ABC Annual Fall Conference

To view a video clip for more information, click here.
Currently, the law offices of Fitzpatrick & Hunt et al. are in the role of ABC Defense Counsel, with Mendes & Mount continuing to handle Toxic Claims for ABC.

2010 Annual Conference

September 19-21, 2010
Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club, St. Petersburg, Florida
Phone: (727) 894-1000 / Fax: (727) 822-2785
Click here for a hotel fact sheet.

IMPORTANT HOTEL UPDATE: If you have not already secured your hotel reservation with the Vinoy Renaissance, please be advised that rooms are currently sold out. Please click here for housing alternatives and more information.

Click here for the 2010 pre-conference brochure and registration information!
Click here to view the final conference program, which lists the full schedule of events.

Hotel reservations at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club can be made by calling (727) 894-1000 or toll-free (888) 303-4430 or by making your reservation online here and inputting the ABC Group Code buibuia. If reserving your room over the phone, be sure to mention you're with the Aircraft Builders Council conference to obtain the official conference rate of $208.00 plus applicable taxes per single/double room. UPDATE: If you have not already secured your hotel reservation with the Vinoy Renaissance, please be advised that rooms are currently sold out. Please click here for housing alternatives and more information.

John P. Heimlich, Vice President and Chief Economist with Air Transport Association of America, Inc. (ATA), is one of the distinguished speakers currently in the line-up. Other speakers slated to speak include Paul Finklestein, Vice President - Marketing of Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines, Roger E. Southgate, Director of Avionics Certification of Rockwell Collins, Randy Tinseth, Vice President of Marketing of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Harry Arnold, Vice President of Technology of Goodrich Corporation, Francis G. Fleming, Jr., Aviation Plaintiff’s Counsel of Kreindler & Kreindler, LLP, Francois Thibault, Vice President Finance of Bombardier Aerospace, and additional legal and lead underwriter speakers. CLICK HERE to view full speaker biographies.

The Aircraft Builders Council conducts a conference each year, which is an informational forum on the most recent developments in the aviation and aerospace industry and products liability. This annual conference is unique in that it brings together insureds, potential insureds, lead underwriters, brokers and defense counsel, all at one locale.

Presentations are given on subjects of current interest, including insurance, law, governmental activity, and aviation and aerospace technology. In the past, speakers have included the Chairman of Lloyd's, Administrators of the FAA, NASA Astronauts, United States District Court Judges, United States Legislators, as well as experts in the aerospace industry.

An important feature of this conference includes the presentations made by the program's lead underwriters, who also participate in a panel discussion, and are available for private consultations with insureds and potential insureds, together with their brokers.

If you have questions regarding the annual conference, please email conference coordinator Gretchen Huetteman.

2009 Fall Conference Presentations

Why Most Projects Fail
Stephen Carver, A.L.S Consultants
-View Files
-Battle of Britain Photo 1
-Battle of Britain Photo 2

From Shuttle to Constellation
Brian Duffy, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
-Presentation Unavailable

New Solutions to an Old Problem – Handling Exposure Claims in Today’s Insurance Market
Lois Fuchs, Honeywell International Inc. and Richard C. Milazzo, Mendes & Mount, L.L.P.
-View Files

NTSB Investigations: What Should Aerospace Manufacturers Expect?
Christopher Julius, National Transportation Safety Board
-View Files

Airbus Commercial Update
Mark Pearman-Wright, Airbus
-View Files

How Injuries Are Caused in Aircraft Crashes and Why You Should Care
Dr. James H. Raddin, Jr., Biodynamic Research Corporation
-View Files

Avionics Equipment Update - Retrieval of Post Accident Data on General Aviation Aircraft
Dan Schwinn, Avidyne Corporation
-View Files

Quick Tally Survey Results
-View Files

2008 Fall Conference Presentations

The Reality of Risk Management
Stephen Carver, A.L.S Consultants
-View Files

A Change is in the Air - Sustainable Future Fuels for Aviation
Sian Foster, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.
-View Files

The Fire Scout VTUAV Program and Global Hawk
Doug Fronius, Northrup Grumman Integrated Systems
-View File

Safety by Design – a Gulfstream Perspective
Dick Johnson, Gulfstream
-View File

MD Helicopters, Inc. Rebirth of a Legend
Craig Kitchen, MD Helicopters, Inc.
-View File

Market and Product Update, Commercial Airplanes
Drew Magill, The Boeing Company
-View File

Integrated Risk Management - Fact or Fiction?
Mark Wilford, Rolls-Royce Plc
-View File

Innovations in Air Safety - Parachute Technology for Light Aircraft
Larry Williams, Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc.
-View File

2007 Fall Conference Presentations

Richard Williams
BAE Systems
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
-View File

A Vision for the Future
Frank Bamford, GKN Aerospace
-View File

Integrated Primary Flight Display (IPFD):
The Honeywell SVS Solution
Sergio Cecutta and Thea Feyereisen, Honeywell
-View File

Technology Enhancing Aviation Safety
Umberto Irgang, Embraer
-View File

The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery
Ric Gillespie, Author of Finding Amelia: The True Story of the Earhart Disappearance
-View File

2006 Fall Conference Presentations

Mitigating the Risk to Commercial Airlines from Shoulder Launch Missiles
Jim Shilling, Northrop Grumman Corp
- Link to Site with video

Foreign Accident Litigation and Forum Non Conveniens Issues
Garrett J. Fitzpatrick, Esq. Mendes & Mount L.L.P.
James W. Hunt, Esq. Mendes & Mount L.L.P.
- VIEW PPT FILE (Warning: 30MB File)

Eaton’s Oil Debris Monitoring
Brett Asbury, Eaton Aerospace LLC
- VIEW PPT FILE

Regional Aircraft … The Way Forward
Mike Lewis Bombardier AEROSPACE
- VIEW PDF

Rolls-Royce Trent 1000
Steve Chivers, Director Product Introduction
VIEW PPT File (Warning: 26MB)

Unique Risk-Reduction Techniques for Flight – Lessons from Apollo
David R . Scott Former NASA Astronaut
- VIEW PPT FILE (Warning: 52MB File)

Future Conference Dates and Locations:

Sept. 22-24, 2013

Park Hyatt, Aviara
San Diego, Calfornia

Sept. 21-23, 2014

The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach
Manalapan, Florida