Longtime NBAA CEO Ed Bolen loses battle with cancer

Ed Bolen, the long-serving chief executive of the National Business Aviation Association, has passed away.

The organization announced the news this evening.

Bolen announced his retirement last week after previously stepping away for health reasons.

His passing comes the day after being inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame.

Remembering Ed Bolen

Earlier today, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves praised Bolen after learning of his retirement last week.

The Missouri Republic wrote, “For as long as I’ve been in Congress, Ed Bolen has been a champion of America’s aviation system and a staunch supporter of its vital general aviation community.”

He continued, “When I became Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, one of my highest priorities was passing a strong bipartisan FAA reauthorization bill,” adding, “When we began drafting and building support for the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, we relied on many voices throughout aviation to make it as strong as possible, and few voices were as instrumental in our coalition as Ed Bolen’s.”

Bolen was a key voice for business aviation in pivotal moments.

He helped ensure the industry was included in the CARES Act.

His work saved countless jobs. It enabled the industry to rebound quickly and serve travelers while scheduled airlines remained largely grounded.

Bolen was key in bringing together a dozen industry associations to create advocacy group Climbing Fast.

The business aviation industry supports 1.3 million American jobs and nearly $340 billion in economic output.

Bolen had been fighting cancer, forcing him to take medical leave and retire from an industry he had championed for more than 40 years.

NBAA Acting CEO Dan Hubbard said, “We are filled with incredible sadness about Ed.”

Hubbard added, “Ed was not just our colleague – he was a friend and a mentor to many of us. He accomplished so much, and did so with grace and humility. On behalf of the entire NBAA team, we send our condolences and prayers to Beth, Jack, Robert and all of Ed’s family, in this incredibly difficult time.”

Ed Bolen career

Bolen hailed from the Sunflower State.

His father introduced him to flying, and he served on the board of the Salina Regional Airport in Kansas.

Bolen attended the University of Kansas and graduated with a degree in economics.

After earning a law degree and a Master of Laws in taxation, he served as legislative director for U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, and as majority general counsel to what is today the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

As an aide to Kassebaum, Bolen played a key role in passing the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994,

The bill revived U.S. aircraft manufacturing.

This industry made Wichita the Air Capital of the World.

Bolen served as president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

He served in that role from 1996 to 2004, then took the CEO spot at the NBAA.

President Clinton nominated Bolen, and the Senate confirmed him, to serve as a member of the Management Advisory Council to the Federal Aviation Administration,

He chaired that group from 2000 to 2004.

In 2001, Bolen was appointed by President Bush to serve as a member of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry.

Bolen is also a former chair of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics.

Awards

In 2021, Bolen was inducted as a Living Legend into the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s International Air & Space Hall of Fame.

He received the Alpha Eta Rho Award, the aviation fraternity’s highest honor, for his commitment to the industry’s future leaders.

Earlier this year, he received the Clay Lacy Friendship Medal from Flights to Freedom.

NBAA Board Chairman John Witzig said, “It’s hard to express how much we miss Ed, and what he meant to so many of us. What we do know is that we can all take inspiration from Ed’s legacy of service, dedication, and leadership.”