Sonnie Bates Joins Wyvern as CEO

Sonnie Bates, a leading expert in business aviation safety initiatives, has stepped in as CEO at Wyvern. Bates succeeds Art Dawley at the industry audit and risk management specialist. Dawley has left the company.

Bates has a more-than-30-year aviation background that spans the U.S. Air Force, industry, and associations. He previously was vice president and COO for aviation consultancy Baldwin Aviation and before that spent six years at the International Business Aviation Council, including two years as director of the International Standards for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) program.

Additionally, he has managed his own firm, Corporate Aviation Solutions, which specializes in IS-BAO, safety management system, and certified aviation manager preparation, along with other aviation professional development and training programs. Bates’s career also has included time as a captain on long-range business jets for corporate flight departments. He further has held key roles with CAE, where he developed the pilot training program for the Falcon 7X and was the program manager for Dassault Falcon products.

Bates, Wyvern said, “has earned a sterling reputation for his professionalism and integrity; and the board is confident that he will take Wyvern to the next level and accelerate the introduction of safety and risk management innovations for manned and unmanned flight organizations across the globe.”