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Susan Herring was named director of initial-phase operations finance for Gulfstream. She joined the company in 2000 as a budget analyst and held various positions, including finance manager for the G450 and G500 and senior finance manager of initial-phase operations and advanced aircraft programs.


Essex Aviation Group named Tom Mitchell executive vice president, based at the company’s Hanscom Field location in Bedford, Mass. He was previously senior v-p of Aviation Management Systems, flight department manager with Liberty Mutual, and a member of Jet Aviation’s senior management team.


Executive AirShare promoted Harry Mitchell to COO. He has had a 30-year career in aviation that included positions at Colgan Air, Funair, Magic Carpet Airlines, Vision Air and Pinnacle Airlines. The company also named Daniel Ireson assistant chief pilot. He had been base manager at Executive AirShare’s Fort Worth Meacham Airport and Dallas Love Field facilities.


Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport-based Banyan Air Service appointed Craig Huston COO.


Jim Arthur and Mark Breton have joined Shreveport, La.-based Metro Aviation as director of operations and director of maintenance, respectively. Arthur worked closely with Metro Aviation in his roles as director of operations and aviation training manager for California Shock Trauma Air Rescue. Breton was most recently v-p and director of maintenance for Air Medical Resource Group in Salt Lake City.


Rick Brainard joined Santa Rosa, Calif.-based KaiserAir as director of maintenance marketing and business development. Previously he was an aviation consultant with Aerick Global, held v-p of sales and general manager positions at West Star Aviation and also worked at McKinney Aerospace, GE Aircraft Engines, AlliedSignal and BFGoodrich.


Jet Aviation appointed Joao Pedro Pires Martins manager of the Geneva FBO. Martins joined Jet Aviation from VistaJet, where he was head of global purchasing and logistics. He succeeded Bernard Ratsira, who is now developing client relations and customer service in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Jet Aviation Basel named Matthew Woolaston director of marketing and completions sales. Woolaston joined the company from New Zealand-based Altitude Aerospace Interiors, where he led the company’s completions business.


The National Air Transportation Association named William Deere its senior v-p for government and external affairs. Deere, who leads NATA’s policy, strategy and advocacy efforts, was recently v-p of government affairs at the United States Telecom Association. The association also named Gary Dempsey as board chairman. Dempsey is president of flight services for the Americas for Jet Aviation Holdings.


FlightSafety International promoted Dann Runik from manager of OEM and customer relations at the company’s Savannah Learning Center to executive director of advanced training programs. The training provider also promoted Martin Todorov from manager of e-learning systems to manager of specialty and enrichment training programs.


Tim Lockerby joined Duncan Aviation as regional manager for the Great Lakes area. He was previously national sales manager for aftermarket for Rosen Aviation.


West Star Aviation named Joan Pompa interior/paint project manager at the East Alton, Ill. location. She was previously interior/paint sales manager at the company’s Grand Junction, Colo. location.


Ulvalde, Texas-based SkyWay Group named Jason Miller president. He was previously v-p and general manager at StandardAero’s Houston business unit.


Chris Cole, a former intern with AIN, was named manager of Steamboat Springs Airport. He replaced Mel Baker.


Michael Hotze was named v-p of customer support and training for AgustaWestland’s Philadelphia location. He joined the company last year after working in customer support and services at Bell Helicopter for 24 years.


Chris Banks joined Cadorath Aerospace’s helicopter extended repair development team.


DAC International named Steve Davis director of technical support and business development. He was previously director of airline and government sales for the company.


Mike Everson was appointed police chief for Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. He replaced interim police chief Merlin Tolsma, who retired. Everson became a police officer at the airport in 1994 and held the roles of sergeant, lieutenant, commander, deputy chief and aviation security director.


JetAvia appointed Doug Bornstein v-p of TBM sales. He was recently sales advisor for one of Daher-Socata’s leading distributors.


