Ed Bolen

In the autumn of 2026 Bolen took medical leave from NBAA for cancer treatment. On 6 November 2026 the association announced that he was retiring for health reasons; the board named Dan Hubbard, senior vice president of communications, as acting CEO and began a search for a successor. Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas paid tribute to him on the Senate floor on 9 November.

On 10 November he was enshrined in the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame. He was unable to attend, and his nephew Patrick accepted the honour on his behalf. Bolen died the following morning, Wednesday 11 November 2026, aged 66, from cancer. NBAA announced his death the same day with what it called profound sadness, describing him as an industry giant, and tributes followed across the aviation press. The place of his death and funeral arrangements had not been made public at the time of the first reports.

Edward M. Bolen was born in February 1960 in Salina, Kansas. His interest in aviation came from his father, who served on the board of Salina Regional Airport, and he learned to fly, becoming a private pilot.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Kansas, where he captained the varsity tennis team. He went on to Tulane University School of Law and then earned a Master of Laws in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.

Bolen began his Washington career in the United States Congress, as an aide on the Senate committee now known as the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where he became majority general counsel, and as legislative director for Senator Nancy Kassebaum, Republican of Kansas. In that role he became deeply involved in general aviation issues and was a key figure in drafting and passing the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, which set a statute of repose limiting product liability claims against manufacturers of older general aviation aircraft. He later described the law as one of the seminal moments of his career.

He joined the General Aviation Manufacturers Association in 1995 and became its president and CEO in November 1996, succeeding Ed Stimpson. President Bill Clinton nominated him to the FAA's Management Advisory Council, which he chaired from 2000 to 2004, and in 2001 President George W. Bush appointed him to the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. He also served on the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics.

In September 2004 Bolen became president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association. He led it for more than 22 years, steering the industry through the aftereffects of the 11 September attacks and the 2008 financial crisis, when business jets became a political target. Working with other aviation groups, he opposed repeated proposals for air traffic control user fees and privatisation and fought airport and airspace restrictions, while championing safety, workforce development and air traffic control modernisation. He built relationships with business aviation groups in Europe and Asia, and was regarded on Capitol Hill as one of the industry's most effective voices. Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Sam Graves said few voices were as instrumental as Bolen's in building support for the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.

Bolen was married to Beth Bolen, and they had two sons, Jack and Robert. Colleagues described him as someone who made lasting friendships across the industry; Dan Hubbard recalled that one of the first things Bolen taught him was that in business aviation "the people you meet become your friends, and before long, they're like an extended family." He kept close ties to his Kansas roots throughout his life.

Bolen is remembered as the voice of business aviation for more than two decades and as one of the architects of the General Aviation Revitalization Act, credited with helping revive American light aircraft manufacturing. Besides the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame, he was inducted as a Living Legend into the San Diego Air and Space Museum's International Air and Space Hall of Fame. NBAA board chair John Witzig said the industry could take inspiration from his legacy of service, dedication and leadership.