Page 14 - May 23

King Air Gathering IN REVIEW
by Kim Blonigen
The King Air Gathering (KAG) held April 12-14 at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida, was considered a success by its new coordinators, King Air Nation. Attendance and sponsorship numbers were up from last year with 132 King Air owners/operators joining the Gathering, along with 31 companions.
KAG BY THE NUMBERS
132 King Air ops/owners 31 companions
70 aircraft models represented, ~ 30 flew into KCRG
118 vendor/partners 41 sponsors
There were some updates to the program from previous Gatherings and overall, they were very well received. Those changes included: hosting the event at a resort destination to further the draw of attendees, separating presentations and the vendors’ hall so conversations could continue as needed without interrupting presenters and adding a program for companions. This year’s location allowed a space that hosts large meetings, making it easier to offer a variety of options and more room for more vendors to exhibit and show King Air owners/ operators a variety of products and services.
The companion’s program received great reviews as those who attended thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
Not only did they have access to attend any of the speaker sessions (including a Pinch Hitter/Ground School course by Tom Clements) and social activities, there were also special events planned especially for them: An introductory coffee/tea time, a “get acquainted” luncheon, the Textron Aviation-sponsored cooking demonstration and tasting experience by Food Network’s Chef Amanda Freitag and a tour of the historic city of St. Augustine.
Another addition was the dinner hosted by Textron Aviation, followed by a live auction which, not only added some excitement to end the evening but raised money for three charities/causes: Mission Aviation Fellowship,
12 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
MAY 2023