Story ID: 342
NBAA Show Memories: Brian Barents
By: AIN Staff
Caption: Former Aerion chief Brian Barent traces through how NBAA served as an important venue to launch companies and products throughout his career.
Word Count: 534
Brian Barents, executive chairman of Aerion Supersonic (retired)

Since its founding in 1947, NBAA has been responsible for the general aviation industry’s tremendous growth due, in large part, to the annual convention that provides the delegates the opportunity to convene while providing the OEMs with a platform to display their products and introduce new and exciting aircraft.

My first year to attend was 1976 in Denver. It was a memorable year for me as it was the year I joined Cessna as a rookie Citation salesman. At the time we had one Citation in the product line—the original 500. We literally woke up the press on opening day and at a breakfast that morning announced three all-new products: the Citations I, II, and III. The rest is history as these models provided the basic platform for Cessna to sell thousands of Citations and quickly became the perennial industry leader.

Sometime later I became the CEO at Learjet in 1989. Shortly thereafter we emerged from bankruptcy and ultimately sold the company to Bombardier. With their financial support, we were able to quickly re-introduce the Learjet 31 followed by the Learjet 60. Two years later at the NBAA convention, we made the announcement of the first all-new Learjet in two decades—the Learjet 45. It was a glorious day for the 3,000 Learjet employees who had weathered the difficult days of bankruptcy. The Learjet 45 was the first eight-place aircraft in its class and became a great seller. It later became the Learjet 75, which is still in production today. It was truly a memorable convention!

At the NBAA convention in 1997, we announced the formation of Galaxy Aerospace in partnership with Israel Aircraft Industries. At the same time, we introduced the all-new Galaxy aircraft, which was the first super-midsize jet. After a successful development and certification program, the aircraft entered service in 1999. The company was later acquired by Gulfstream Aerospace and continues to be a part of the product line (now as the G280).

In 2004, we introduced Aerion Corp. to the world at the NBAA convention. A high-tech company that would bring back supersonic travel to the industry following the retirement of the Concorde. It was clear that the market required another dimension for its continued growth. Previous years witnessed the introduction of larger airplanes with luxurious cabins and longer range.

Since the introduction of the jet age in the early 1950s, the industry was stuck on essentially the same speeds for 60 years. With the growth of long-range travel, the requirement for higher speed and the return to the supersonic era was compelling. And with the evolution of new technology, new modern environmentally sensitive propulsion systems, and new construction techniques, Aerion is capable of overcoming the economic and environmental objections of previous supersonic designs.

Today, the company is partnered with Boeing, General Electric, and countless other leading aerospace companies to bring the Aerion AS2 to the market by the middle of this decade.

While I’ll miss this year’s convention for the first time in 44 years, I will look forward to the exciting announcements at next year’s gathering. Until then good health to everyone!