People in Aviation: March 2020

Charlie Wiplinger added the role CEO of aircraft float specialist Wipaire on January 1, as his father, Bob “Wip” Wiplinger semi-retired and moved over to chairman. The elder Wiplinger had been president of the firm since 1979 when he purchased it from his own father and company founder Ben Wiplinger. Charlie Wiplinger, meanwhile, began working at Wipaire in line service at the age of 16 and joined the firm full time after college in 2003, first as an engineer, then v-p of services, and most becoming president in 2011.

FlightSafety International promoted Brian Moore to senior v-p of operations and Rich High to CEO of FlightSafety Textron Aviation Training. Most recently CEO of FlightSafety Textron Aviation Training, Moore joined FlightSafety in 1990 as an instructor and has since held positions of increasing responsibility. High has been with FlightSafety since 2005 and joined FlightSafety Textron Aviation Training when it was established last year.

Jost Lammers has taken over as CEO of Flughafen München GmbH (FMG). He succeeds long-time head Michael Kerkloh, who retired. Lammers has held senior management roles at various European airports since the late 1990s, including with Hochtief portfolio airports, and most recently was CEO of Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. 

CAE named Todd Probert group president of Defense and Security succeeding Gene Colabatistto, who retired from CAE in December. Probert previously spent 10 years with Raytheon, most recently leading its Command, Control, Space & Intelligence business unit and also has held roles with Honeywell Technology Solutions and Anser.

The Killick Aerospace Group named Bill Molloy to the newly created position of COO, responsible for steering sales growth across the company portfolios ad new business development opportunities including with the recent business aircraft parts distribution acquisitions. Molloy previously spent 30 years with Bombardier, holding roles developing customer support infrastructure for the C Series, managing the parts services organization for both commercial and business aircraft, and most recently serving as v-p of aftermarket sales for business aircraft.

Six West promoted Matthew Gee to COO. Gee, who has more than two decades of aviation experience, joined the flight operations services provider in 2017 as director of flight operations.

Nick Mayhew was named co-chairman of the United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST), succeeding Raj Helweg, chief pilot of air ambulance provider Air Methods. Helweg continues to serve on the USHST Steering Committee. Mayhew is currently general manager of the L3Harris Arlington Training Center in Texas and also has managed the Bristow Group Flight Academy in Titusville, Florida.

Gulfstream Aerospace promoted Matt Baer to regional v-p of sales for the Northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. Baer, who has spent the last decade working in the aviation industry, joined Gulfstream last spring as a regional sales manager after serving as v-p of global corporate aircraft finance with Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Sage-Popovich, Inc. (SPI), a global aviation consulting and asset management firm, promoted Petar Todorovic to v-p of operations across the SPI family of companies as owner Nick Popovich transitions to an advisory role. Todorovic joined SPI in 2014 and has in nearly all facets of the company, most recent as asset valuation manager.

Bruno Pasini was named executive v-p of Safran Electrical Components. Following a 12-year with various organizations, Pasini joined Safran in 2004 as human resources v-p for Aircelle and later served in the same position with Snecma, president of Safran USA and human resources v-p for North America, and human resources executive v-p and a member of the Zodiac Aerospace board of directors, among other roles.

ServiceElements International named Lisa Archambeau as v-p, facilitator, and strategist. Previously a facilitator with ServiceElements, Archambeau rejoins the company with more than 30 years of business aviation experience, including with FlightSafety International and Universal Weather and Aviation. ServiceElements also added Alainna Ikola as an administrative and operations teammate.

Larry Jorash joined Ross Aviation as v-p of operations, integrations, and safety, with responsibility for Ross’s MRO activities, as well as those at Bedford (BED), Sarasota (SRQ), Worcester (ORH), Hyannis (HYA), and Westfield (BAF).  Jorash previously spent more than 20 years with Signature Flight Support, most recently as senior v-p of operations.

Franc Mendes was named airline business development manager for Universal Avionics, tasked with introducing the ClearVision enhanced flight vision system and other products to the airline market as well as supporting the company’s flight department as a demonstration pilot aboard its Gulfstream G-III. He brings 24 years of aerospace industry experience to his new role, including with Boeing, Cathay Pacific Airways, and a pilot aboard corporate, United Nations, and other humanitarian missions.

U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel retired from federal service on January 31 after 42 years of military and civilian service. After retiring as a brigadier general from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2006, he became DOT’s sixth and is now its longest-serving inspector general. Sworn in on Oct. 26, 2006, Scovel has served under three presidents, appeared as a witness before 76 hearings, and directed a staff of more than 400 employees leading audits that are credited with helping make the national transportation system more efficient and safer.

