WELCOME TO NASAO!

Officially established in 1931, the National Association of State Aviation Officials is one of the oldest continually active aviation advocates in the United States.   For instance, it is far older than the Federal Aviation Administration.  From the very beginning, NASAO has represented the men and women in state government who protect and promote the public interest in the world’s safest, largest and most comprehensive aviation transportation system.

Shortly after the Wright Brothers triumph at Kitty Hawk,  many states began to take an interest in how the fledgling aviation industry could be of benefit to their constituents on a local, regional, national or even international basis.  The states encouraged the federal government to get involved in aviation because there were no national standards for the design of airfields, no national standard operating procedures for search and rescue…or accident investigation.  Regulations and standards varied from state to state.  In fact, by the time Charles Lindbergh made his record breaking solo flight across the Atlantic, most states had already established aeronautics agencies within their governments.  So, before Amelia Earhart made her solo Atlantic crossing, the states gathered together to found an organization which would set and maintain national aviation standards, practices and regulations.  NASAO had been born.  In the past 80 years, the U.S. aviation community, in its many facets, has matured dramatically.  NASAO and its missions have also evolved.  But, today NASAO still represents the state government officials who serve the public interest in aviation.  NASAO still works with the state and federal governments to maintain the safest and most efficient aviation system on the planet. Read more...