Professor Ronnie Gipson presents forums to EAA members at Air Venture

CARLISLE, Pa.—Professor Ronnie R. Gipson Jr. serves as the chair of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA’s) Legal Advisory Council (LAC). The LAC is comprised of aviation attorneys from across the country who provide policy and legislative advice to EAA’s CEO, Advocacy & Safety Department, and Government Affairs Department. The LAC’s guidance includes insight on aviation-related legislation before Congress and weighing in on rulemaking at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

As chair of the LAC, Gipson led the team of lawyers during EAA’s annual Air Venture this summer as the LAC presented legal forums, workshops, and CLEs to the record crowd of 704,000 people who attended the event. The CLEs covered a range of topics, including “Lessons Learned from an Aviation Tort Trial,” presented by LAC Attorney Don Andersen; “A Review of the NTSB ALJ’s Docket,” presented by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Staff Attorney Chad Mayer, NTSB Acting Chief Administrative Law Judge Stuart Couch, and NTSB Administrative Law Judge Darrell Fun; and “How to Avoid Illegal Charter Operations,” presented by LAC Attorney Greg Reigel. Gipson presented forums to EAA members titled “Hot Topics in Aviation Litigation” and “Airport & Land Use Issues.”

With the support of EAA Vice President of Advocacy Sean Elliott, Gipson initiated a program creating a pipeline for law students interested in aviation law. The past two years, he brought his two research assistants from his previous law school to the event as part of the program. Next year, he hopes to bring Penn State Dickinson Law students. Gipson says exposing the next generation of lawyers to aviation law is critical for the growth and development of the industry. Moreover, he notes, aviation law is usually an untapped resource as a legal career, mainly because law students have no idea what the practice entails. The hiring decision-makers in both government and industry attend Air Venture, so building relationships there is crucial to law students’ future success in the industry.

Ronnie R. Gipson Jr. is a Visiting Associate Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law. He earned his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law, and he holds a B.A. from Texas A & M University in Modern Languages (French). Professor Gipson’s scholarship sits at the intersection of aviation law and international economic policy and trade law. Professor Gipson’s current projects explore topical issues making headline news globally.