[3] Founded in 1919 with the purpose of representing the American aviation industry, AIA has since expanded the scope of that vision with technological advance in aerospace.
Today, on behalf of its more than 340 member companies, AIA advocates for aerospace and defense issues ranging from technical workforce policy to space exploration.
[8] In July 2024, AIA signed a letter to members of both the House Committee on Armed Services and the Senate Committee on Armed Services opposing Section 828 of S. 4628, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, entitled "Requirement for Contractors to Provide Reasonable Access to Repair Materials," which would require contractors doing business with the US military to agree "to provide the Department of Defense fair and reasonable access to all the repair materials, including parts, tools, and information, used by the manufacturer or provider or their authorized partners to diagnose, maintain, or repair the good or service.
[10] Co-sponsors include NASA, United States Department of Defense, the American Association of Physics Teachers and the Civil Air Patrol.
[11] The event receives local and national media coverage and draws well-known representatives of the Defense Department, NASA, the FAA, and other government agencies.
Past National Fly-Offs have been attended by United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Rocket Boys author Homer Hickam, former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, U.S.