Thomas Hendricks started his first day as the new president and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) today. In July, the veteran pilot was selected to succeed James Coyne, who announced earlier this year that at the end of December he would be stepping down from the post he has held since 1994.

A retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force reserve, former U.S. Navy officer and instructor pilot at the Navy’s “Top Gun” fighter school, Hendricks most recently served as the senior vice president of safety, security and operations for Airlines for America (formerly the Air Transport Association of America), responsible for all core airline and operational duties as well as for developing policy in areas such as flight operations, safety, security and air traffic management. Before that he was director of line operations and a chief pilot for flight operations at Delta Air Lines.

“We look forward to sharing more information about him and future NATA activities on our website, at upcoming events and through other media channels,” the association said.