Puyallup's Northwest Aviation Conference in Full Swing

0

We spent the day at the Northwest Aviation Conference, happening this weekend at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup, east of Tacoma, and south of Seattle. The conference features vendor booths and presentations on a wide variety of aviation topics, and has a different feel than most of the fly-in air shows you will find across the country. Since it is not located at an airport, and has no airshow to pull crowds in and out of the trade show facility, there is a more relaxed feel, and both vendors and attendees seemed to be willing to engage in longer, more comprehensive conversations.

Heavy on local business, but featuring national vendors such as Dynon and Garmin, the show connects potential customers and suppliers of aviation parts, training—and quite a few airlines looking for pilots. If you’re on the hunt for a flying job, this was the place to be, with what seemed like a dozen different companies recruiting heavily for cockpit positions.

In the experimental world, we talked with avionics vendors large and small, a couple of engine companies, several aviation-related government organizations, and a great group of Puyallup teens showing off their RV-12 project.

The annual show runs through this weekend, and we found it a refreshingly different way to start the aviation trade-show circuit!

Previous articleNow THAT's a flow bench!
Next articleAlperin Sportsman
Paul Dye
Paul Dye, KITPLANES® Editor at Large, retired as a Lead Flight Director for NASA’s Human Space Flight program, with 50 years of aerospace experience on everything from Cubs to the Space Shuttle. An avid homebuilder, he began flying and working on airplanes as a teen and has experience with a wide range of construction techniques and materials. He flies an RV-8 and SubSonex jet that he built, an RV-3 that he built with his pilot wife, as well as a Dream Tundra and an electric Xenos motorglider they completed. Currently, they are building an F1 Rocket. A commercially licensed pilot, he has logged over 6000 hours in many different types of aircraft and is an A&P, FAA DAR, EAA Tech Counselor and Flight Advisor; he was formerly a member of the Homebuilder’s Council. He consults and collaborates in aerospace operations and flight-testing projects across the country.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.