For her part, Longmuir attempted to counter many of those observations in a prepared statement of her own, as previously reported by AVweb and dated April 1, the day of her departure. According to her statement, she had a difference in vision for leadership of the association, something with which no one disagrees. “I am proud of the progress I made at as President and CEO and take pride in accomplishing key goals for the organization and its members,” she said in her statement. Additionally, she added that she “was able to establish sound financial footing for the organization,” although the NBAA has seen substantial growth in its staff and its industry-leading trade show over the last 10-15 years and is not known to have financial troubles of any kind. For example, under former president Jack Olcott, NBAA membership more than doubled — from 3,076 companies in 1992 to more than 7,300 by late 2002 — and convention attendance almost doubled, from 17,312 attendees in 1992 to nearly 30,000 for the 2002 event.
Perhaps most telling, however, is Longmuir’s emphasis on working to “spearhead legislative initiatives to ensure members interests were actively reflected in policymaking in Washington D.C. and across the U.S.,” according to her statement. “This is a dynamic time for aviation policy, and General Aviation needs access to TSA and Capitol Hill. I was proud to have provided that access as policy on security and safety issues was being crafted,” she added. Despite what many observers of the Washington aviation trade association scene have said since her departure, Longmuir’s statement referenced her development and execution of “a legislative and policy agenda that ensured that the NBAA memberships voice was heard on Capitol Hill and within the Bush Administration at the most senior levels.” That may be true, one observer told AVweb, but there was precious little to show for it in legislation or policy direction at the FAA, the TSA or elsewhere.
