Jon Downey joined Titan Aviation Fuels’ subsidiary EBCO Aviation Insurance as CEO. Downey has a deep background in aviation insurance, previously serving as v-p for United States Aviation Underwriters, senior v-p of operations and head of U.S. Aviation for Allianz, and, most recently, managing director of Assured Partners Aerospace.
Dave Calhoun is stepping down from his position as Boeing Company CEO at the end of the year and Stan Deal is departing from his role as head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Boeing Company COO (and former president and CEO of Boeing Global Services) Stephanie Pope assumes Deal’s position, effective immediately. The moves come as board chairman Larry Kellner opts not to stand for re-election. The board has elected Steve Mollenkopf to replace Kellner and begin the search for a new CEO. Mollenkopf, who has served on the board of directors since 2020, previously led Qualcomm as its chief executive. Pope has served as COO of Boeing since January. She previously served as CFO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Long-time NBAA executive Dina Green was promoted to the newly created role of chief of staff, responsible for ensuring that the association leverages “every opportunity to enhance how the organization serves its members and the industry.” Most recently v-p of events, Green will also continue to oversee VIP experiences at NBAA events and other gatherings. Green, who joined NBAA in 2003, previously served as director of registration and seminar exhibits and director/senior director of conferences and forums for the organization.
Business aviation veteran and former Learjet president and CEO Brian Barents has joined the board of directors for the Classic Lear Jet Foundation. Barents served as the head of Learjet from 1989 to 1996, part of a career that spanned the U.S. Air Force and multiple business jet manufacturers, also including Cessna Aircraft and Galaxy Aerospace. He further was co-chair of Aerion and has chaired the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
David Van Den Langenbergh, Luxaviation Group’s chief industry affairs officer, was appointed a member of EBAA’s board of governors. He joined Luxaviation in 2014 as the group’s chief technical officer and became president of Luxaviation Aviation Services in 2019.
Aviation insurer USAIG announced several promotions that went into effect April 1: Glenn Vallach, previously senior v-p of the general aviation claims department, has become deputy director of claims; Maura Walsh, claims attorney for the airline claims department, was promoted to senior v-p; Timothy Goldrick, controller, was appointed senior v-p for the aircraft insurer's accounting department; and Kathleen McCoy, previously working in the customer care department, was elevated to senior v-p.
ACASS named Claudio Peer as v-p of aircraft management and charter sales and Stevan Tojagic as sales director for the UK and Northern Europe. Based in Zürich, Peer is an aviation professional with more than 30 years of experience, most recently as v-p of regional sales for aircraft management and charter sales at Jet Aviation. Tojagic, who will be based in London, has more than 12 years of business aviation experience, including operating his own charter business and serving as regional sales manager for Bombardier’s international services sales division.
FBO and air charter management firm Aero Centers hired Mark Babrick as v-p of sales and marketing for aircraft management and charter services division Epps Air Service. In his new role, Babrick will spearhead the integration of charter and aircraft management operations into Aero Centers’ suite of services. He previously was the v-p of sales at air charter company Jet Access Aviation.
Elliott Aviation appointed Rick Rogers as general manager and Jose Irizarry as director of quality and safety. Rogers’ previous experience includes working at Comlux as head of program management for cabin completions and aircraft MRO and at StandardAero. Irizarry previously served as the director of quality/chief inspector at both Hillwood Airways and Saudi Aramco, and he also brings experience from his time as aviation safety inspector/principal inspector with the FAA.
Duncan Aviation has carried out leadership changes at its Turbine Engine Services business in Lincoln, Nebraska, naming Scott Stoki, Brad Wales, and Tyler Spurling as managers of engine services for Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), Honeywell, and line services, respectively.
Middletown, Delaware-based business aircraft MRO and FBO Summit Aviation appointed Robert Flansburg as director of operations. He brings more than three decades of experience in aerospace MRO, including at Boeing Vertical Lift, Sikorsky Helicopters, and DeCrane Aerospace. In his new capacity, Flansburg will oversee Summit’s aircraft maintenance operations.
FBO services provider Castle & Cooke Aviation appointed Gregory Wain as general manager of its Van Nuys FBO. Previously, Wain was the property manager and general manager for almost 30 years at Santa Monica Airport’s Supermarine FBO, which became an Atlantic Aviation facility in 2005.
Zach Brandt was promoted to project manager of the Challenger program at West Star Aviation’s Perryville, Missouri facility. Brandt brings 17 years of aviation experience and most recently was lead Challenger aircraft maintenance technician at West Star.
Aviation safety consulting and risk management services provider Wyvern recently appointed Trent Corcia v-p of sales and marketing. Corcia has significant experience in the aviation industry, including serving as CEO of the Citation Jet Pilots Association (CJP) for two years.
Awards and Honors
The British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGAA) presented its Michael Wheatley Award for Outstanding Services to Wally Epton, “who has contributed six decades of exemplary service to the aviation industry in civil and defense roles.” Honored during BBGAA’s annual conference on March 7, Epton was recognized for a career that began in 1958 with the Royal Air Force and led to the establishment of a business aviation association in Australia and as a corporate and business aviation pilot for numerous companies. Amassing 16,400 flight hours commercially, he is chair of the Historic Aircraft Association and the RAE Farnborough Aero Club.
Luís Carlos Affonso, Embraer’s senior v-p of engineering and technology development, was presented with the Pathfinder Award in honor of the significant contributions he has made to the industry since he joined the Brazilian airframer in 1983.
Final Flights
William "Bill" Reavis, who left an indelible mark as an aerospace communications stalwart, died on March 14 at his home in Mesa, Arizona, after a battle with cancer. He was 77.
A former combat veteran who served in Vietnam with a broadcast journalism background, Reavis spent most of his career with Bendix/King, AlliedSignal, and, ultimately, Honeywell Aerospace, where he became known for his almost dogmatic representation of his company’s safety and other technologies. In fact, he is credited for “putting the auxiliary power unit on the map,” convincing most aviation news outlets to write about the technology that otherwise would have received little attention.
“Bill established himself as one of the most credible PR men in aviation history and was also known for his sharp wit and storytelling,” said his former colleague and now senior v-p of marketing and communications for StandardAero Kyle Hultquist. “Bill was a one-of-a-kind individual in every way.”
Reavis retired from Honeywell in 2013 but kept his hand in communications, helping other companies, such as Astronautics, with media outreach.
The aviation industry mourns the loss of Franz List, the chairman of the supervisory board for F/List, a high-end business aircraft interiors company. List passed away on March 23 at the age of 76 following a serious illness.
Under List's visionary guidance, F/List evolved from a modest joinery, established by his father in 1950, into a global leader in the design, creation, and production of luxury interiors, particularly for business jets.
Franz List's legacy is marked by his impact on the luxury interiors sector, where he introduced innovative products and achieved several industry milestones. In October 2017, List passed the company's management baton to his daughter, Katharina List-Nagl, who serves as CEO, while he continued to play a pivotal role as the chairman of the supervisory board.