Annual Conference 1961-2012
The Aviation Technical School Administrators Conference held in 1961 was the first such meeting ever organized to bring representatives from all levels of aviation technical education together. The conference was precipitated by the publication of Survey of all FAA approved Aircraft and Powerplant Programs by James Fisher, vice president of the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics. In the survey, Mr. Fisher suggested that a conference be held, and Mr. James Maris, chairman of the the Aviation Technology Department, Purdue University, offered his assistance with the planning and organization of the conference, as well as the use of Purdue University's facilities for the meeting.
The period between the fall of 1960 and the spring of 1961 was the time for developing a plan, contacting aviation school administrators from all parts of the United States, and arranging for the participation of personnel from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Mr. Maris and Mr. Fisher titled the meeting, The Aviation Technical School Administrators Conference, and scheduled it for April 4-5, 1961, at Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. The conference was a two-day session that consisted of a series of well organized panels whereby members of the industry, the U.S. Armed Forces, and the Federal Aviation Administration were able to make general presentations of their needs and forecasts, as well as answer the specific questions posed by educators. This was the first of a series of annual conferences that have been held every year to the present day.
The period between the fall of 1960 and the spring of 1961 was the time for developing a plan, contacting aviation school administrators from all parts of the United States, and arranging for the participation of personnel from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Mr. Maris and Mr. Fisher titled the meeting, The Aviation Technical School Administrators Conference, and scheduled it for April 4-5, 1961, at Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. The conference was a two-day session that consisted of a series of well organized panels whereby members of the industry, the U.S. Armed Forces, and the Federal Aviation Administration were able to make general presentations of their needs and forecasts, as well as answer the specific questions posed by educators. This was the first of a series of annual conferences that have been held every year to the present day.