AVIATION WEEK to Conduct Management Forum on Business Models for VLJs and Light Jets, May 15-16 in West Palm Beach, FL

NEW YORK, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Top executives from the aviation industry will convene at AVIATION WEEK's first Management Forum on Business Models for VLJs and Light Jets on May 15-16 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Delegates from business aviation operators, VLJ and light jet manufacturers, FBOs and airports, dealers and brokers and other industry participants will engage in discussions on overcoming barriers to entry and running successful operations.

The highly interactive sessions will cover such topics as how to make investing in VLJs a profitable proposition; applying existing business models; growth opportunities for FBOs, airports and city economic development; safety & training; and distribution technology.

The Management Forum will open with a keynote panel on how operators can uncover the keys to making money with a VLJ, with representatives from Caterpillar Inc., JetBird AG, Linear Air, POGO Jet Inc., SATSair, Magnum Air and DayJet Corp. Wednesday's session will begin with an address on regulatory/government perspective from Andrew B. Steinberg, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs in the Office of the Secretary, Department of Transportation. Other speakers include:

Donald E. Baldwin, President & CEO, Baldwin Aviation Inc. Scott Bengston, Mustang Project Manager, Cessna Aircraft Co. Steven J. Brown, Sr. Vice President, Operations, National Business Aviation Association Inc. (NBAA) Jim Burns, CEO, Magnum Air Cameron Burr, President and Founder, POGO Jet Inc. Roger Burton, CEO, Taxijet.com Matt Byrd, Vice President, Hillwood Properties Graham Casson, President & CEO, OurPLANE Inc. Joseph Dini, Senior Vice President, Sovereign Bank Aviation Finance Steve Fisher, CEO, Slipstream Dr. Ian Fries (single owner, a single operator, and a single pilot) Peter Fuchs, Director, KPMG LLP Paul Geaney, Managing Director, JetBird AG Traver Gruen-Kennedy, Vice President, Community & Government Affairs, DayJet Corp. Stephan Hanvey, President and CEO of SATSair William Herp, President and CEO, Linear Air Ed Iacobucci, President and CEO, DayJet Corp. Jim McCotter, CEO, Maverick Jets Mike Nichols, Director of Tax, Economics & Operation Services, NBAA Vern Raburn, CEO, Eclipse Aviation Corp. Richard Ramsden, Vice President, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance Inc. Martin Rollinger, CAM, Manager, Aviation Services, Caterpillar Inc. Kent Scott, President, Mustang Management Group, Scott Aircraft and Scott Aviation (First Cessna Citation Mustang Owner) Louis Seno, Vice Presidents, General Electric Credit Corp. Corporate Aircraft Steve Smestad, President, Airfleet Capital Inc. John York, Pilot, Major US Airlines Pilot and Advisory Board Member, FLIGHT SAFETY

"AVIATION WEEK's newest Management Forum on VLJs is designed to advance the dialogue in this important sector of the industry," said William Garvey, editor in chief of Business & Commercial Aviation. "We are excited about tackling the issues in what is expected to be the most dynamic segment of the business jet market in the coming years."

Additional information and online registration for the Management Forum is available at http://www.aviationweek.com/, or by calling +1 212-904-6344.

The forum is produced by Aviation Week Conferences & Exhibitions and is supported by NBAA, Florida Aviation Trades Association, and the Consortium for Aviation Systems Advancement. Media partners include Business & Commercial Aviation, The Weekly of Business Aviation, Aviation Week & Space Technology, AC Flyer and Very Light Jet Magazine.

About AVIATION WEEK

AVIATION WEEK, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries, and includes the publications Aviation Week & Space Technology, Defense Technology International, Business & Commercial Aviation, Overhaul & Maintenance, ShowNews, Aviation Daily, The Weekly of Business Aviation, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report and the World Aerospace Database. The group's web portal, http://www.aviationweek.com/, offers the industry's most reliable news, information, intelligence and features, and its Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) at http://www.aviationweek.com/awin is the industry's most integrated business tool for managers, business developers, buyers and technical professionals across the entire aviation and aerospace field. The group also produces 12 major conferences and exhibitions in the MRO, defense and programs sectors. Information is available at http://www.aviationweek.com/conferences.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.