Story ID: 004
People in Aviation — January 2026
By: Jessica Reed
Caption: People in Aviation — January 2026
Word Count: 1748
Honeywell has named Jim Currier as president and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace and Craig Arnold as non-executive board chair for its aerospace division. The appointments prepare the business for its planned spinoff as an independent, publicly-traded company in the second half of 2026. Currier has led Honeywell Aerospace Technologies since 2023 and previously held senior roles across the company, including president of the electronic solutions unit and v-p of airlines for North America. Arnold, former chair and CEO of Eaton, joined Honeywell’s board immediately and will assume his new role as chair upon completion of the spinoff.
Daher named Aymeric Daher deputy CEO in charge of logistics and HR. Additionally, Jérôme Leparoux, company general secretary, was appointed director of group strategy; Vincent Chanron took on the role of group human resources director; and Thibault Scaramanga was named vice chairman of the board of directors. Aymeric Daher joined the company as a project manager in 2013 and took charge of the Logistics division at the beginning of 2024. Leparoux previously served as the group’s general secretary since October 2019, overseeing institutional relations, communications, and legal affairs, and first joined Daher in 2015 as group HR director. Chanron, whose career started at Airbus, was hired as v-p of mergers/acquisitions and marketing/communications at Daher in 2012 and recently served as the company’s country director for Japan. Scaramanga, co-founder and CEO of Sloan Finance, succeeds Olivier Genis as vice chairman of the board of directors.
Larry Soles is now director of operations for the Air Charter Safety Foundation. Previously, Soles was senior director of operational and system safety at Wheels Up, and his career in aviation began as an aircrew member in the U.S. Air Force.
Former Boeing executive James “J.D.” Detwiler joined King Aerospace as v-p of strategy. Detwiler was previously president of Boeing Business Jets and held other leadership roles related to Boeing’s defense programs.
Syria’s new government recently appointed business aviation executive Omar Hosari as president of the country’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA). Hosari, who hails from Syria, is a co-founder of Dubai-based flight operations support specialist UAS International Trip Support. Hosari said he intends to establish a “modern civil aviation system” for the country based on international standards, and that rebuilding the air transport sector will be “a key driver of economic development, investment, and integration between domestic and international efforts."
UK trade association ADS named Véronique Bardelmann, v-p of Safran UK and Europe, as v-p for aerospace. As chair of the aerospace sector council, Bardelmann will work closely with the more than 1,200 members of ADS on issues such as supply chain and aircraft backlogs.
After consolidating its aviation business under a unified global structure, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company promoted Joe Burke to v-p of global aviation. Burke has worked at Goodyear for more than 10 years, including positions across the company’s commercial and aviation segments.
Bill Dolny, CEO of MedAire, has been tapped as vice chair of the International Business Aviation Council’s Industry Advisory Forum. Dolny will work closely with Bruce Parry, chair of the forum and senior advisor on industry affairs at Bombardier.
A new board of directors and foundation board were named for the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA). Chosen as IADA chair was John Odegard, 5x5 Trading partner and co-founder. He worked with NetJets for 18 years and co-founded NetJets’ sales and acquisitions company, QS Partners. Shawn Dinning, Dallas Jet International senior partner, is now vice chair of IADA. He previously served as chair of AircraftExchange for three years. Greg Oswald, Soljets co-founder and partner, was named secretary of the association, while Nick Schneider, Global Wings president and CEO, is now IADA’s treasurer. Suzanne Meiners-Levy of Advocate Consulting Legal Group was selected as chair of IADA’s foundation board, joined by Shawn Holstein, vice chair, who is president of Holstein Aviation. Jay Gantt, president of Gantt Aviation, was named secretary of the foundation board, and Heather Wolff Griffin, Jet Sense Aviation COO and general counsel, was named treasurer.
Rex Bevis is now CFO and executive v-p of Reynolds Jet after working for 14 years in senior finance and management positions with Delta Private Jets. Reynolds Jet also recently hired licensed CPA Sierra Mercer as director of finance and controller. Scott Miller was hired as director of operational planning and performance earlier last year, and he is now v-p of customer experience.
Douglas Turk is now president of specialty lines at Relation Insurance Services and will oversee the company’s growing aviation insurance practice. His 20 years of related experience include a term as chief marketing officer for a specialty insurance broker and as CEO of risk management company Albert G. Ruben, which was acquired by Relation earlier this year.
Duncan Aviation’s aircraft sales and acquisitions team recently gained two members. James Carroll, who is based in London, will focus on the EMEA region. He joined JSSI in 2010 and more recently served as head of MRO sales for Gama Aviation. Meanwhile, Kirsten Ehrenfried was named market research analyst for Duncan. She recently managed sales and marketing for two Hotworx locations in Lincoln, Nebraska, and also worked at Fritz + Lloyd Interiors as an executive assistant.
