Story ID: 338
NBAA Show Memories: Jake Cartwright
By: AIN Staff
Caption: Jake Cartwright highlights the changes of NBAA over the years with memories of his first show, in 1971, when he flew to the show with Susan Oliver.
Word Count: 331
Jake Cartwright, vice-chairman of Solairus Aviation (retired)

Forty-four years passed between my first NBAA convention and my last. I attended the conventions with Cessna, Aviation Methods, TAG Aviation, and Solairus Aviation. Over the years the convention experiences began to blur, but one is still clear…my first.

Fresh from flying the F-4 Phantom with the Marine Corps, I was fortunate to get hired by Cessna in July of 1971 as a demonstration pilot for its first jet, the Citation 500.

Jim Taylor, v-p of Cessna’s jet marketing division, was a marketing genius. We would be showing the new aircraft at the NBAA Convention in September 1971 in Minneapolis. Jim decided to have Susan Oliver—actress, pilot, and 1970 Powder Puff Derby winner—fly the aircraft to the show, with Jim Markel, our chief pilot, in the right seat. Our only other demo pilot, Walt Young, and I rode along in the cabin. Susan created quite a sensation, as did the aircraft.

At STP, the flight line was filled with aircraft of the day, such as the MU-2, Learjet 24, Falcon 20, Sabre 60, DH-125, JetStar, Gulfstream II, and even a corporate BAC-111. In those days, nearly everyone actually flew demonstration flights during the show, so in addition to answering questions about the aircraft, we stayed busy flying.

The exhibit hall that year was in a large tent on the airport grounds. I assume there were booths in the tent, but I don’t remember leaving the flight line.

There was one NBAA hotel and every manufacturer had a hospitality suite in that hotel. No buses, no driving, you just walked down the hall from Gulfstream to Falcon to Learjet, etc., pretty simple.

The convention certainly changed from 1971 to 2015. But for me, what remained constant was the ability to create lasting business relationships and most importantly, lifelong friendships that enriched both my personal and working life.