James Careless

ITP Aero has chosen Eva Azoulay as the company’s group CEO and Carlos Alzola as managing director, while current CFO Javier Lázaro has been appointed to its board. Azoulay was previously an aviation advisor at Bain Capital, while Alzola was ITP Aero’s general manager.
Spirit AeroSystems has named Patrick Shanahan, a member of the company's board of directors, as interim president and CEO. He succeeds Thomas Gentile III while Spirit searches for a permanent replacement. Shanahan was acting U.S. Secretary of Defense from January to June 2019.
Daher Group has selected Alain-Jory Barthe as senior v-p of industry and Julie de Cevins as sustainable development director, effective Jan. 1. Prior to this, Barthe was CEO of Thales Avionics Electrical System. De Cevins is currently Daher Group’s acting senior v-p of industry.
Devin Golden has been hired as JetNet’s chief revenue officer. He was previously senior v-p of sales at IntelyCare.
The Aircraft Electronics Association has named Kevin Bruce as its director of engineering and certification. He has served as the association’s Canadian region regulatory consultant since 2013 and as the director of airworthiness and quality for Diamond Aircraft since 2006.
Tradewind Aviation has appointed Jen Lozada as v-p of finance and Crist Stilianos as v-p of human resources and people. Lozada was previously senior v-p of XO Shared. Stilianos was senior director of human resources at Calvin Klein.
King Aerospace has hired Pete Schneider as v-p of program management and special projects. He has 35 years of project management experience, including 15 involving VVIP aircraft.
ExecuJet MRO Services Africa's maintenance supervisor for engines, Frank Oberholzer, has attained the title of master technician after successfully completing advanced training on engines at Honeywell in the U.S. According to ExecuJet, only ten engineers in the world have earned this certification from Honeywell.
Tom Owen was appointed general manager for the Big Island Jet Center. Owen has 18 years of experience in business aviation operations, including being a part of the Avfuel Corporation’s FBO management team and acting as general manager for Sonoma Jet Center in Santa Rosa, California.
West Star Aviation has promoted Sean Ertz to technical sales manager—Textron at its Chattanooga, Tennessee location. His last position was project manager for the Textron program.
Air Charter Service (ACS) has promoted James Royds-Jones to regional director for the company’s newly defined Greater China region and Wanny Wu as deputy regional director. Royds-Jones was previously the company’s CEO and Hong Kong/regional director for Greater China, while Wu was managing director of ACS’ Beijing office.
Glyn Tookey has joined Duncan Aviation as its regional manager in Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA). He was formerly sales director with ACC Columbia Jet Service.
Priester Aviation has hired Victor Schaefer to be national director of charter sales. He was formerly in a similar position at Mayo Aviation.
Bent Wing Flight Services has appointed Nathan Coyle as executive director and general manager. Coyle comes to Bent Wing from the Georgia Department of Transportation, where he served as aviation planning manager.
Alfredo Garcia has joined ACI Jet as director of sales and business development for the company’s MRO division. He was formerly Duncan Aviation’s regional manager for the southwest U.S.
Elit'Avia Americas has appointed Renee Skiles as director of charter sales and client experience and Justin Warren as director of maintenance. Skiles was previously director of charter sales at Four Corners Aviation. Warren was CAM/MX supervisor at Solairus Aviation.
Marc Pos has been appointed as Reliable Robotics’ lead of radar design, having been a senior fellow at the company since July 2023. Pos was previously an engineering fellow at Honeywell.
Precision Aviation Group has promoted David Scarbrough to director of repair station safety and compliance.&nbsp;Brandon Yarbrough also was promoted to accountable manager. He was previously the repair station manager. Bryce English was elevated to repair station manager. English has been a quality monitor and engineering assistant at the company.
Duncan Aviation named Drew Heginbotham as Bombardier airframe sales rep at the company’s facility in Provo, Utah. Heginbotham came from the natural gas firm Oneok, where he was director of maintenance.
MRO Jet East has hired Rick Mutschler as the company’s Avionics and Electrical Systems technical instructor. He was previously Embraer product director at Constant Aviation.
West Star Aviation has named Eric Valdes as program director for Embraer, accessories, and nondestructive testing. Valdes was director of Gulfstream and accessories at West Star for the past 16 years. The MRO provider also promoted Ryan Gibbs to director of Falcon business development at its East Alton, Illinois location. He previously served as the company’s Falcon technical sales manager at West Star Aviation St. Louis Regional Airport. In addition, West Star promoted Corey Boardman to Bombardier team lead at its Chattanooga, Tennessee location. Boardman has been with West Star for 14 years in various positions and was Challenger crew lead before being promoted.
<h2>Awards and Honors</h2>
Electric aircraft manufacturer Eviation Aircraft has announced that test pilot Steve Crane has won the Iven C. Kincheloe Award for the first flight of the company’s twin electric engine Alice. The award was presented by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), recognizing outstanding accomplishment by a test pilot in conducting a test flight. Crane flew the nine-seater Alice aircraft on Sept. 22, 2022, for eight minutes at an altitude of 3,500 feet. This made Alice the world’s first flight-tested all-electric commuter aircraft.
The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has presented Max Motschmann with the François Chavatte Award. This special award honors Motschmann, former CEO of International Jet Management Asia and founder of the Philippines chapter of the Asia Business Aviation Association, for his passion for and leadership in expanding business aviation over his aviation career of 50-plus years.
Garmin co-founders Min Kao and the late Gary Burrell have been named to the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) in recognition of their lifetime achievements and contributions to the aviation and aerospace industry. Both men founded Garmin in 1989 with the goal of bringing GPS technology to a broad range of markets, with an emphasis on aviation.
<h2>Final Flight</h2>
Graham Stephenson, 84, whose aviation career spanned 60 years from British Airways to ExecuJet, died on October 19. Stephenson became known for his efforts to develop high standards of operations and safety at FBOs globally.
He had a lifelong passion for aviation, obtaining his pilot’s license at age 17—before he passed his driving test. Through an RAF scholarship, he had learned to fly the de Havilland Tiger Moth, according to obituary information from the Emerald Network.
Stephenson later spent 21 years with British Airways, a career that led him to Moscow as traffic manager and then back to London as traffic manager for British Airtours.
He also held stints with London Luton Airport and Saudi Arabian Airlines before moving into business aviation operations as v-p and COO of Jet Aviation Saudi Arabia. In that role, he helped establish an FBO in Jeddah.
Ultimately, he returned to the UK for a role in deputy operations management with Jersey European Airways and then helped in the development of London City Airport’s Jet Centre. By the mid-2000s, he became head of FBOs for ExecuJet Aviation Group, where he helped expand the chain of FBOs globally. He remained active in helping establish FBOs and building FBO standards with his own consultancy after retiring from ExecuJet. This included serving as an IS-BAH auditor for the International Business Aircraft Council.

