The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has recognised Scott Macpherson, founder of TrainingPort.net, for his exceptional and strategic contributions to IBAC and the global business aviation community. Macpherson has served on the IBAC governing board since 2012 as the representative of the Canadian Business Aviation Association and played leadership roles as vice chair, chair and immediate past chair of the board.

IBAC director general, Kurt Edwards, comments: “It has been a privilege to work with and learn from Scott. He has not only shared his keen insight of the industry with me and the IBAC organisation, but he has helped to steer IBAC and its programmes to grow and better serve the industry. Scott is a true leader of the international business aviation community and has played an important role in helping IBAC set its strategic direction and achieve its objectives.”

In presenting the award, Ali Alnaqbi, chairman of the IBAC governing board, states: “IBAC and the global business aviation community have benefited greatly from Scott Macpherson's profound contributions. We are grateful for his years of supportive direction and truly appreciate his friendship.”

The IBAC DG Award was named after the directional gyroscope (DG), the mechanism behind the heading indicator used by pilots for navigation. Coincidentally, DG also refers to the initials for the director general. The first recipient of this award was Steve Brown, former NBAA chief operating officer, upon his retirement in 2022. Similar to Brown, Macpherson's aviation expertise and leadership have strategically influenced IBAC's direction like a directional gyroscope guiding an aircraft.

Edwards adds: “This DG Award is fitting for Scott in recognition of his strategic guidance in the further development of IBAC, and the IS-BAH and IS-BAO programmes. All of us at IBAC thank Scott for his dedication and valuable contributions to the industry as he steps back from the IBAC governing board this year.”

Founder and president of TrainingPort.net, Macpherson has spent more than 30 years as a pilot and manager in corporate aviation, most recently flying a Falcon 900LX. His flight department was the first IS-BAO registered operator, and he continues to be a strong supporter of the safety standard.