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

Simon Pryce, who has served as CEO of BBA Aviation for the past 10 years, stepped down on June 30. Wayne Edmunds, a non-executive director of the group since 2013, will serve as interim CEO until a permanent successor is named. Pryce will assist Edmunds and the board through a transition. Edmunds has a long executive background, including stints as CEO of Invensys and chairman of BBA’s Audit and Risk Committee.

 


Dassault hired Mark Ozenick to serve as president of Dassault Aircraft Services (DAS).&nbsp;The founding president and CEO of HeliFlite Shares and co-founder of HeliFlite Aviation Services, Ozenick brings to Dassault nearly four decades of experience that has included senior roles with Trinity Capital, Jet Investment Holdings, Aero Mechanical Industries, Valair Aviation, SSA, Elite Aviation and American Eurocopter.

 


ACL Airshop (Aclas) named Steve Townes chairman and Gary Langford CFO.&nbsp;Townes, CEO of Aclas parent Ranger Aerospace, has been heavily involved in the leadership and expansion since the buyout of Aclas in February last year. Langford brings a quarter century of accounting, finance and corporate development experience to his new role, including serving as CFO of Prospect Brands.

 


Dallas Aeronautical Services (DAS) promoted Eliezer (Eli) da Silva to vice president of sales and marketing. Da Silva joined DAS in 2009 to assist with expansion in the Brazil and Central and South America.

 


The Eurocontrol Permanent Commission appointed Eamonn Brennan director general of Eurocontrol, effective January 1 next year. Brennan, nominated by the Government of Ireland, is currently chief executive and board member of the Irish Aviation Authority.

 


Pentastar Aviation president and CEO Greg Schmidt has been elected chairman of the board of directors for the National Air Transportation Association. He succeeds Priester Aviation president and CEO Andy Priester. Schmidt, who joined Pentastar in 2008 and has led the company for the past four years, has served on the NATA board since 2013 and previously held the positions of treasurer and vice chairman. Other NATA officers: Ross Aviation president and CEO Jeff Ross as vice chairman and McClellan Jet Services senior v-p Scott Owens as secretary. Hill Aircraft and Leasing CEO Guy Hill is treasurer.

 


Gulfstream Aerospace promoted Steven Plumridge to general manager of its service center at London Luton Airport in England. Plumridge, who most recently was quality manager and chief inspector for the Luton facility, joined Gulfstream in 2014 as a continuing airworthiness manager and also has held quality, safety and airworthiness positions at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, Air Seychelles and British Midland International.

 


PPG named Tim Behmlander aerospace general manager for the Americas.&nbsp;Behmlander, a 24-year PPG veteran who has been aerospace general manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, succeeds Dave Morris, who retired on July 1 after an aerospace industry career spanning half a century. Reiner Stamm will take over as aerospace general manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.&nbsp;Stamm joined PPG in 2000 as business manager for the aerospace application support center in Hamburg, Germany, and then moved to the company’s automotive OEM coatings business.

 


Phillips 66 Aviation appointed Lindsey Grant U.S. general aviation manager and Eric McMurphy U.S. general aviation director of sales. Grant succeeds R.G. (Greg) Still, who will become U.S. manager of optimization for branded sales. Grant joined Conoco (a Phillips predecessor company) in the UK in 1996 and has served as a gasoline trader, national sales manager and manager of strategic planning. McMurphy has served with Phillips for 27 years in analytical, supervisory, director and managerial roles in terminals, lubes, retail marketing, finance and wholesale marketing.

 


Professional Aircraft Accessories hired Mark Iddon to serve as vice president of sales and marketing. Iddon has held a number of senior sales positions at Goodrich Aerospace, SatairAveos Fleet Performance, AeroTurbine and most recently Tronair, where he was executive v-p of sales, marketing and product support.

 


Global Jet Services hired Charles (Chuck) Siehr as director of sales and marketing. A former assistant crew chief with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Sierh previously spent 27 years with StandardAero, most recently as director of customer service.

 


Cutter Aviation promoted Matt Sorace to flight department manager based at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Sorace, a commercial pilot, joined Cutter Aviation as a charter coordinator for Cutter Flight Management in 2010 and since served as a maintenance controller and charter supervisor.

 


Constant Aviation added Mark Campbell as a sales manager focused on Bombardier, Cessna, and Dassault aircraft in the Southeast region. Campbell has 26 years of aviation experience with Cessna Aircraft’s Greensboro Citation Service Center and with the U.S. Marine Corps.

 


Global Jet Capital appointed David Settergren director of sales for Southeast Asia, covering Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Previously Settergren was vice president of aircraft leasing and trading for AerSale in Singapore and before that was vice president of marketing and sales for GE Commercial Aviation Services in Singapore.

 


Stratajet hired Verity Richardson as marketing manager. Richardson previously has worked with NetJets, where she assisted with business development and marketing strategies, and also was the marketing manager at the Maybourne Hotel Group.

 


Eric Green joined Baker Aviation Maintenance as accountable manager. A U.S. Navy veteran, Green has a background in process and quality management, previously serving with Recaro Aircraft Seating and Howell Instruments.

