Story ID: 003
People in Aviation
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: Rachel Barrie has been named CEO of Global Aerospace, David Edwards is CEO of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and Ryan Latham will head Hartzell's AWI-AMI.
Word Count: 1815
Global Aerospace is promoting Rachel Barrie to succeed Nick Brown as group CEO, effective January 1 and subject to regulatory approval. Brown is retiring after serving with Global Aerospace for 17 years, initially as a chief underwriting officer and, since 2009, as group chief executive. Barrie has 18 years of aviation insurance experience and has been with Global Aerospace since 2007, most recently as group chief underwriting officer.

David Edwards has been appointed CEO of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), succeeding Brian Burridge. Edwards most recently was chief executive of the Air Charter Association, is a former executive v-p of Qatar Airways, and has spent 15 years with Gama Aviation.

Ryan Latham has been named president of Hartzell company Aerospace Welding Incorporated and Aerospace Manufacturing Incorporated (AWI-AMI). A U.S. Army veteran with more than 25 years of manufacturing experience, Latham has held management roles at Howmet Aerospace and Pratt and Whitney.

Stanton & Partners Aviation has named JP Nunez, president of sales and partner, to head up its recently opened U.S. headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida. Nunez, who joined the firm a year ago, has more than 23 years of corporate aviation experience and previously served as v-p of sales for Gulfstream Aerospace. Also serving at Stanton & Partners' U.S. office are Bill Arrazola, a former regional v-p of sales for Gulfstream, and Allan Baylis, formerly a sales support manager at Gulfstream.

Omni Aircraft Maintenance has appointed Caleb Benner as president. Benner, who has more than 20 years of aviation experience, has served as director of maintenance for Omni Air Transport and Omni Aircraft sales for the past five years and also led the development of Omni Aircraft Maintenance.

Wheels Up has appointed Gene McKenna as chief product officer to steer the continued expansion of its Marketplace platform as well as the entire product portfolio. McKenna, who has more than 18 years of product management experience, has founded and sold two internet companies in the events and travel industries and held leadership positions at Acxiom Digital and Groupon.

Electra has appointed Robie Samanta Roy COO. Roy joins Electra from Lockheed-Martin, where he most recently was v-p for technology in the Government Affairs group and also served as corporate v-p for technology strategy.

Lufthansa Technik has appointed William Willms as CFO and a member of the executive board. Willms has held roles in the Lufthansa Group over the past 13 years, initially as director of finance at Lufthansa Technik and most recently as head of group strategy.

Flydocs has promoted John Bowell to chief commercial officer and Joretha Augostine to chief people officer. Bowell joined flydocs in 2016 as business development manager for the Middle East and the Asia Pacific and has since been director of global sales and director of commercial marketing. Augostine joined flydocs in 2020 as global HR manager and has worked in human resources for manufacturing and mining companies.

Thomas Chatfield has joined the board of directors of the International Aviation Services Organization (IASO), which represents aviation services companies globally. Chatfield founded and is CEO of private jet completions specialist Camber Aviation Management and has 35 years of aviation experience.
	
Planephd has appointed Pete Ring v-p of growth and strategy, Adam Webster v-p of customer experience, and Michael Cohen chief technology officer. Ring has spent the past 15 years with aviation organizations, including Avidyne, FreeFlight Systems, and Thommen Aircraft Equipment. Webster has 25 years of experience in operator software, aircraft acquisitions, and marketing products, as well as management tools for Part 135 and 91 operations. Cohen has more than 30 years of coding and software development engineering experience, most recently with Amazon on the Echo Show product line.

Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI) has promoted George Kleros to senior v-p of JSSI Advisory Services. Kleros has a 30-year background in aviation maintenance and most recently was senior v-p of strategic event management and fleet support at JSSI.

West Star has named Craig Duncan as Textron project manager at its facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Duncan has more than 25 years of aviation experience and has held roles with Cessna and Garmin.

Empire Aviation Group has named Matthieu Chavrot global director of aircraft sales and acquisitions. Chavrot has nearly 17 years of aviation leasing and sales experience with companies including GE Capital, Falcap, and R4A.

Robert “Bud” Ramseyer has joined Infinity Aircraft Services as maintenance director, bringing 30 years of aviation experience. Ramseyer spent 20 of those years with Motorola Aviation as an A&P/IA technician, maintenance manager, crew chief, and inspector. Infinity sister company B. Coleman Aviation, meanwhile, has named Jonathan Hill maintenance controller. Hill previously spent seven years as a maintenance controller and quality assurance inspector with Travel Management Company. Also, Robert Cummins was hired as a quality assurance manager for the Coleman Jet management department. Cummins previously served with a Part 135 operator for 11 years as a quality manager.

Duncan Aviation has named Logan McCabe to lead its satellite repair station at Chantilly Air in the Washington, D.C. area. McCabe has served with Duncan for more than seven years, beginning as an installations specialist in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and later becoming crew leader at the satellite in Austin, Texas.

