AIN Columnist, NBAA Staffer John Pope Flies West

John Pope, one of the earlier staff members of NBAA and a long-time AIN contributor, died yesterday. He was 97.

Pope joined NBAA in July 1961, becoming the third person in a three-person staff that worked with the association’s 325 members at the time. He wrote and managed publications for the association, including a basic guideline for corporate aviation management, titled "NBAA Recommended Standards Manual," as well as "NBAA Management Aids," a series of publications offering aviation department advice.

He also planned and managed the association’s annual meeting and convention and founded the association’s Corporate Aviation Management Committee, along with the NBAA Advisory Council (now known as Associate Member Advisory Council). In 2001, NBAA honored Pope, who retired from the association in 1984, with its first NBAA Staff Lifetime Achievement Award.

After retiring from NBAA, Pope founded his own company to provide guidance to aviation department managers in developing operations manuals. In addition, he became a regular contributor to AIN, responsible for the "Congressional Observer" column until 2009. He also wrote more than 50 safety articles for the Flight Safety Foundation.

Further, Pope had nearly 34 years of service in the military, retiring as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force Reserve. During his service, he flew transport aircraft during World War II and was recalled to active duty for the Korean conflict.