Aurelien Blanc was named managing director of Turbomeca Asia Pacific. He was previously commercial director for Southeast Asia for Airbus Helicopters.


Keith Clark joined Greenwich AeroGroup as director of government business development. He was previously a territory sales engineer for Siemens. Summit Aviation, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, named Ken Pike regional sales manager. He was previously regional support manager for North America, Europe and Africa for Sikorsky Aerospace Services and Helicopter Support.


JetLease Capital named Sam Harris managing director. In 2010 Harris founded Aviation Advisors Group, which specialized in financing originations and loan restructuring for aircraft, and previously worked for Provident and PNC banks.


Dr. Joseph Estrera joined Aviation Specialties Unlimited as chief technology officer and v-p of advanced technology.


Rick Cutrera joined KeyAir as regional business development manager, supporting growth in the Washington, D.C. and Mid-Atlantic regions. He has held various airline operations, management, marketing and sales positions and has served on the executive committee for Georgetown University Cancer Center and as a board member of the Federal Allies Institute.


Airbus Helicopters has restructured its senior leadership team by naming Peter Cutler v-p of customer support and Treg Manning v-p of sales and marketing. Cutler, who has more than 30 years experience in the helicopter industry, will also retain his current role as v-p of government programs. Manning has been v-p of commercial sales at the company since 2011.


Joe Wehrle is the new director of aviation at Addison, Texas-based Baker Aviation. He founded Aeromech, an MRO business, which Baker Aviation acquired in 2011.


Patti Perez joined Meridian Air Charter at Teterboro Airport as manager of in-flight services. She was previously client services manager.


Columbus, Ohio-based Global Appearance Partners appointed Andi Davis to a support services role that includes coordinating private aircraft cleaning programs, managing the company’s proprietary software systems and providing accounting support.


Air Charter broker Air Partner has named Vincent Kavanagh UK sales director; Andrea Giora sales executive in Italy; Marcus Hilchenbach product manager in Germany; and Gary Gennari sales representative for the U.S.


Isabelle Canton joined Universal Aviation’s European team as senior representative, south of France. She was previously senior representative for flight information services for South of France, Nice.


The International Bureau of Aviation Group named Chris Lennon head of airworthiness and Carl Martin, Ross Armour and Malcolm Hide technical managers.


PremiAir appointed Keith Marshall chief executive. He was previously senior executive v-p with Northrop Grumman, where he worked on the Joint Strike Fighter and the F-16.


Million Air named Rick Boyce, previously director of aviation infrastructure and services with NetJets, its new director of FBO safety and operations.


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Awards and Honors


Les Berkhieser, senior inspector at Harco Aviation, has received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award for his 50 years of service to the aviation maintenance industry. The award honors Taylor, the mechanic who designed and built the engine for the Wright brothers’ aircraft, and recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior aviation mechanics.


Don Bateman, corporate fellow and chief engineer technologist for flight safety systems and technology at Honeywell, was honored with the Elmer A. Sperry Award for his development of Honeywell’s ground proximity warning system (GPWS), which has been responsible for reducing controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accident risk. The GPWS evolved into Honeywell’s enhanced ground proximity warning system, which has reduced CFIT accidents from about one in every 3 million flights to less than one in every 20 million flights. The award recognizes “a distinguished engineering contribution which, through application, proved in actual service, has advanced the art of transportation, whether by land, sea or space.”


Final Flight


Dr. Assad Kotaite, member and former council president to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), died February 27 at age 89. Kotaite joined ICAO in 1953 as a member of the legal committee and served as Lebanon’s council representative from 1956 to 1962, and again from 1965 to July 1970. He also held the positions of chairman of the Air Transport Committee, second v-p of the ICAO Council, member and vice chairman of the ICAO Finance Committee, chairman of the Working Group on ICAO Financial Regulations and secretary general. He served as president of the organization from 1976 to 2006.

People in Aviation: April 2014

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