Part trade show, part educational symposium, part reunion. That best describes the Northwest Aviation Conference & Trade Show held every February at the Puyallup Fairgrounds (that’s pronounced Pew-YAL-up for the unfamiliar) in Washington state.
The event will take place Saturday and Sunday. The show missed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so this year marks the 40th event.
Admission is $10 for adults, and children are free. The show runs from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. PST Saturday, and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.=
What to Expect
Dozens of aviation businesses and organizations display exhibits. If you are looking for information about a particular facet of aviation—such as floatplane flying, or an organization such as Angel Flight or the Ninety-Nines—you will likely be able to find it at the conference. In addition many airports are represented and provide information about their operations.
For those looking for a job in aviation, this is the place to make connections. The exhibitors include airlines, FBOs, and aviation supply businesses. There is usually a large contingent of flight schools and aviation college programs as well to help find a place to train for the career you seek.
The conference is rife with seminars on multiple topics, from specialized flying to best practices for the care and feeding of your aircraft. There is also an IA maintenance refresher training workshop and a career fair. If you are looking for a job, bring business cards and résumés and be dressed to interview.
According to event organizers, the event has “grown to over 75 hours of safety seminars and 122,000 square feet of aviation displays with an annual attendance of over 10,000.”
The show has a regular schedule of guest speakers. This year aviation author, educator, and humorist Rod Machado leads the lineup. Machado has been teaching people to fly in one form or another for 50 years, and his presentations are usually very well attended. His authored works include private pilot and instrument ground training as well as specialty products, such as interactive e-learning programs “Basic Cross Country Flight Planning for Beginners” and “Understanding Weather.”
The rest of the guest speaker lineup and more information on the conference can be found here.