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

People in Aviation 

Patrick Shanahan is interim president for Spirit AeroSystems, Alain-Jory Barthe senior v-p of industry for Daher

The latest industry moves include the naming of Patrick Shanahan as interim president for Spirit AeroSystems and Alain-Jory Barthe as senior v-p of industry for Daher.

People in Aviation

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Matt Thurber

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Why not teach new pilots to go around before learning how to land?

AINsight: You Can (and Should) Always Go Around

Kerry Lynch

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Most major manufacturers will be at static this year

NBAA-BACE Taking Shape with Expanded Program, Most OEMs

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

First step toward licensing could encourage youth to seek aviation careers

GAO Wants High Schoolers To Take Mechanic General Test

Charlotte Bailey

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Evolving AI-augmented simulator-based approach to ‘gamify’ learning 

Saab Shaking Up Gripen Training with Project Skynapse 

Howard Hardee

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Spirit AeroSystems workers give Leeham News and Analysis the inside track 

Cutting 'Traveled Work' Delays At Spirit Critical To 737 Output

Jessica Reed

Michel Denis was named CEO of Daher,  Steve Varsano president of Flexjet, and Robert Sumwalt was the next Wright Trophy recipient

People in Aviation —September 2026

Charles Alcock

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

Austrian manufacturer has yet to say which rotorcraft types it will support 

Axis Announces Plans for Helicopter Training Systems

AIN Staff

In a Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit (CALS) roundtable on retention, an aviation staffing expert and flight department leaders traded hard-won lessons on money, culture, and knowing who you’re really competing with.

More In Training and Workforce