Charles ‘Bucky’ Oliver, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Jetcraft  

Today, I belong to two geriatric clubs; the first meets every Saturday morning for breakfast, and the second meets to remember NBAA experiences.

My aviation career began in 1961 when I was a freshman at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and—much to the disappointment of my parents—l acquired an FBO business at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). Years later we matured to be a Citation Service Center and financed our first NBAA visit on what is now known as a Visa card.

Attending NBAA helped us to gain international recognition and build our reputation both inside and outside of the industry.

I recall when our ace pilot, Lloyd Hubbard, lost the key to the Citation on display in Los Angeles. Fortunately it was easy to pick a Citation lock in those pre-security days! I also remember with pride sitting on the wing of my brother’s Constellation (formerly known as Columbine, Eisenhower’s Air Force One) at Houston Hobby in light rain trying to close a sale.

Now the story continues as Jetcraft exhibits several hundred million dollars’ worth of inventory along NBAA-BACE’s aisle every year. It all proves the value of creating relationships, which is what corporate aviation delivers each day.