AIAA CEO Clay Mowry welcomed the crowd to AVIATION Forum 2026 on Monday, 8 June, in San Diego “Today I want to focus on speed. Speed has always been embedded in aerospace culture. From breaking the sound barrier, to reaching the Moon, to compressing design timelines – this industry has always pursued what once seemed impossible. Our ability to move with urgency, collaboration, and technical excellence will define the next era of aerospace. What once took decades is now happening in years, sometimes months. The challenges ahead are too important, the opportunities too significant, and the competition too intense for us to move at yesterday’s pace. This industry is being called to think differently. To collaborate differently. And in many ways to lead differently. That is why the AIAA community today matters more than ever.”

• Clay Mowry

Embraer’s Maurílio Albanese Novaes, Jr., explored the aircraft configurations Embraer envisions as potential breakthroughs, the strength of the collaborative innovation ecosystem Embraer has built, and the evolving skill sets the company foresees as essential for its engineers—and how they are preparing them to meet those demands. Maurílio challenged the audience to push boundaries, foster innovation, and elevate people excellence in aeronautics.