 


Tiffany Griffin has joined Duncan Aviation’s paint and interior modification sales team in Battle Creek, Mich. Griffin, who joined the Duncan Aviation as a design intern in 2001, has since served as a full-time designer, project manager for the Falcon 7X completions program and NetJets program coordinator for Duncan.

 


Million Air Medford named Ramon Ochoa quality control supervisor. Ochoa has served Million Air MFR as a line technician for the past two years and before that was a line technician at Atlantic Aviation in Ontario, Calif. and at Los Angeles International.

 


Av8 MRO named Jean-Claude Kouyo international marketing and sales manager. Kouyo has 19 years of aviation industry experience with FlightSafety Europe and Corporate Elite Group.

 


Awards and Honors

 


Jet Advisors founder Kevin O’Leary received a Ph.D in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. O’Leary who has 20 years of experience in aircraft acquisition, brokerage and consulting, completed his doctoral dissertation on factors influencing pilot error.&nbsp;The research involved a structural equation model of the safety culture of a group of U.S. pilots.

 


Final Flights 

 


Harold “Skip” Madsen, who spent 35 years in business aviation services and held senior roles at several of the largest support organizations, died on May 17 following a battle with cancer. He was 55.

 


Born in 1961, Madsen joined Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Neb., a year out of high school. Madsen’s career with Duncan spanned 20 years, and he rose to the level of COO.

 


He later became president of Executive Aircraft and spent four years as vice president of aircraft service for Raytheon Aircraft Services and Hawker Beechcraft. In 2007, Madsen joined Jet Aviation’s St. Louis operation (formerly Midcoast Aviation), becoming vice president of MRO sales and operations, and then joined Jet Linx Aviation as vice president of sales and business development. Madsen then steered MRO operations for Landmark Aviation as vice president, before he held his most recent position of senior vice president for Signature TechnicAir.

 


Madsen also was active in industry advocacy, serving on the National Air Transportation Association’s Maintenance Committee. He is survived by his wife, Jeanie, and children Joey, Adam and Taylor.

 


Jack Hammond, an industry stalwart who drove numerous market and safety innovations in the aviation fuels business, died on June 4 at his home in Upper Michigan. Hammond had a 34-year career with Phillips 66 and led aviation sales for a decade.

 


During his time with Phillips he brought a number of firsts to the general aviation industry, among them an aviation fuel safety program that focused on proper ways to store fuel and daily checks and balances at the fuel farm. He also championed training for all facets of handling aircraft and procedures for fueling aircraft.&nbsp;

 


He led the creation, marketing and handling of pre-blended jet fuel and launched the Phillips 66 Flying Salesman Program. Under this program, all Phillips 66 sales personnel had their own aircraft and flew directly to customers.

 


Hammond, who earned his pilot certificate in 1954, joined Phillips 66 in 1960 and moved into aviation product sales in 1962. One of two rated pilots early on in the company’s aviation division, he opened a number of market areas for Phillips 66 as a Flying Salesman. Hammond was promoted to assistant manager of aviation sales and product manager before taking over as manager of aviation sales in 1983. He retired from Phillips in 1994. Hammond is survived by his wife, Patricia, and sons Scott and Kent.

 


Greg Scott, FBO manager for Crownair’s facility at Montgomery Field Airport in San Diego, died after a car crash June 17. He was 40.

 


Born in Canada, Scott earned an aviation management degree from Mounty Royal College. He was a commercial pilot with instrument, multi-engine and land and sea ratings and was close to achieving his airframe and powerplant license. He joined Crownair 13 years ago and led the service and customer service professionals “representing the ‘front line of our organization,’” Crownair said. “Most people knew Greg as a loyal, dedicated and seasoned aviation professional who was naturally a mentor to many of our employees.”

 


Scott was a certified line service trainer and played an instrumental role in the development of Crownair’s safety management system. He is survived by his wife, Christy, and two young children, Jacob and Isabelle.

 


Mike Beachy Head, founder and CEO of Thunder City and Caudwell Marine, both based at Cape Town International Airport in South Africa, has died at the age of 59. Beachy Head established Thunder City in 1994, an aircraft operations and maintenance company that became known for owning the largest civilian operating base of former military jets worldwide. He attracted a well known base of customers who sought the thrill of flying the jets. Thunder City counted among its fleet English Electric Lightnings, Blackburn Buccaneers and Hawker Hunters. He also founded Caudwell Marine about 10 years ago to develop 300-hp V6 diesel Axis-drive inboard and outboard marine propulsion systems.

 


He became involved in flying in 1984 through the Worcester Flying Club and obtained his pilot certificate in 1991, according to the Cape Argus local paper. A year later, he acquired nine former South African Air Force Piaggio Albatrosses, which he used to found a courier company, ACE Express. He sold that company a few years later, according to the Weekend Argus.

 


He is survived by his wife, Jane, and children Luke, Astin and Jake.

People In Aviation: August 2017

Simon Pryce departs BBA Aviation, Dassault hires Mark Ozenick and ACL Airshop names Steve Townes chairman.

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