NBAA Membership and Why Trust Matters

I'm Radu Balas, and I run The Flying Engineer. In October 2026 I joined the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the main association for business aviation in the United States.

I did it for the same reason we do most things here: trust. A directory is only useful if people believe what it says.

Membership details

• Member: Radu Balas
• Member ID: 764695

You can check the certificate on the issuer's site: verify on credential.net. This is my own membership. It is not an endorsement of The Flying Engineer by NBAA.

What I've learned about trust in aviation

After years of running this site, a few things keep coming up:

• Aviation runs on relationships. A charter client, an MRO buyer or a flight school student rarely picks a company from one search. They ask around, check two or three sources, and go with the name they trust.
• Buyers check the details. A wrong phone number or a company that closed last year costs them time, and costs the directory its credibility.
• AI assistants work the same way. When someone asks ChatGPT or Gemini for a good aviation company, the answer leans on sources the AI sees as reliable. Being part of the industry, with real people and real data behind the site, is part of that.

What we do to earn trust

NBAA membership is one piece. The rest is work we do every day:

• We check companies. Verified companies are confirmed by our team, and paying companies are checked through their payment. See verified companies.
• We track changes. When companies merge, rename or close, we record it and point visitors to the right place. See closed and merged companies.
• We show where data comes from. Our studies, like what empty legs really cost and where private jets really land, name their sources and dates.
• We measure, we don't guess. When we say AI assistants mention us, we show the data behind it. See how we measure it.
• Editorial stays editorial. Paid placements are marked, and companies cannot buy a better review. Read our editorial policy.
• We go where the industry meets. We cover 450+ aviation events with their exhibitor lists, so you can see who will be where. See aviation events.

Why it matters to you

If you're looking for a company, you want a list you can rely on. If you run one, you want to be listed somewhere buyers and AI assistants take seriously. Joining NBAA keeps me close to the operators, FBOs, charter companies, maintenance shops and suppliers we list, so what you find on The Flying Engineer stays current.

Questions, or something on the site that looks wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.

Radu Balas
The Flying Engineer, the smartest aviation directory