Robert Stangarone was elected chairman of the board and president of the New England Air Museum. He succeeds Scott Ashton, who decided against seeking reelection after serving in the role for 12 years. Ashton will remain on the board as past president for a one-year term. Stangarone is a veteran aerospace marketer and communications specialist who has held senior positions at Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, Rolls-Royce, Litton, Fairchild Dornier, Cessna Aircraft, and Embraer.
The Air Charter Association (ACA) appointed aviation consultant Glenn Hogben as joint deputy chair. Hogben, who joined the ACA board in 2017 and will share the deputy chair role with Julie Black, has more than 17 years of experience in aircraft charter, leasing, and management, serving with ACC Aviation since 2004.
Evans Composites appointed Mike Campbell as president. Campbell has more than 29 years of leadership experience, including with the U.S. Navy and also multiple repair stations.
King Aerospace named Scott Parkinson CFO. Parkinson has more than 30 years of financial oversight experience, previously serving as controller and vice president of finance for the defense, aerospace, and security division of Sanmina.
Dave Weil was appointed to the board of TAG Aviation Europe. Weil has more than 30 years of aviation industry experience, including formerly serving as CFO for TAG Aviation USA for 17 years and currently serving as CEO of business aviation consultancy Flight Dept Solutions.
Meridian added Kelly Forester Pappas to its Board of Directors, marking the third generation on the board of the family-owned business. Pappas, whose grandfather John Kenneth Forester founded the FBO and maintenance operation in 1946, has spent the past eight years focused on aviation sales and business development for Meridian.
Pilatus Aircraft shareholders elected two new members to the board of directors: Hansueli Loosli and Lukas Gähwiler. Loosli is chairman at Coop and Swisscom and Gähwiler is chairman of UBS Switzerland. They replace outgoing board members Gerhard Beindorff and Bernhard Müller.
Bart Biggers is joining Sidley Austin as a partner in its Dallas office, serving as a member of the mergers and acquisitions and private equity practice groups and co-leading the aviation practice. Biggers previously was the chair of both the Corporate, Commercial Transactions & Outsourcing Practice Group, and the Airlines Industry Group at Winstead PC.
Renée Martin-Nagle has joined Eckert Seamans’s Pittsburgh office as special counsel, focusing on the law firm’s aviation and environmental practices. Martin-Nagle formerly was CEO and president of A Ripple Effect, a consultancy focused on international water law that also has conducted airline and airport sustainability projects, and has spent more than 20 years at Airbus Americas.
Safran Helicopter Engines named Sébastien Jaulerry executive v-p of support and services. He succeeds Olivier Le Merrer, who is retiring. Jaulerry, who most recently was general manager for the Eurasia region of Safran Electrical and Power’s EWIS division, has more than 25 years of experience with the company, beginning as a workshop manager in 1994.
L2 Aviation appointed Tony Bailey as v-p of business development. Bailey has an aviation career that spans more than 35 years and has included a number of leadership positions such as president and COO of Spirit Aeronautics.
Elliott Aviation named Lawrence Harting v-p of operations for the company’s headquarters in Moline, Illinois. Lawrence joined Elliott in 2013 as v-p and general manager of its Minneapolis location and before that, spent 12 years with Dassault Aircraft Services in Wilmington, Delaware.
Bluetail added D. Darwin Stout as v-p of sales. Stout has more than 30 years of aviation industry expertise, including at Gulfstream, Embraer Executive Jets, and Bombardier Learjet.
Timothy Lomakin has rejoined Dumont Aviation Group to help launch and lead the Dumont Jets West expansion. Lomakin, who is also president of Foundation Aviation, previously was director of operations for Dumont before leaving for a stint as president of Wing Aviation Group in Orlando.
Air 7 promoted Matt McKee to facilities manager. Mckee, who has 10 years of FBO and aviation experience and joined Air 7 in 2012, has worked in FBO line service operations, refueler management, facility maintenance, and aircraft services support.
West Star named Bob Fairfield Northeast regional sales manager, covering a territory including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. Fairfield has held a number of maintenance technician positions, most recently as regional sales manager at Gulfstream.
Western Jet Aviation added Greg Potter and Doug Wendt to its sales staff. Potter, who flew UH-1H helicopters in the U.S. Army, served with Hughes Helicopters and Goodyear Aerospace before spending 25 years at Collins Avionics and then another 10 at Universal Avionics. Wendt served as a dynamics engineer with Cessna before spending 22 years with Gulfstream Aerospace as a product support manager.
