As Chairman of the North Dakota Aviation Association (NDAA), I am excited to share some updates on progress we have made in staying true to our mission of supporting and growing aviation throughout North Dakota.

 Over a year ago, the NDAA Board of Directors made a commitment to develop and host an annual aviation career expo for students interested in exploring or pursuing a career in aviation. Hopefully you have seen and heard about it by now. If not, check out our promo video at www.fly-nd.com/career-expo. A big thank you to the University of North Dakota Aerospace for the production of the video. The free FLY-ND Aviation Career Expo, which was scheduled for this October, has been postponed until 2021. In addition to the Career Expo, we have established the NDAA Scholarship Fund. This fund will ultimately be a tool to help students take their first steps towards a career in aviation.

 We have also launched our new website www.fly-nd.com that is the hub for everything we as an association are working on. Events, membership info, scholarships, and news all can be accessed quickly and is easy to use and view from any kind of device. 

The NDAA has also been working with Senator Hoeven’s and Congressman Armstrong’s offices to stay on top of government funding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently received to address our industry’s workforce challenges. The funds have been appropriated to the FAA and we are expected to be available as early as mid-November. We are taking some initial steps to prepare for a potential grant submission and are collaborating with a number of organizations. These include the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, North Dakota Career and Technical Education, UND Aerospace, North Dakota State College of Science and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association to name a few. If you are interested in serving on our working committee, please contact me directly. To learn more about the grant available, visit the FAA’s website at www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ang/grants/awd/

 Your membership and support matters; please consider joining the North Dakota Aviation Association and becoming a supporter in growing aviation throughout the state.

Darren Hall, Chairman

North Dakota Aviation Associaton

chairman@fly-nd.com