The National Business Aviation Association 62nd Annual Meeting and Convention last week in Orlando, Fla., showed signs of the industry's distress, with attendance dropping to the second lowest level in 15 years and some key exhibitors missing from the convention floor, but attendees were optimistic of growing indicators of a stabilizing marketplace and an improving public image.

According to the latest NBAA numbers, attendance fell shy of 23,000 last week, down some 25 percent from the nearly 31,000 who attended the 2008 show. This marked the second lowest total since 1994. The lowest total (11,738) occurred in 2001, when NBAA rescheduled the show in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Also noticeable was the absence of Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and Piper from the convention floor. Other major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including Dassault Falcon, shrunk their displays.

Despite the smaller number of attendees and the loss of certain exhibits, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was encouraged that some 91 percent, or 1,075, of the exhibitors from the 2008 convention returned. In addition, Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and Piper all had a presence at the show with press conferences, aircraft at static displays, operators meetings and/or even sponsorships.

Most of the companies returned, he said, but they brought fewer people. From an operator standpoint, about 95 percent to 96 percent of past participants sent attendees, Bolen told BA.

Feedback from exhibitors and other members of the association's Associate Member Advisory Council "was uniformly positive," Bolen said. This held true from the major OEMs to the small consultancies, he added. "While we never expected to achieve last year's attendance total, we were determined to provide the value that the community has come to expect, and all indications are we succeeded," Bolen said. "Equally important, this was an opportunity to come together all in one place and underscore the importance of business aviation to citizens, companies and communities across the country, and articulate a vision for our future."

This was particularly evident during the opening general session, where two new advocates emerged to rally the association's membership to get involved in protecting the vitality of the industry.

Tom Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), vowed to become the association's newest member and team with the business aviation community to help promote the industry. "It's not often that a labor leader is invited to speak to a business audience," he said. "In normal times, we face each other across a negotiating table or picket line. We do battle over every dime and every dollar in every contract."

But these are not normal times, Buffenbarger said. "In this grave recession, our very survival is at stake." Business aviation companies are suffering, and his union is fighting for jobs. "We have a choice. We can fight our separate fights for survival. Or, we can fight together as a team."

More than 80,000 IAM members are in the aerospace segment, but some 30,000 are now unemployed. Almost half of those once were employed by business aviation companies. "I'm fully and painfully aware of the challenges facing each one of you in this grave recession," he said. He urged the membership to contact the White House and request that President Obama visit Wichita.