Pentastar has named Kevin Housner director of health, safety, and environmental. A former aircraft maintenance technician and maritime enforcement specialist with the U.S. Coast Guard, Housner previously served as a safety specialist in the excavating industry.

Jet East has hired Brian Sprecher as sales director for the Southeast territory. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Sprecher brings 28 years of aviation experience with such companies as Atlantic Aero, Landmark Aviation, Greenwich Aero Group, Constant Aviation, and C&L Aviation Group.

Cobi Lane has joined Duncan Aviation as director of production operations in Provo, Utah. Lane spent the past 21 years with Gulfstream Aerospace in various operations and customer-service positions and also spent seven years with the U.S. Air Force. 

West Star has promoted Matt Vogel to director of information technology. Vogel, who joined West Star in 2002 and most recently was IT manager, has more than 27 years of IT experience.

Brent Wiggins has been promoted to senior manager of the AOG team for Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems. An A&P, Wiggins has held positions ranging from technician to director of maintenance with companies such as L-3, Nicholas Air, and Wing Aviation Group.

West Star Aviation has appointed Scott Conreux as a financial operations analyst at its East Alton, Illinois facility. Conreux brings more than 10 years of financial and analytical experience in various industries to his new role.
	
Weston Aviation has appointed Suzanne Rayner as aviation fuel account manager. Rayner has 19 years of oil industry experience, including 15 within aviation, and formerly served with Air bp.
	
Caitlyn Andrews has joined Blackhawk Aerospace as marketing coordinator. Andrews, who will support marketing, tradeshow, and social-media activities, recently graduated summa cum laude from Texas State University.
	
Jet East hired Dwayne Chandler to serve as senior director of avionics sales and business development with oversight of all avionics sales and avionics upgrade sales. Chandler, who served as a tactical data repair technician in the U.S. Marine Corps, has worked as an avionics technician for Timco and Landmark Aviation and later held avionics sales roles with Constant Aviation and Stevens Aerospace.

Chris Ströh has joined C&L Aerospace as a field service representative. Ströh has a 25-year maintenance background, serving as a senior field engineer who set up maintenance bases in several African nations, and most recently as a consultant that worked with operators in Africa.

West Star has promoted James Davis to aircraft maintenance supervisor of the Gulfstream department at its facility in East Alton, Illinois. Davis, who joined West Star in 2014, has more than 23 years of aircraft experience and previously served with Anheuser Busch, Worldwide Aircraft Services, Eureka Aero, and DynCorp.

Banyan has promoted Abby Self to store manager of the Banyan Pilot Shop. Self joined Banyan in December 2019 as the store buyer and has more than 13 years of retail and merchandising industry experience.

West Star has appointed Randy Miller technical sales manager for the Challenger/Global division at its Grand Junction, Colorado facility. Miller has more than 25 years of aviation experience that has included stints at StandardAero, Textron Aviation, and Western Aircraft.

Elliott Aviation has promoted Bill Forbes to director of avionics sales. Forbes, who joined Elliott in 2018 as avionics sales manager, has 25 years of aviation management experience, including with Executive Aircraft Maintenance and Cutter Aviation.

Christophe Simon has joined the Heli-One sales and business development team as director of sales for EMEA. Simon has more than 20 years of aviation industry experience and previously held sales roles with Airbus, Thales, and Bombardier.

Duncan Aviation has added Hector Soto to its turbine engine service sales team. Solo, who will work with clients in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, brings 35 years of experience in airframe/engine maintenance, customer service, and regional sales to his new role.

Alex Díaz has joined Duncan Aviation as territory manager for Central and Northeast Mexico. Díaz worked as an intern at Airbus and has since held roles with a customs agency, freight forwarder, and automotive manufacturer. He was most recently at ALE Service Center.

Final Flight

James Raisbeck, who had an aviation career spanning 67 years and made his mark with his engineering and aircraft modifications expertise, died August 31 at age 84. Raisbeck founded his Seattle-based business, Raisbeck Engineering, in 1973 and designed modifications that have been incorporated on thousands of aircraft. 

“James was an iconic figure in the aviation industry, best known for King Air modifications, but his influence reached well beyond that segment of the market,” said Rick Nagel, managing partner of Acorn Growth Companies, which acquired Raisbeck Engineering in 2016. Nagel added that the company “will miss his unwavering passion for the aerospace sector and is deeply saddened by his loss."

Raisbeck’s aviation career began in 1954 in the U.S. Air Force. He obtained an aeronautical engineering degree from Purdue University in 1961 and joined Boeing, where he helped design a trailing-edge flap system for the 707. Raisbeck left the manufacturing giant in 1969 and became president and chief engineer of the Robertson Aircraft Corporation, famed for the Robertson short takeoff and landing kits used on general aviation aircraft.

He subsequently launched his own business, which perhaps is most known for its Beechcraft King Air modifications. The company estimates that 64 percent of the more than 6,200 King Airs are equipped with at least one of its modifications. In addition, Raisbeck developed modifications for other aircraft, including Sabreliners, Learjets, Airbuses, and Boeings.