Hillsboro Aviation is honoring its 40th anniversary this year with FORTY, a multi-dimensional retrospective celebrating the dream of flight in an effort to support and inspire the industry during the economic downturn.

“During this unprecedented year of hardship, we wanted to shift the focus of our celebration of our 40 years to lift the spirits of everyone in aviation,” said Rekha Lyons, Hillsboro Aviation’s director of marketing and communications. “We felt it was important to remind us all why we are so passionate about our industry and celebrate our collective aviation community – the people we serve, the people we work alongside, our partners, and our team. While it is about celebrating our own milestone, FORTY is also about perspective from 20,000 feet and what aviation means for us all.”

In alignment with Hillsboro Aviation’s brand commitment to honor aviation’s allure, FORTY is comprised of a 90-second inspirational video and a handful of carefully crafted social media posts designed to reignite passion, lift up the industry, and inspire the community to keep reaching for their dream.

“With FORTY, we’re reminding people you’re not just operating or maintaining machinery; you are impacting lives,” said Rekha Lyons. “You’re saving communities threatened by wildfires. You’re helping that little girl who dreamt of flight realize her dreams by sitting behind the controls as an adult. You’re rescuing someone’s dad from the side of a mountain. You’re taking failure head on, ready to return to the starting line smarter than before. This is why we fly.”

To see the dream take flight, view the 90-second video above. FORTY’s five social media posts can be viewed here: Wisdom/Failure, Relationships/Trust, Passion/Grit, Perspective, and Dreams/Hope.

Hillsboro Aviation’s FORTY celebration received an overwhelming response from customers and followers. 

“FORTY resonated on an emotional level with the people in our industry who carry so much passion for what we all do every day,” said Ryan McCartney, vice president and COO of Hillsboro Aviation. “People told us it helped reignite their own passion and reminded them why we got into this industry in the first place; how it’s about so much more than turning wrenches and operating controls.”

Hillsboro Aviation started in 1980 as a one-helicopter flight operation. Over the years under the thoughtful eye of owner and CEO Max Lyons, the company has grown into a world-class full-service aviation company providing airplane, helicopter, and unmanned services throughout North America and beyond. Hillsboro Aviation celebrated its new state-of-the art headquarters on the north end of the Portland-Hillsboro Airport (KHIO) in 2016.

“We’re proud of the legacy we’ve built, and we’re energized about what comes next,” said Max Lyons, owner and CEO of Hillsboro Aviation. “Even as this moment in our industry’s history continues to create unprecedented uncertainties, I am as excited about the future of aviation as ever. I believe that Hillsboro Aviation has never been more prepared than we are today to navigate these unchartered waters. After weathering multiple storms, from 9/11 to the 2008 recession, and now the COVID-19 pandemic, we know the key to our sustainability is intentional and steady growth rooted in the relationships we’ve built with our people. We’ll always come home to that.”