North American Aerospace Industries named Martin O’Boyle business development manager of MRO. O’Boyle brings a background of technical and commercial experience working across aviation with airlines, aircraft lessors, corporate operators, OEMs, and maintenance facilities, most recently as head of civil aviation business development for Sabena Aerospace.
Mint Turbines added Jason Chambers as a regional sales manager for the eastern U.S. Chambers has 30 years of aviation experience, including serving as a customer program management, general manager, AOG technician, and engine manager for Part 135, Part 145, and OEM operations.
Axiom Aviation added Alec Reese to its team as an aircraft market researcher. Reese, who will provide sales support in addition to managing aircraft research efforts for the Cleveland firm, formerly has served as an air traffic controller in Oklahoma City and as an aircraft non-destructive inspection technician for the Air National Guard in Rickenbacker, Ohio.
West Star Aviation promoted Lisa Hall to global program manager at its Grand Junction, Colorado (GJT) facility. Hall has more than 30 years of aviation experience, previously holding senior positions with Bombardier, along with West Star.
The City of Colorado Springs named Joe Nevill air service development manager for Colorado Springs Airport (COS). Nevill has more than 27 years of network and schedule development experience and more than 30 years in the airline industry, most recently as senior manager for charters/network planning for United Airlines in Chicago.
Awards and Honors
Business aviation veteran communications executive and Wichita Aero Club president Dave Franson joins a slate of six recipients for this year’s 2020 National Aeronautic Association Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesman and Stateswoman of Aviation Award. Other recipients include Brigadier General John Allen, U.S. Air Force (Ret.); Captain Julie Clark; Einar Enevoldson; Colonel and Dr. Kathryn Hughes, USAF (Ret.); and Michael Quiello.
The Distinguished Statesman and Stateswoman of Aviation honors “outstanding Americans who, by their efforts over an extended period of years, have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics and have reflected credit upon America and themselves.” Past recipients have included Jimmy Dolittle, Katherine Stinson, Charles Bolden, Olive Ann Beech, and Chuck Yeager.
Franson, the president and owner of Franson Consulting who has led the Wichita Aero Club for a dozen years, is being recognized for “his fervent dedication as an aviation communications executive and founder of the Wichita Aero Club, and for his 40 years of service in continuing to advance the future of aviation.” His career has spanned business aviation manufacturers such as Bombardier, Cessna, and AlliedSignal to association work, including NBAA.
In addition, Allen is recognized for “his 35 years of leadership as a regulator, operator, and civil and military pilot, with significant contributions to setting industry standards and improving aviation safety for all.”
Clark is honored for “her decades-long contributions to the art of aerobatic airshow flying, inspiring millions of fans who have witnessed her expertly choreographed routines, and for blazing a trail for women in aviation as one of the first female pilots to be hired by a major U.S. airline.”
Enevoldson is cited for “his visionary and persistent quest to advance the progress of aeronautics by researching and exploring the stratosphere in a glider utilizing high altitude waves.”
Hughes, meanwhile, is recognized for “her pioneering accomplishments in aviation and aerospace medicine, passion for advancing human systems integration, and unceasing drive to mentor future generations.”
Lastly, Quiello is honored for “his life-long devotion to aviation as a military aviator, commercial airline captain, industry executive, and non-profit leader.”
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) honored Tom Carr, Garmin director of flight operations and chief test pilot, with the 2020 Iven C. Kincheloe Award for his role in the Garmin Autoland flight-test program. Presented in a virtual awards ceremony, the award recognizes outstanding professional accomplishment in the conduct of flight testing.
SETP established the Iven C. Kincheloe Award in 1958 in memory of the veteran flight test pilot and U.S. Air Force Korean war ace. It is considered the highest honor from the organization.
The Kincheloe Award in particular recognized Carr for his role as the experimental test pilot in the Autoland flight-test program. Carr has flown hundreds of approaches and fully-automated landings using Autoland in the Columbia 400, Piper M600, and Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, including tests involved as part of the FAA certification program. The system has since received approval from the FAA and EASA.
Carr has a 42-year career in experimental flight test, including as director of flight operations and chief test pilot at Garmin for 17 years. He has more than 12,000 hours as pilot-in-command and more than 5,000 in experimental flight tests and his experience spans 192 different aircraft.
“His dedication to the advancement of flight testing, along with his perseverance and pioneering vision, have played a vital role in bringing innovative Garmin products to market and into the hands of our customers, all of which further illustrates why he is extremely deserving of the Iven C. Kincheloe Award,” said Phil Straub, executive v-p and managing director of aviation.