People in Aviation: March 2016

Mark Van Tine, the long-time CEO of Jeppesen and v-p of digital aviation for Boeing, is retiring on June 30 after a 35-year career with the company.  Succeeding Van Tine in those roles is Kevin Crowley, who has been v-p of the technology division. Van Tine had spent 14 years as CEO of Jeppesen and 16 years as a Boeing executive. During that time he has helped in the transition of Jeppesen from paper charts to a digital format. Van Tine began his career in 1981 with flight planning and weather specialist Lockheed DataPlan, which Jeppesen acquired in 1989. He relocated to Denver in 1995 to oversee Jeppesen’s worldwide flight information development, printing and distribution operations and IT organizations. He later became chief information officer and then CEO in 2002. He has also been actively involved in aviation issues, serving as a past chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and on the board of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Crowley has served with Boeing since 1989, beginning as a software engineer.  He has held a number of positions with Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Defense and Space engineering. Before becoming v-p of technology development, he was v-p of 787 partnering for success integration in the Boeing Commercial Airplanes supplier management organization.

Puja Mahajan was appointed CEO of Elit’Avia, succeeding Michel Coulomb.  Coulumb, who oversaw the inception and growth of the company over the past nine years, will become chairman of the board and leader of the Elit’Avia advisory board. Mahajan has served as COO of Elit’Avia since 2013 and before that was director of flight operations and safety standdown for Bombardier Aerospace.

TAG Aviation Europe named company veteran Daniel Christe CEO, effective immediately. Christe succeeds Christof Späth, who stepped down for personal circumstances after holding the position for a year. Christe became CFO of TAG Aviation Holding in 1999 after serving as CFO of TAG Heuer.

JetSmarter promoted Gennady Barsky to president. Barsky previously had served as CFO of the private jet booking app provider. Succeeding Barsky as CFO is Joseph Epstein. Epstein previously served as a director of the professional services firm McGladrey.

OHS Aviation Services appointed Dennis Neumann as chief commercial officer. Neumann, who has 10 years of business aviation and aircraft refurbishment experience, previously served with Jet Aviation Basel, Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS), Altenrhein Aviation and Lufthansa Private Jet.

Mark Kelly joined Lobo Leasing, a Dublin, Ireland-based helicopter leasing company, as executive v-p and managing director. Kelly formerly has served as v-p of marketing for Lease Corp. International and managing director of CHC Ireland.

FlightSafety International promoted Steve Gross to senior v-p commercial. Gross joined FlightSafety in 1996 and has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility, from regional marketing manager and sales director to his most recent role as v-p of sales. The company also named Luiz Hamilton Lima airline training sales manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Lima previously spent 35 years with Embraer.

Gulfstream Aerospace named Walter Stark regional v-p of sales for Southern Europe. Stark previously spent eight years at TAG Aviation, where he was senior v-p of aircraft management and client services for Europe. He has also served with Pilatus Britten-Norman and Bombardier Aerospace.

Constant Aviation hired Scott Sweeney to serve as v-p of operations-Birmingham and Las Vegas. Sweeney brings 30 years of maintenance operations experience to his new role, having held numerous positions with Raytheon Aircraft/Hawker Beechcraft Services and more recently serving as v-p and general manager of a startup maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Subic Bay, Philippines.

Dallas Aeronautical Services named Jamie Fields v-p of corporate jet repair and overhaul. Fields, who will be based in Savannah, Ga., had a 30-year career with Gulfstream Aerospace, most recently as director of repair and overhaul services.

Matthew Pritchard was promoted to site director for Ontic’s facility in Cheltenham, UK. Pritchard joined BBA Aviation’s Ontic subsidiary in 2013 as head of contracts and customer service after holding positions with GE Aviation Systems, Hamilton Sundstrand and Airbus.

FlightSafety International promoted Alan Murray to assistant manager of the company’s training facility in Atlanta. Murray, who has been with FlightSafety for 15 years, most recently was director of training at the Atlanta center.

Sun Air Jets named Rob Cox v-p and director of maintenance. Cox brings 23 years of aviation experience, from serving as a California Air National Guard crew chief on the C-130 Hercules to serving as a technician, supervisor, RII inspector, chief inspector and director of maintenance for a number of Part 91 and 135 operators.

