Former Hartzell Chief James Brown Jr. Dies

James Brown Jr., founder and chairman emeritus of Hartzell Propeller parent company Tailwind Technologies, died on November 20. He was 84.

Born Feb. 11, 1933 in New Jersey, Brown attended Princeton University and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy before joining the chemical division of Standard Oil of Ohio in 1959 in sales. He spent 12 years there, becoming vice president and general manager of Sohio’s Plastics Division. In 1972, Brown took a role as executive v-p and general manager for Austin Powder Company, a specialist in explosive products for mining and quarrying, ultimately becoming CEO and president. He then stepped into the aviation industry, acquiring Hartzell from TRW in 1987.

An avid general aviation pilot, Brown became active in advocacy, serving on the board of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association from 1998 to 2008. “Jim played a very significant leadership role in the reinvigoration of the general aviation fixed-wing sector following the passage of General Aviation Revitalization Act,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “His active promotion of initiatives championed by several GA associations served to expand the global reach of high-performance piston and turboprop aviation. Aviation has lost a tremendous leader.”

His son James Brown III serves as president of Tailwind Technologies, while Joe Brown is president of Hartzell.