANS%2Fevents%2FEventList.aspx%3Fstatecd%3DSC

The SEAE has 12 NEW exhibitors for 2013 and many that have exhibited in the past are coming again!   Here's who is registered to come (bolded ones are new for 2013):  

Advocate Consulting Legal Group, Airwolf Aviation Services, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Angel Flight Soars, Inc., Aviation Tax Consultants, Baldwin Aviation Safety and Compliance, BMW Performance Driving School, Century BMW, Cessna, Champion Aerospace, Cirrus, Civil Air Patrol, Continental Motors, CTS International, Davis and Floyd, DTC DUAT Service, Drumm Health Services, Dynon Avionics, Eagle Aviation, Eastern Aviation Fuels/Shell, Eclipse Aerospace, Embry Riddle, Enterprise Rent-a-car, Epic Aviation, Flight Standards District Office, Greenville Jet Center, Greenville Downtown Airport, Heaven's Landing, Hope Aviation Insurance Inc., James A Gardner Company, Just Aircraft, Land Rover Carolinas, Legend Cub, Lycoming Engines, Louis Berger Services, Michelin Aircraft Tire, Mountain Air, NationAir Insurance, National Weather Service, Pipistrel-USA, Pilots N Paws, PF Flyers, Premier Aircraft Sales (Diamond Aircraft), Recreational Aviation Foundation, Runway Café, SC Aviation Safety Council, Skytech (Pilatus), SkyQuest International, LLC (Kodiak), South Carolina Aeronautics Commission, South Carolina Aviation Association, South Carolina Historical Aviation Foundation, South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center (SCTAC), Special Services Corporation, Stevens Aviation, SWT Aviation (Cubcrafters), Tempest, Trade-A-Plane, USAeroTech Institute, Women in Aviation Palmetto Pride Chapter

U.S. Sport Aviation Expo is a media sponsor again this year!!!!  See:  http://www.sport-aviation-expo.com/ for details about their great event.

NBAA's mission is to foster an environment that allows business aviation to thrive in the United States and around the world. Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, NBAA is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 9,000 companies. For more information about NBAA, visit http://www.nbaa.org/  For more information about Ed Bolen, please visit http://www.nbaa.org/about/contact/executives/bolen.php

For more information about Scott "Yogi" Beare, please visit http://scottbeare.com/home.html or contact him at sb@yogibeare.com

For more information about the SEAE, please visit http://www.scaaonline.com/southeast-aviation-expo/

GMU is the busiest general aviation airport and third busiest airport overall in South Carolina and is a self-sufficient entity with financial strength that doesn't rely on local taxpayers for funding. GMU is home to Greenville Jet Center, the largest Fixed Base Operator (FBO) in S.C., as well as more than 25 other aviation-related businesses creating 453 jobs that annually contribute more than $35.2 million to the Upstate economy. For more information about GMU please visit http://www.greenvilledowntownairport.com or contact Joe Frasher at 864-242-4777or joe@greenvilledowntownairport.com