“Ken Emerick, chairman of NBAA board of directors, caught me at the airport, on my way to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdullah, to tell me I had been selected to receive the NBAA Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation,” Gulfstream president emeritus Bryan Moss told NBAA Convention News. “The award was a complete and total surprise,” said Moss, who was named president emeritus in April. He added that looking back at the recipients over the years–Arthur Godfrey, Charles Lindbergh and Igor Sikorsky, to name a few–“I don’t put myself in that category.” He said, “It’s a big deal and I am humble and proud.”
The Gulfstream leadership team nominated Moss for the award, saying, “His passion for business jets, his singular commitment to the success of his company and his unending spirit and enthusiasm have made Bryan Moss an inspiration to those who work with him.” Pleased that it was his own leadership team that had recommended him for NBAA’s most prestigious award, Moss said, “They are a great group.”
It’s a group that Moss has led with distinction. He joined Gulfstream as vice chairman in 1995, and later served four years as president of Gulfstream and executive vice president of the General Dynamics Aerospace Group. In 1997 the GV development team won the Robert J. Collier Trophy for excellence, and in 2003 the G550 team won the Collier Trophy.
During his tenure at Gulfstream, the production line has extended from two aircraft models to the current six. The number of Gulfstream/General Dynamics Aviation Services employees has also grown, from 4,300 in 1995 to nearly 8,800 today.
Company locations in the U.S. have expanded from five to 12. The only company-owned facility outside the U.S. is a service center at London Luton Airport, which Moss said has been “very successful.” It will celebrate its fifth anniversary next year. For the fifth year in a row, Gulfstream received highest honors in the annual Aviation International News Product Support Survey.
Moss was born in Pennsylvania, but he started his Georgia connection by attending Georgia Institute of Technology (as did Doswell Award winner Pat Epps), graduating with a degree in industrial management. Having become fascinated with aviation by visiting an uncle who was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, Moss started his aviation career as a sales manager for Lockheed-Georgia Co., selling various Lockheed aircraft, including the JetStar.
“People said, how can you sell airplanes if you’re not a pilot,” Moss said, so after 12 years he started taking flying lessons. But after 30 hours, he concentrated on selling airplanes, not flying them. He obviously was very successful, as he joined Canadair as a sales manager in 1979 and was named president of the Challenger division, Canadair Group of Bombardier, in 1989. In 1992 he was named president of the business aircraft division of Bombardier Aerospace.
He returned to Georgia when he joined Gulfstream. In addition to his work there, he has been active in industry and community affairs. He was chairman of the NBAA Associate Member Advisory Council from 1994 to 1996 and was a member of the board of directors of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. He has been a member of the U.S.-Japan Business Council, the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S.-Hong Kong Business Council. He was elected to the Georgia Research Alliance Board of Trustees and also served on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board.
And what was he doing, flying off to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdullah? Moss is a member of the U.S.-Middle East Project, under the direction of Brent Snowcroft, an offshoot of the Council on Foreign Relations Mid-East Peace Process International Advisory Board. Moss told NBAA Convention News that he has had a strong interest in the Mideast for 25 years.
