Oct. 29, 3004

For more information contact:
Tim McClung
515-239-1689

 2004 Iowa Aviation Conference to be held Nov 3-4

AMES, Iowa – The 2004 Iowa Aviation Conference will be held Nov. 3- 4 in West Des Moines at the University Park Holiday Inn. The annual conference is a joint effort between the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation and Iowa Public Airports Association.

Attending the two-day conference will be approximately 200 representatives from Iowa airports, aviation related businesses, state and federal aviation officials, the Transportation Security Administration, state and national aviation associations, and others with an interest in aviation-related issues.

The conference will address issues such as state and federal aviation programs, aviation security, the draft Iowa Aviation System Plan, and environmental issues including chemical containment, land use and wildlife problems at airports.

Special guests at the conference will include Chris Blum, regional administrator for the Central Region of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Henry Ogrodzinski, president and CEO of the National Association of State Aviation Officials, Dave Weiman, editor of Midwest Flyer Magazine, and Rod Machado, noted aviation author and humorist.

Information on the conference is available at the Iowa Public Airport Association’s Web site at www.iowaairports.org or by calling 515-251-8640.

As part of the conference, a free aviation safety program for pilots will be held Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7-9 p.m. The safety program is sponsored by the FAA’s Des Moines Flight Standards District Office, Iowa DOT’s Office of Aviation, and Iowa Public Airports Association. More than 200 pilots are expected to attend. Rod Machado will speak on "Defensive Flying" and "The Right Stuff." The program is part of the Pilot Proficiency Award Program, a recurrent training program for pilots. Statistics show that pilots who participate in recurrent training programs have better safety records compared to those that don't.

#