Rosekind named for NTSB post

November 02, 2009

President Obama has nominated Mark Rosekind, an aviation fatigue specialist and former head of NASA’s fatigue research program, to fill a vacancy on the NTSB. He is currently president and chief scientist for Alertness Solutions, a company he founded. Over the past 25 years, Rosekind has conducted research at leading academic institutions, directed the NASA...

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Donnelly succeeds Campbell as Textron CEO next month

November 01, 2009

Cessna and Bell parent company Textron has tapped company president and COO Scott Donnelly to replace retiring Lewis Campbell as CEO, effective December 1. Campbell has been with Textron for the past 17 years, including the last 11 as CEO, following a lengthy career in the auto industry. He presided over the company during business aviation’s period of...

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Hudson ditching pilots to chair EAA’s Young Eagles

November 01, 2009

Pilot, aircraft owner and actor Harrison Ford passed the EAA Young Eagles baton to two now-famous pilots who will serve as co-chairmen of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s program to help introduce youth to aviation. US Airways captain Chesley Sullenberger and first officer Jeffrey Skiles, who successfully ditched an Airbus A320–US Airways Flight...

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Connor takes over at NetJets Europe

November 01, 2009

New NetJets chairman and interim CEO David Sokol has begun making changes at NetJets Europe, appointing a new boss to run the business and implement job cuts at its headquarters. Eric Connor has been appointed the new CEO and chairman of NetJets Europe following the October 4 resignation of CEO William Kelly “to pursue his own interests.” Connor will...

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Enterprise Jet Center appoints new leader

November 01, 2009

Enterprise Jet Center at Houston’s Hobby Airport appointed Bobby Courtney as president and CEO. An Avfuel dealer, Enterprise resident and CEO. An Avfuel dealer, Enterprise is the only FBO with a canopy at Hobby Airport and offers full maintenance services and aircraft cleaning by subsidiary Hobby Skyclean. Courtney previously ran JetDirect Aviation’s Dallas...

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People in Aviation November 2009

November 01, 2009

Scott Carson, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, will retire at the end of the year. He will be succeeded by Jim Albaugh, the former head of Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems.

Carey Bond has been promoted from v-p and chief marketing officer to president of Sikorsky Global Helicopters. He will continue his duties as chief marketing...

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Final Flights November 2009

November 01, 2009

Richard Whitcomb, 88, the long-time NASA engineer des-cribed as the most significant aerodynamics contributor of the second half of the 20th century, died on October 13 in Newport News, Va. He was the recipient of the prestigious Collier Trophy for his discovery of the area rule fuselage, which gave fighter jets supersonic speed and greater range, and his...

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Author Sarah Bryn Rickman Receives NAHF Award

October 22, 2009

The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) announced that Sarah Bryn Rickman is this year’s recipient of the seventh annual Combs Gates Award. An aviation author and historian, Rickman received the $20,000 cash award for her trilogy based on the women pilots of the Ferry Command. Through exceptional research and first-hand interviews, Rickman tells the...

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Gulfstream Bestows Inaugural Outstanding Flight Award

October 22, 2009

Gulfstream Aerospace of Savannah, Ga., announced the creation of annual Outstanding Flight Awards and its first recipient at a press conference at the NBAA Convention on Tuesday. The awards spotlight flights involving superior airmanship performed in a Gulfstream aircraft in the course of business activity and special-mission operations. The OEM named Amway...

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Six Entering EAA Hall of Fame

October 22, 2009

The Experimental Aircraft Association (Booth No. 1263) inducted six aviators into its Hall of Fame at an event held at the EAA Aviation Center, Oshkosh, Wis., on Friday, October 16. The inductees were Bob Hoover (International Aerobatic Club), who was also the keynote speaker at the event; Lance Neibauer (EAA Homebuilders); the late Steve Pitcairn...

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Women in Corporate Aviation Awards Scholarship

October 21, 2009

Women in Corporate Aviation, International (WCA) has announced that Rachael Denise Thomas is the recipient of its 2009 WCA Career Scholarship. The award is to be presented during the WCA Networking Reception today. Along with the WCA Scholarship, Thomas will also receive a one-year membership in the WCA. She earned her private pilot certificate in 2001 and...

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Charter ops, icing, fatigue concern new NTSB chair

October 21, 2009

Deborah Hersman was sworn in as the 12th chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board at the end of July, taking over from acting chairman Mark Rosenker. On June 18 President Obama nominated Hersman for the two-year term of chairman and she was confirmed by the Senate on July 24. She was also confirmed as a board member for her second five-year...

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Common sense and high standards are the ‘secrets’ of accident-free ops

October 21, 2009

Each year, NBAA recognizes the top aviation maintenance and avionics technicians with excellent safety records who work for member companies. Maintaining corporate aircraft or avionics for three accident-free years is the minimum requirement for an NBAA Safety Award but the actual number of years for many of the top technicians adds up to four decades or...

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High-end customer base helps BBJ chart path through recession

October 21, 2009

Boeing Business Jets announced in May at EBACE that its then-president Steve Hill would be retiring in July after 30 years at Boeing and that BBJ chief pilot Steve Taylor would be taking over as president. One of Taylor’s first tasks as president, he related to the author at that time, was to find someone to replace himself as chief pilot. As it turned out,...

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