Hawker Beechcraft yesterday tapped industry veteran Bill Boisture Jr. as its new chairman and CEO. He succeeds Jim Schuster, who announced his pending retirement in November after eight years at the helm of the Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer. Boisture’s high-profile business aviation career includes turns as president of fractional provider NetJets and aircraft manufacturers Gulfstream and Hawker predecessor British Aerospace Corporate Jets. He was also chairman and CEO of Butler Aviation, the forerunner of Signature Flight Support. Most recently, he was the president of aircraft lessor Intrepid Aviation and served as a senior aerospace advisor at the Carlyle Group. “Bill is the right person at exactly the right time,” said Sanjeev Mehra, managing director of Goldman Sachs and chairman of the board at Hawker Beechcraft. “His proven ability to drive customer satisfaction and value has never been more important than in this challenging economic environment.” Boisture earned a degree in engineering management from the Air Force Academy and was honorably discharged from the service as a major after graduating from the USAF and USN fighter weapons schools.