Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Jean Lydon-Rodgers has taken the role of president and CEO of GE Aviation, Services. Lydon-Rodgers began her career with GE in the aerospace division’s manufacturing management program before moving to GE Aviation, where most recently she was president and CEO of GE Aviation, Military Systems.


Andreas Tielmann was named CEO of Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services. He succeeds Christian Langer, who is moving to Lufthansa Technik as head of digital fleet solutions. Tielmann has served in a number of roles with Lufthansa Technik since 1998, beginning as project coordinator in the department of business development and most recently leading the aircraft systems product division.


Esterline named Pierre Rossignol president of its advanced sensors group. Rossignol, who began his career at Esterline's sensors business, previously spent 14 years with Airbus Helicopters, most recently leading Malaysian operations, and has also served as a sales director for Aircelle’s engine nacelle program.


Victoria Foy was named managing director of Safran Nacelles’ UK subsidiary, Safran Nacelles Ltd., in Burnley, England. Foy, who has 25 years of experience in corporate banking and manufacturing, previously served as finance director for Safran Nacelles.


Textron elected Ralph Heath to the company's board of directors. Heath, a former board member of Hawker Beechcraft, retired from Lockheed Martin as executive v-p&nbsp;of aeronautics in 2012 after a 37-year career with the company.


Ken McKenzie, senior v-p for strategy and corporate development for Airbus Group, has joined the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) board of directors. McKenzie, an EAA lifetime member who has been involved in aviation for 35 years beginning as a pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force, is a recreational aviation enthusiast who flies a homebuilt Lancair IV-P.


Vertis Aviation promoted Catherine Buchanan to chief commercial officer. Buchanan, who has been general manager of the Vertis office in Dubai, has spent the past eight years holding various roles in the Middle Eastern aviation market.


Cherie Hecker joined Air 7 as v-p of operations. Hecker has 17 years of aviation operational leadership experience with Landmark Aviation, TWC Aviation and Century Aviation.


Priester Aviation appointed Ted Pietrolaj v-p of charter sales, responsible for the U.S. Midwest. Pietrolaj joined Priester a year ago as an owner services executive; he hadpreviously managed the corporate fleet of a Fortune 100 company and worked at Executive Jet Management.


Freestream relocated two executives based in its Teterboro, N.J. office to staff a new base in Miami—Connie Marrero and Angelika Ayala. Executive v-pMarrero&nbsp;has worked at Freestream since 2007 and before that was with Avjet. Ayala, a sales executive who handles large-cabin aircraft sales and acquisitions, joined Freestream in 2014 after serving as a sales and marketing executive for Fontainebleau.


XJet appointed Emily Watson general manager and sales director of its facility at Denver Centennial Airport. Watson joins the company from Surf Air, where she was responsible for the strategy and execution of the member experience.


STG Aerospace named two new regional sales managers: Robert Keepers, based in Dallas, and Theresa Härtel, based in Germany. Keepers previously spent 16 years with Panasonic Avionics, most recently as marketing account manager. Härtel is joining STG from UTC Aerospace Systems, where she worked as product sales manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and program managerfor worldwide aftermarket for UTC subsidiary Goodrich Lighting Systems.


Adrian Chene joined Duncan Aviation’s avionics sales team in Battle Creek, Mich. Chene has spent 16 years at the company’s Battle Creek facility, previously serving as an avionics tech representative. He has been an avionics technician in the U.S. Air Force.


Christobal Henner was appointed general manager for South Africa-based aviation services firm Hi-Fly Marketing. Henner joins the company from Safran Electronics &amp; Defense in Dallas, Texas, where he managed the Analysis Ground Station (AGS) global support and oversaw the sales of flight data management solutions to aircraft operators in both South and North America.


Traxxall Technologies named a number of executives assigned to a newly opened office in Jacksonville, Fla. James Cook, a former business analyst with SkyBooks who has 25 years of aviation maintenance and software application experience; Jeremy Figus, a former quality assurance analyst for SkyBooks who has 20 years of aviation maintenance experience; Ryan Kraus, a 25-year industry veteran who previously worked as a senior analyst at Gulfstream CMP; Tory Martin, formerly an account representative at SkyBooks who served in the U.S. Navy for 23 years; and Michael Shelton, previously a quality assurance analyst with SkyBooks, who has 15 years of industry experience. Jeff Dougherty and Dewayne James, already established in Florida for Traxxall, will lead the newly assembled team.


C&amp;L Aerospace hired Tim Bueschen as a regional sales manager, with responsibility for the southern U.S., central Caribbean and South America. Bueschen most recently was regional sales manager for Bombardier Aerospace for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and before that spent 18 years with a distributor and marketer of aftermarket automotive equipment and accessories.


Alto Aviation appointed Mike Nedoroscik as an audio systems engineer. Previously an acoustical engineer for Loud Technologies, Nedoroscik brings a background of electro-acoustic design, system modeling and simulation, prototyping, acoustic testing and regulatory procedures to his new role.


