What kind of landing did you have in mind?

Richard Aboulafia, Vice President, The Teal Group

. . . speaking at the MAA annual conference 20 Feb 2013

Will the global aerospace industry continue its current relentless growth through 2013 and beyond, or will it shift direction as it has done in the past?

Great chunks of civil aerospace are living in an almost impossibly perfect market environment. Defence is trending downward, but the crucial jetliner business – so important for the Midlands -- is still rising to record levels.

Yet even as our cluster transitions from a busy 2012 into a 2013 where building robust production capacity for new aircraft and engine programmes remains the focus of attention, we need to keep our eyes firmly on the horizon.

• What are the risks that could disrupt this perfect environment?
• What is the timing of these inflection points?
• What kind of landing (hard or soft) are we looking at when it comes?

And of course, what are the prospects beyond these three short- and mid-term issues for long-term growth?

The Teal Group’s expert forecaster and trenchant commentator Richard Aboulafia flies in from the USA to the MAA annual conference and will share his insights into the economic issues that matter for the Midlands and UK aerospace supply chain.

Richard is Vice President of Analysis at Teal Group. He manages consulting projects in the commercial and military aircraft field and analyzes broader defense and aerospace trends. He has advised numerous aerospace companies, including most prime and many second- and third-tier contractors in the US, Europe and Asia. He also advises numerous financial institutions on aerospace market conditions.

Richard writes and edits Teal Group's World Military and Civil Aircraft Briefing, a forecasting tool covering over 135 aircraft programs and markets. He also writes publicly about aviation and defense, with numerous articles in Aviation Week and Space Technology, the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Professional Pilot, and other publications. He has a regular column in AIAA's Aerospace America.

Frequently cited as an aviation industry authority by trade and news publications, Richard has also appeared on numerous television news and radio programs including ABC, BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters, CBS, CNN, NBC, NPR and PBS. He has spoken at numerous conferences, including ATRIF, NAFA, NARA, Network for Aerospace Management in Europe (NAME), and Speednews. He presents a yearly lecture to the National Defense University/Industrial College of the Armed Forces and has served as an expert witness in aerospace markets.

Before he joined Teal Group in 1990, Richard analyzed the jet engine market at Jane's Information Group, served as an aerospace industry consultant for an international trade advisory company and supported research projects at the Brookings Institution. He has a Masters degree in War Studies from King’s College, University of London and a Bachelors degree from George Washington University. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Casey, son, Simon, and daughter, Wren.

The Teal Group's Richard Aboulafia