Janine Iannarelli, founder and president of Par Avion, was re-appointed to the Texas Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee for a four-year term, effective retroactively to September 1 last year. Texas Governor Greg Abbott also named Iannarelli as the presiding officer of the 10-member committee, which provides guidance on ways to boost aerospace and aviation jobs and investment in the state. Iannarelli was first named to the committee in October 2014.

Rectrix Aviation hired Brian Sansiveri to serve as director of operations. Sansiveri joins Rectrix from JetEx, where he managed day-to-day and flight operations.

Jet Aviation Flight Services named Victoria Reina Duffy charter sales director. Duffy previously spent three years as v-p of sales for Priester Aviation and has also held various positions with Jet Professionals.

Global Jet Services added Jim Sparks as an instructor. Sparks has 40 years of aviation experience with a background in airframe and avionics, including stints as a technician, director of maintenance and instructor.

Western Aircraft promoted Brett Woods to Pilatus regional sales director. Woods has served with Western Aircraft since 2007, beginning as an A&P technician and later holding roles with the aircraft sales team, as government contract manager-MRO and most recently as Piper aircraft regional sales manager.

Spectra Jet hired two more airframe and powerplant mechanics: Chynna Marshall and Chris Bruns. Marshall joins Spectra Jet after serving two years with a major airline. Bruns has a 20-year background in corporate aviation.

Gama Aviation appointed Lorrissa Lippi as marketing and media coordinator. Lippi brings a background in marketing and communications, recently completing her master’s degree in corporate communications and public relations from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn.

Aircraft sales veterans Matt Stringfellow, Greg Oswald and David Lee have teamed to launch aircraft brokerage firm Soljets, which will provide a plan to guide new aircraft buyers through acquisition, crew staffing, training, insurance, finance and maintenance.

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) appointed Gwen Basaria to the newly created position of v-p of member delight and engagement. Basaria has served in a number of capacities with AAAE since 2004, most recently as staff v-p of digital communications and government affairs. o

Awards & Honors

Mark Brewer, the director of Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, was recognized with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) Distinguished Service Award. The award, which recognizes an exemplary career and contributions to the airport industry, was presented during the 30th Annual AAAE Aviation Issues Conference in Maui, Hawaii. Brewer has been actively involved with AAAE, serving a term as chairman and as a member of the Executive Committee. He has also served on the board for the International Association of Airport Executives, as president of AAAE’s Northeast Chapter and as a member of AAAE’s Safety/Security and Diversity Committees. Brewer joined Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in 2008 and before that held senior management positions at airports in Hyannis, Mass.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Salisbury, Md.; Allentown, Pa.; and Providence, R.I.

The National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) is awarding $25,000 to six students through its Business Aviation Scholarship program. NARA launched the program in 2014 through donations from members for those seeking a business aviation career, and particularly in the corporate aircraft sales, marketing, finance, legal and insurance fields. The six 2016 scholarship winners are: Wendylie Alix, Joshua Chancey, Thomas Emery, Christopher Daniels and Samantha Lindholm, all attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; and Chasity Robinson, who is pursuing a graduate degree at Middle Tennessee State University.

NBAA announced the recipients of this year’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarships during the 2016 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in January. The scholarships, presented to promote the career development of current and aspiring schedulers and dispatchers, were awarded to: Friday Adah, Frederick Aryeetey, Cecil Mawuli Awumah, Rusty Bell, Jenna Fenzke, Morgan Garlinge, William Gillette, Colleen Haas, Jennifer Hawthorn, Jesee Samuel Kamau, Christopher Kagaba, Nyasha Manyika, Oluwakunmi Olasanoye, Deb Prosinski, Otim Robert, Jordan Street, Carlos Velazquez, Sonal Vyas, Emily White and Nicole Woods.  Sponsors of the 2016 scholarship program are Academy College, Airline Dispatch Federation in conjunction with Flamingo Air Schools, Beyond and Above Corporate, Flight Attendant Training, CornerStone Strategies, Corporate Aviation Solutions, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, FlightSafety International, GA Food Safety Professionals, Jeppesen, King Schools, MedAire, NBAA Air Traffic Services, ServiceElements International, UnitedHealthcare, and Universal Weather & Aviation.