A panel at NBAA’s recent White Plains Regional Forum offered a unique opportunity to illuminate business aviation’s leadership in innovation, sustainability and spirit of supporting people and communities.
“We all know that business aviation plays an essential role in the nation’s economy and transportation system,” began panel moderator Dan Hubbard, NBAA senior vice president, communications. “The industry creates more than a million jobs and supports more than $340 billion in economic activity.
“As important as those numbers are, it’s equally important to hear the stories behind the data, and see how business aviation directly impacts citizens, companies and communities every day. The leaders on this panel come from three very different vantage points in the industry, but they’re all part of the larger, important story about business aviation’s value.”
Patrick Buckles, BETA Technologies head of commercial aircraft sales, detailed the game-changing innovation behind the development and recent, cross-country flying journey of the company’s ALIA CX300, a next-generation, all-electric conventional takeoff and landing transport vehicle.
Buckles noted that Westchester Airport’s (HPN) key role in the company’s flight testing, including a first piloted test flight in February 2023. More recently, the ALIA was on display at NBAA’s forum just one day after its historic flight into John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), marking the first landing of a passenger-carrying, all-electric aircraft at a New York City-area airport.
“This is only the beginning, said Buckles. “These technologies are not PowerPoint slides. We’re doing things like this to show communities that these technologies are taking flight right now, with a number of exciting possibilities.”
Fellow panelist Gary Buchanan, Million Air’s executive vice president of FBO operations, added that the ripple effect from pioneering technologies like the ALIA can prompt the creation of new jobs, and new business partnerships. As an example directly related to the panel discussion, he pointed to BETA’s partnership with the Million Air FBO chain to develop charging infrastructure at several locations to support ALIA and other all-electric advanced air mobility vehicles, which panelists agreed will further bolster the industry’s contributions to communities while contributing to the sector’s overall goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
“We’re excited about electrification, and determined to see it become reality,” Buchanan said. “We’re going to make sure that the states, the local municipalities and businesses understand this is the most important door a community can open for investment in jobs, aviation access and other benefits.
“Not only are we looking at green technologies today, how we get to zero emissions and being good stewards of the environment,” Buchanan added. “We’re looking at how we anticipate the next 50 years in aviation – what that’s going to look like, and making sure we’re taking the steps to get there.”
The panel also focused on the countless ways the innovative nature of business aviation translates into creative approaches for lending a hand to support local initiatives in communities across the country.
The topic was a timely one, given the representation on the panel by Shannon Peterson, regional sales director for Textron Aviation, which recently sounded a call to action for aviators flying Textron aircraft to participate in the company’s upcoming Special Olympics Airlift, scheduled for June 19 and 27, 2026 in connection with the games.
The initiative, commonly recognized as the nation’s largest peacetime airlift, mobilizes owners of Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft to transport Special Olympics athletes from across the country to and from the host city.
The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games are scheduled for June 20-26, 2026, across Minnesota’s Twin Cities, with sports competitions at the University of Minnesota and the National Sports Center in Blaine. According to Textron Aviation’s website, during the 2026 event, participating aircraft are expected to touch down or takeoff from St. Paul Downtown Airport Holman Field (KSTP) every three minutes throughout a 10-hour period.
“From the minute they touch down, we choreograph their path from dropping off the athletes, to getting towed, to the fuel pits and engine startup area, and back in the air to depart for home,” Peterson said. “It’s fascinating to be a part of such an exceptional experience – the athletes are all so excited, and it’s all about their happiness.”
