Business aviation’s vital contributions take centre stage
at NBAA-BACE keynote

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen took the keynote stage on opening day of the 2025 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition for “an absolute celebration of business aviation” and its role not only in driving economic growth and technological innovation, but also in inspiring future generations to aim higher.

“We’re a vital link in the global transportation system,” Bolen said. “We create jobs. We help companies be efficient and productive in an intensely competitive global marketplace. We provide humanitarian assistance to those in need, and we are on a mission to net-zero. It is great to be part of a great industry.”

Bolen emphasized that safety also remains of paramount importance not only in the business aviation community but throughout all other industry sectors following a series of high profile, fatal accidents earlier this year.

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.

“We saw the entire aviation community coming together on the plan to build a brand-new air traffic control system,” Bolen said. “Airlines, airports, labor, all of general aviation [and] alignment between the president, the secretary of transportation, both houses of Congress and a public demanding that we build a new ATC system.”

Bolen also recognized in the audience the two most recent enshrinees to the National Aviation Hall of Fame, aviation safety consultant and former NTSB member John Goglia and NBAA Chair Emeritus Gen. Lloyd “Fig” Newton. “We’ve gotten to our point today by standing on the shoulders of giants,” he said.

Steuart Walton: Aviation is a tool to ‘Connect, Meet and See What’s Going On’

Aviator, entrepreneur and business leader Steuart Walton then joined Bolen to receive NBAA’s Meritorious Service to Aviation Award, the association’s highest honour.

In addition to serving as a director for Walmart, Walton is the co-founder and chairman of Game Aerospace and a prominent leader in fostering the development of advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft. He also restores and flies a variety of vintage aircraft, some of which are on display during NBAA-BACE at the NBAA Aircraft Connection at Henderson Executive Airport (HND).

Aviator, entrepreneur and business leader Steuart Walton.

Those aircraft, along with Walton’s work to make Thaden Field (VBT) in Bentonville, AR, a hub of community activities both related to aviation and not, serve an important purpose in his life.

“Aviation is just an absolutely unparalleled platform for inspiration to young folks, or people looking for the opportunity to find a new career,” said Walton. “The more you can tell that story about what aviation is and what it can be, you open people’s eyes to it. And the more people that come into it, the stronger it gets.”

Business aviation has also played a vital part in Walmart’s growth, from the early days when Steuart’s grandfather, Sam Walton, flew a two-seat Ercoupe to visit stores, to now operating one of the largest business aircraft fleets in the world.

“I’ve had a number of conversations with people who [thought] for so long, my business was sort of doing this” - Walton’s arm mimed a gentle upward slope - “and when I bought an airplane, all of a sudden my business started doing this,” angling his hand sharply upward.

“The ability to connect, meet and see what’s going on is very hard to assess or model, but it’s very great in our experience,” he added. “It’s just an enormously important aspect, not only to Walmart, but to the United States in general.”

Dierks Bentley riffs and rocks in support of business aviation

Bolen then welcomed to the stage multiplatinum artist, accomplished pilot and aviation champion Dierks Bentley, who marked his return to NBAA-BACE 10 years after he gave an impassioned, off-the-cuff presentation about the importance of aviation to his career.

A few things have changed for Bentley since then, including moving from his earlier Cirrus SR22 to first a Textron Aviation Cessna Citation M2, and then a larger and speedier Citation CJ4. “There’s a great scientific mathematical equation that discusses the perfect number of Martin Guitars to own: ‘N plus one,'” Bentley said. “The one you have plus one more. And that relates pretty well in aviation, too.”

Multiplatinum artist, accomplished pilot and aviation champion Dierks Bentley.

Flying also helps Bentley maintain perspective on the challenges of managing his life and career. “One day I told my 7-year-old daughter I ‘got to’ go try to write a song,” he said. “She looked at me with this kind of quizzical look on her face, and she said, ‘You got to, or you get to?’ Now, this was not a usual conversation for us to have, about perspective and gratitude. But I told her, ‘You’re right, I get to go write songs.'”

Flying, Bentley continued, is always a ‘get to’ in his life, whether it’s in the left seat as PIC or “mangling my radio calls” as second in command to his friend and professional pilot, Buck. “Or I can go sit in the back with the guys in the band and play cards,” he added.

“There’s just so much laughter, talking and fellowship happening in the back of that plane. It’s the first time I’d ever had FOMO in an airplane, because I’ve always thought being a pilot is the coolest thing of all time,” he said.

Bentley closed his presentation with a performance of his hit single “Riser” (“it’s about just being there for your friends when they’re down. And in this aviation community you’ve always got a lot of buddies to lean on”) followed by a few bars of another hit, “Drunk on a Plane.”

“I know Ed doesn’t like that one as much,” he quipped. “But a key line in the song is, ‘Buyin’ drinks for everybody but the pilot.”

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 16th October 2025 | Issue #815