From Software Engineering to the Cockpit: AMCAI Board Member Franco Valentino at the 2026 National Airports Conference

AMCAI Board Member and Curriculum Advisor Franco Valentino brings together software engineering, airport governance, entrepreneurship and general aviation to help connect students with the rapidly evolving world of aviation technology.

The American Center for Aviation Innovation (AMCAI) is proud to recognize Board Member and Curriculum Advisor Franco Valentino, who is participating in the 2026 F. Russell Hoyt National Airports Conference (NAC) in New Orleans.

Organized by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the National Airports Conference brings airport professionals and industry leaders together September 27–29, 2026, to discuss issues affecting airports, professional development and industry collaboration. Official NAC information.

For AMCAI, Franco’s presence at NAC represents something bigger than attending an aviation conference. It demonstrates an important message we want young people to understand:

There is no single path into aviation.

Aviation needs pilots—but it also needs software engineers, airport managers, aircraft technicians, air traffic professionals, drone operators, cybersecurity specialists, entrepreneurs, engineers and people capable of building the technologies that make modern airports work.

Pilot, Software Engineer and Aviation Entrepreneur

Franco’s aviation experience crosses several parts of the industry. He is a Private Pilot, software engineer by trade, aviation technology entrepreneur, airport authority commissioner, AMCAI Board Member and AMCAI Curriculum Advisor.

He is also the Founder and Senior Engineer of Hangarly, an aviation technology company developing software specifically for airport and hangar operations. Hangarly describes its platform as purpose-built for airport managers rather than conventional property-management software adapted to aviation. The platform addresses airport-specific functions involving hangars, leases, tenants, aircraft information, maintenance and operational records.

Franco’s technology background is complemented by firsthand experience in general aviation. He is a Private Pilot and owner of a distinctive V-tail Beechcraft Bonanza, one of general aviation’s most recognizable aircraft. That means his perspective on aviation isn’t limited to writing software. He experiences the aviation ecosystem as a pilot, aircraft owner, airport leader, software engineer and entrepreneur.

Serving the General Aviation Community in Tennessee

Franco also serves as a Commissioner on the Music City Executive Airport Authority Board in Gallatin, Tennessee. The Airport Authority currently lists him as serving on its Operations Committee and as Chair of the By-Laws Committee, with his current term extending through July 2030.

That public-service experience gives Franco another perspective that is valuable to AMCAI students: understanding how airports are governed, operated and developed as transportation infrastructure.

What Hangarly Is Building for Airports

Airport operations create a unique technology problem. Airport managers may need to coordinate hangar inventories, aircraft and tenant information, leases, insurance documentation, maintenance requests, billing and other operational records. Hangarly was developed around that operating environment and the needs of airport managers.

This is exactly the kind of real-world problem-solving AMCAI wants students to see. A young person learning coding or software engineering today isn’t limited to working for a traditional technology company tomorrow. That student could build the next system used to operate an airport.

Students can apply technology to airport operations, aircraft maintenance, air traffic systems, unmanned aircraft, aerospace manufacturing, aviation cybersecurity, flight planning, airport infrastructure, artificial intelligence, logistics and future air-mobility systems.

Bringing Real Aviation Experience Into AMCAI’s Curriculum

Franco’s role with AMCAI goes beyond serving on its Board. He also serves as an AMCAI Curriculum Advisor, helping connect our educational programming with real-world aviation, airport operations, technology and workforce needs.

AMCAI believes students should understand not only what they are learning, but where those skills can take them. Our students can explore aviation foundations, flight simulation, air traffic control, aircraft maintenance concepts, drones, aerospace design, rocketry, software, AI and other STEM disciplines as they begin identifying potential career pathways.

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Hangarly Supports AMCAI’s Mission

AMCAI is proud to recognize Hangarly as an AMCAI sponsor. For AMCAI, an industry relationship provides value beyond financial support. Aviation professionals can help students understand what employers actually need, introduce young people to careers they may never have considered, provide technical expertise, mentor students and connect classroom STEM concepts with real operating environments.

Franco brings that real-world perspective directly into our organization. Industry partners interested in supporting the mission can learn more here.

Franco Valentino at the 2026 AAAE National Airports Conference

The F. Russell Hoyt National Airports Conference provides another opportunity for Franco to remain connected with professionals working directly in airport management and aviation. For AMCAI, those connections matter because our objective is to expose students to the real aviation ecosystem.

That means bringing education closer to airport operators, pilots, mechanics, engineers, technology companies, manufacturers and other aviation professionals. It also means ensuring that AMCAI’s educational programs continue learning from people actively working inside the industries our students hope to enter.

From Coding to Aviation Careers

Franco’s career illustrates one of the central ideas behind AMCAI: STEM skills can become aviation careers.

• A student who enjoys computers could become an aviation software engineer.
• A student fascinated by aircraft could become a pilot or A&P mechanic.
• A student interested in communications and complex systems could explore air traffic control.
• A student interested in robotics could move toward unmanned aircraft or aerospace automation.
• A student who enjoys business could eventually operate an aviation company or help manage an airport.

And an entrepreneurial student might identify an aviation problem that hasn’t been solved yet—and build the company that solves it. Franco’s journey across software engineering, entrepreneurship, airport governance and flying gives AMCAI students a real-world example of how those disciplines can intersect.

Building the Next Generation of Aviation Innovators

AMCAI is developing hands-on aviation and STEM initiatives including the Flying STEM Lab, aviation and aerospace skills development, flight simulation, emerging technology, Cadet Corps activities, career exposure and industry mentorship.

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Building the next generation of aviation professionals requires more than teaching students about airplanes. It requires allowing them to meet the people flying them, maintaining them, managing the airports they use, writing the software behind them and building the companies that will shape aviation’s future.

We are proud to have Franco Valentino helping AMCAI build that bridge, and we thank Hangarly for supporting AMCAI’s mission and the next generation of aviation innovators.

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity should be, too.

About Franco Valentino

Franco Valentino is an AMCAI Board Member and Curriculum Advisor, Founder and Senior Engineer of Hangarly, Private Pilot and Commissioner on the Music City Executive Airport Authority Board in Tennessee. His work connects software engineering, airport operations, entrepreneurship and general aviation.

About AMCAI

The American Center for Aviation Innovation, Inc. (AMCAI) is a 501(c)(3) public charity focused on expanding access to aviation, aerospace, maritime, AI and STEM education and career opportunities. AMCAI works with educational and industry partners to connect students with hands-on experiences, technical skills, mentors and career pathways. amcai.org