Rose DeLong, a senior aviation academic advisory for Purdue University, retired after 30 years of service. During her career, she advised thousands of students who went on to become aircraft technicians, engineers, professional pilots, flight instructors, air traffic controllers, managers, vice presidents, presidents, and CEOs.

Duncan Aviation appointed Craig Rathjen director of flight operations and Jon Kroesche chief pilot of flight operations. Rathjen, who has served with Duncan since 1997, has 30 years of aviation experience. Kroesche began his aviation career in 1996 and joined Duncan in 2002.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) named Andre Castro director of communications. A University of Kansas graduate in communications, Castro joins the association from Capitol Hill, previously serving as director of communications for Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) as well as an aide to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas).

Laurence Petiard was appointed head of external communications for Airbus Helicopters. Petiard, who joined Airbus Helicopters in 2005, has spent five years in the media relations department handling external communications for a variety of civil and military helicopter programs and also has held various project management roles.

James Johnson was named director of aviation training for Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA). Johnson has more than 10 years of aviation industry experience, serving as flight and ground instructor and corporate pilot before joining ASA in 2014.

Aircraft Propeller Service named Mauricio Mazzini director of quality, responsible for quality management, certifications and supplier audits, and training, among other areas. Mazzini is relocating to APS’s Lake Zurich, Illinois headquarters from the APS Brazil facility, where he was responsible for coordinating the company’s quality assurance system and working with Brazilian and other foreign entities.

Final Flights

Walter Boyne, the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) enshrinee and U.S. Air Force aviator who has written more than 50 books and served as chairman of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), died on January 9 in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was 90.

NAHF called Boyne a “skilled pilot, impactful leader, and prolific writer,” and added that the nation has lost a “remarkable aviation legend.”

Born Feb. 2, 1929, Boyne grew up in East Saint Louis and joined the Air Force in 1951. During his time with the USAF, he became a B-50 and B-47 combat crew member and later was a nuclear test pilot, flying both the B-47 and B-52, according to the NAHF.

After serving in Vietnam, he became assistant curator of the National Air and Space Museum in 1974 and later was appointed director. Expanding the museum’s reach into television, he co-founded “Wingspan–the Air & Space Channel” in 1988. He later stepped in as chair of NAA from 2006 to 2014, steering the association through a difficult time.

He also made a significant mark with his research and writing career, selling his first article, which was about the P-36 Curtiss Hawk, in 1962 for $29. He went on to write more than 1,000 articles, 44 non-fiction books, and seven novels focused on aviation. Several made the New York Times Bestseller List. The NAHF inducted Boyne in 2007.

Richard D’Ambrogio, one of the earlier corporate pilots who flew for the Rockefeller family flight operation Wayfarer Ketch Corp. for decades, died on December 20 at his home in Rutland, Vermont. He was 89.

Born in the Bronx on January 25, 1930, D’Ambrogio joined the U.S. Air Force originally as a mechanic. But his interest in flying led him to cadet school, where he became a pilot. During his time with the USAF, he was involved in the Korean War.

Following his service, he joined the White Plains, New York-based Wayfarer Ketch flight department in the late 1950s, flying with them for 30 years, until he retired. D’Ambrogio operated a range of aircraft—the Twin Beech 18, Fairchild F-27, and Grumman Gulfstream I and II among them—and is estimated to have accrued as much as 20,000 hours. He also piloted for Time and Life. His wife of nearly 60 years, Eleanor, spoke of his passion for flight, saying “he enjoyed every minute" and a fellow Wayfarer Ketch pilot and friend described D'Ambrogio as an "old school corporate pilot, who knew how to fly 'em and fix 'em."

Robert Redland, who had served as general manager for aircraft interior component specialists Lou Martin & Associates and Technical Composite Corp., died on January 20 after a battle with leukemia.

Born in 1974 in Austin, Texas, Redland spent two decades in the aircraft interiors business, including stints with Custom Air Interiors, Fiber Art, CoreMax Aerospace, and Decrane Aircraft. He joined Technical Composite in 2009 and added the role at Lou Martin & Associates in 2014.

Lou Martin & Associates noted the passing “of our dear friend,” saying, “Over the years, always with a smile and can-do attitude, Robert worked with customers in the design, manufacture, and certification of various products for the aviation industry.”