Elevate Aviation Group recently made three executive hires. Zach Sperber, executive v-p of aircraft management sales, previously worked at Jet Linx and Jet Edge International. Greg Johnson, senior v-p of aircraft management sales, also previously worked at Jet Edge. Meanwhile, Jessica McClintock, the former v-p of global account management at FuelerLinx, has taken on the role of v-p of sales and global partnerships at Elevate.
Air charter solutions provider Equinox Charter hired Volker Meissner as senior air charter strategist. Meissner’s related experience spans three decades and includes a leadership role at Argus, as well as founding and leading Aviation Charter Ltd.
Chris Harrison is now general manager of aviation at The Weitz Co.and will also continue as executive v-p. Harrison joined the company 38 years ago and has led its Nebraska, Arizona, and commercial divisions.
Aerocor hired Jeff Berlin, a pilot, aviation writer, photographer, and filmmaker, as an aircraft broker. In addition to serving as an editor of Plane & Pilot, Pilot Journal, and PilotMag magazines, Berlin has collaborated with Cirrus Aircraft, Garmin Aviation, Daher Aircraft, Avidyne, and Wipaire, among others.
Pro Star Aviation hired Alec Kindred as technical sales manager for Pilatus aircraft at sister company Northeast Air (NEA). Kindred has more than 10 years of experience in aircraft maintenance and leadership and served as NEA’s interim chief inspector within the last six months. Chloe Roe, who joined the Pro Star team in 2025, was named financial controller. She has worked in finance for more than 15 years, including six years in the manufacturing industry. Lisa Fernandez also joined as office manager for Pro Star Precision Machine, bringing 20-plus years of experience. She previously managed accounting, HR, and project coordination at GEX Inc.
Terrance Hart has taken over as general manager of Infinity Aviation Group’s FBO in Nashua, New Hampshire. Hart formerly worked at Jet Aviation for nine years in line service operations and other roles, including brand ambassador.
Zach McDonald was hired as general manager for APP Jet Center at its location in Fort Pierce, Florida. McDonald previously worked as general manager for Sheltair in Tampa.
Awards & Honors
Brian Barents, the longtime business aviation and military veteran whose leadership has placed him among the most revered in the industry, will be honored on January 31 with the Wichita Aero Club (WAC) Trophy. Recognized as a “Living Legend in Aviation,” Barents entered the U.S. Air Force in 1965, becoming a fighter pilot. On the civilian side, he held roles including senior v-p for Cessna Aircraft, where he helped propel the Citation series, and Learjet, where he made a near-bankrupt company profitable. He further led Galaxy Aerospace, helping negotiate its sale to General Dynamics, and was CEO of Aerion. Barents has served on the boards of numerous aviation companies and is a past GAMA chairman.
Final Flight
Accomplished Aviator and GA Advocate Pat Epps Flies West
Pat Epps, a Georgia native and long-time general aviation icon, died on November 14 at the age of 91. A member of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame; recipient of NBAA’s American Spirit Award and NATA’s William A. “Bill” Ong Memorial Award; and a 2007 Living Legend of Aviation honoree, Epps was the son of Ben Epps, an aviation pioneer and contemporary of the Wright Brothers. Epps went on to follow in his father's footsteps, with a long aviation career during which he amassed more than 10,000 flight hours as a commercial pilot. A Georgia Tech graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering, Epps later served as a flight-test engineer for Boeing on the prototype 707, America’s first jetliner. After a stint in the Air Force, he launched Epps Air Service, which grew into a full-service FBO, aircraft charter, and maintenance facility at Atlanta DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (KPDK). He owned the 18-acre facility for nearly six decades until it was sold in 2023 to become part of the AeroCenters chain.  
Sheltair Founder Jerry Holland Passes at Age 90Jerry Holland, 90, the founder of the Sheltair FBO chain, passed away on November 18 at his home. With nothing more than a high school diploma, he grew the company from a single FBO to the industry’s largest privately-owned aviation network, with nearly five million square feet of airport infrastructure spread across 16 locations in four states. Holland—who was described as a simple man with a big vision—began his career in construction in 1963. He first entered the aviation arena 20 years later, after a friend sold him a set of hangars at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE). In 1986, he broke ground on the company’s flagship FBO at Fort Lauderdale International Airport (KFLL) and soon followed that up with a second location, continuing its growth in the Southeast U.S.
Aviation industry professional Gavin Kiggen passed away on October 27. He most recently served as v-p of Africa for Luxaviation Group and previously worked for ExecuJet as flight operations manager. Kiggen, whose career spanned more than three decades, was a member of the board of directors for the African Business Aviation Association.