Following preliminary discussions during the 2016 ICAS Convention and throughout 2017, plans are now taking shape to form new ICAS regions in Brazil and China during 2018. These new affiliated organizations will function much like the current ICAS regions: NWCAS, SWCAS and NECAS.
Industry representatives in both Brazil and China have expressed interest in taking advantage of the half century of continual progress experienced by the U.S. and Canadian air show communities following the creation of the International Council of Air Shows, in 1968. Our new Brazilian members are hoping to professionalize the industry and improve their interaction with government regulators by adopting many of the rules and customs developed by ICAS during the last 50 years. Our new Chinese members are working to create an air show community in the People’s Republic of China where none currently exists, including the adoption of U.S./Canadian regulatory guidance.
“ICAS, together with the FAA and Transport Canada, has created a model that is widely regarded to be the most advanced and effective in the world. And, independently, the Brazilians and Chinese have reached the conclusion that this is a wheel that they feel no need to reinvent,” says ICAS President John Cudahy. “And, for many different reasons, it’s in our collective best interests to do what we can to help them. The existing structure for establishing and running ICAS regions is the perfect vehicle for us to do that.”