Dassault Aviation named Damien Farret director of customer relations and field service in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. Farret joined the company in 2002 as a design engineer for flight control systems for fighter jets, moved over to Falcon Customer Service in 2005 and most recently was director of technical engineering for Dassault in Teterboro, N.J.


Duncan Aviation added Chris Jordan to its turbine engine service sales team to focus on new West Coast&nbsp;markets. Jordan previously spent 19 years with Honeywell Aerospace, most recently as an aftermarket service sales representative and product strategist.


New Flight Charters named Mark Baroni charter manager. A U.S. Air Force officer and pilot for 21 years, Baroni brings a background in aviation, program management and safety to his new role, including as U.S. Presidential travel advance agent, NATO international diplomatic officer, and director&nbsp;of the Air Force Wing Flight Safety Program.


Pentastar Aviation appointed Calvin Ford to lead client relations&nbsp;in emerging markets. Ford was most recently Lincoln Navigator marketing manager and zone manager for Ford Motor Company.


François-Xavier Camus was named managing director&nbsp;of&nbsp;Air Charter Service’s French office. Camus joined the company seven years ago as head of the commercial jets team.


Keith Mordoff has joined Westfourth Communications, an Arlington, Va.-based public relations and marketing consultancy, as senior advisor. Mordoff has 25 years of experience in the aerospace and defense sectors, having served with the Aerospace Industries Association, Lockheed Martin, Gulfstream Aerospace and Aviation Week &amp; Space Technology.


Winner Aviation appointed Larry Rohrbach maintenance sales manager. Rohrbach brings 30 years of aviation industry experience to his new role, most recently as regional sales manager for Textron Aviation and also as a regional aircraft maintenance sales manager, corporate director of maintenance, general manager of FBO operations and aircraft maintenance technician for various aviation businesses.


Duncan Aviation named Bob Hazy manager for satellite shops in Sacramento and Hayward, Calif., and Wayne Sand as manager of satellite shops in Denver and Broomfield, Colo. Hazy had long been manager of the Denver facility. Sand has been working on avionics in the Denver area for Duncan since 1994.


Bob Frauenthal, lead captain on an AW139 based in Farmingdale, N.Y., retired from Jet Aviation after a 50-year career. Frauenthal began his career as a U.S. Army pilot in Vietnam and later became involved in flight instruction, sightseeing, charter, aerial photography, medical evacuation, movie and stunt flying, among other operations. He flew S-76s in the North Sea with KLM, and was a check airman and base manager with TAG Aviation in Farmingdale. He held the positions of chief pilot, director of operations and president for air-taxi operations and logged 22,000 accident- and incident-free flight hours, mostly in helicopters.


<h2>Awards &amp; Honors</h2>


Directional Aviation Capital principal Kenn Ricci, veteran aviator and business aviation executive Clay Lacy, helicopter approach pioneer Steve Hickock and longtime pilot Peter Paul Luce are among the honorees of the 14th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards. The honorees were recognized on January 20 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.


Ricci, whose business aviation portfolio includes Flexjet, Flight Options, Constant Aviation and Nextant Aerospace, will be presented the Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award. “With Kenn’s vision and leadership, Directional Aviation Capital is an umbrella facilitator creating efficiencies in fractional aircraft ownership, aircraft management as well as services, which has incrementally improved the entire industry,” award organizers said.


Lacy will be the recipient of the Bob Hoover Freedom of Flight Award, a selection made by Bob Hoover himself before he passed on October 25&nbsp;last year. Over the years Lacy has held the roles of airline captain, military aviator, experimental test pilot, air race champion, world distance record-setter, aerial cinematographer and business aviation entrepreneur, and has flown 300 aircraft types and logged 50,000 flight hours.


Hickock will be honored with the “Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award” for advancements in GPS and IFR capabilities&nbsp;that allow emergency helicopters to operate safely at locations not previously served. Luce will receive the Harrison Ford Aviation Legacy Award. Award organizers note that Luce, “who at 87 years young is still an active board member for ‘Wings Over the Rockies,’ has flown 243 missions delivering organs to patients, which has saved numerous lives.”


The Greater Miami Aviation Association (GMAA) honored Don Campion, president of Banyan Air Service, with the Edward Rickenbacker Award. Banyan was recognized for his dedication to aviation and leadership in building Banyan Air Service over four decades. GMAA presented Campion with the award at the 89th Annual Wright Brothers Memorial Gala and Awards Ceremony.


The Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association awarded $1,500 scholarships to three aviation students to help them pursue a career in aviation: Sawyer Murphy, a University of North Dakota student who is working toward her commercial and multi-engine ratings and has already obtained an unmanned aerial systems operator’s certificate; Jamie Posk, a junior at Bridgewater State University who is a first officer at Cape Air and is working toward a degree in aviation science flight training; and Adam Kee, agraduate student at Purdue University who is active in the Aviation Technology program and also serves as an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

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