NBAA’s Ed Bolen Named to Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen was named as the first inductee into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame class of 2026. Bolen will be recognized during the Kansas Aviation Honor Awards on November 10.

The Hall of Fame is displayed within the Kansas Aviation Museum, located at the historic Wichita Municipal Airport terminal that dates back to 1935 and has hosted famed flyers such as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. The museum traces the history and development of aviation in Wichita, which became known as the Air Capital of the World, as well as the extended area.

For Bolen, the longtime leader of NBAA, the induction brings him back to his roots as a native of Salina, Kansas. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Kansas and, early in his career, served as a legislative director for the former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kansas). Bolen worked integrally with Kassebaum on the passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, which is widely credited with breathing new life into this sector.

A graduate of the Tulane University School of Law and with a master of laws degree from Georgetown University Law Center, Bolen was also the majority general counsel on what is now the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Following his time with the Senate, he was named senior v-p and general counsel of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) in 1995 and a year later became only the fourth person to lead the association as president. Bolen ultimately joined NBAA in 2004.

During his time with GAMA and then NBAA, Bolen has made a mark on aviation and policy, serving as a member and then chair of the Management Advisory Council under multiple administrations, as chair of the RTCA, and as a member of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. He also has served on the board of directors of the National Aeronautic Association and on the Aviation Advisory Board of the Mitre Corp., a federally funded research and development organization.

The Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame is the latest in recognitions for Bolen, a Living Legend in Aviation who was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame in 2021.