Director's Chair
It is exciting to see that this summer has been full of aviation related activities, which helps make up for some of the lost time that we experienced last summer when most events were canceled due to COVID-19. Be sure to visit our events page on the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission website at www.aero.nd.gov/events to view a list of all of the exciting upcoming events that are available for you and your family to participate in. Also, feel free to contact our office to share any aviation related events that we are unaware of, so that we can help spread the word for you and your community.
One incredible event that I had the privilege to attend earlier this spring was the North Dakota Aviation Association (NDAA) Career Expo. This was the first time that aviation leaders in our state took it upon themselves to plan and hold a special event that was tailored towards high school students that were known to have an interest in aviation. I was astounded at the level of participation from the aviation community to support this event, through sponsoring scholarships and/or by taking the time to visit with students by hosting a booth. A huge thank you is needed to all of those who made the event an incredible success and I hope to see even more participation from aviators and students at the fall event, which is scheduled to take place at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot on October 6.
Our agency is well known for helping to plan and finance airport infrastructure projects. However, we also work hard to further develop and promote aviation education initiatives throughout the state. Whether it’s supporting aviation curriculum and technology in our high school classrooms or working with the aviation museums and NDAA on events and initiatives, we help to promote exciting aviation careers to the next generation. Visit our website to learn more about these programs and initiatives and feel free to contact us to share any new ideas that you may have on how we could work together to further promote aviation within our communities.
Other than scheduled events, there are also other opportunities that exist to participate in and to help grow local aviation. One additional way is to consider donating to an aviation scholarship fund or participating in the Fly-ND SummerFest golf tournament on August 19, where proceeds will also go to support youth aviation scholarships. These scholarships have a real impact on the lives of the next generation of aviators and the NDAA is making a real effort to establish endowments that would provide ongoing scholarships to ensure meaningful impacts for many years to come. We also plan to honor the 2021 Hall of Fame inductee, Bill Beeks, at the conclusion of the SummerFest and we hope that you are also able to join us to help celebrate his accomplishments.
Our goal is to continue to build a culture and tradition of excellence in aviation within our state and with so many great North Dakotan aviators and opportunities on the horizon, I truly believe that the best is yet to come.
Wishing you smooth flying, Kyle
Kyle Wanner, Director
North Dakota Aeronautics Commission
701-328-9650 | kcwanner@nd.gov
