Jim Ziegler, who has served as president and CEO of Greenwich AeroGroup for the past eight years, is taking the new role as vice chairman. Ziegler, a former Jet Aviation and Bombardier executive, will continue to steer business strategy, industry relations and acquisition activity. Ralph Kunz, a six-year company veteran who has served as vice president and general manager of Greenwich’s Summit Aviation and TruAtlantic Manufacturing businesses, has taken the newly created role of COO. Kunz has three decades of aerospace experience, having formerly served with Parker Hannifin, Vector Aerospace, Keystone Helicopters, SEI of America and Airborne Tactical Advantage.

Exclusive/Custom Jet Charters appointed Ralph Michielli president. Michielli, a 40-year veteran of corporate aviation, helped launch ExcelAire in 1993 and most recently was COO for the company.

The Aerospace Industries Association has named former secretary of the Army Eric Fanning president and CEO, effective January 1. He steps into the role currently held by David Melcher, who recently informed the association that he plans to leave on December 31. Fanning has served with three military departments and with the office of the secretary of defense.

Stratajet appointed Donovan Frew chief technology officer. Formerly CTO of Secret Escapes, Frew has a 20-year background as a software engineer and technology leader.

The European Business Aviation Association brought in Robert Baltus as COO and Eric Drosin as communications director. Baltus brings 20 years of business aviation experience, including stints with Executive Jet Management and NetJets, and has advised and supported senior management and executive boards of several aviation-related companies. Drosin has a background in communications and journalism that spans 20 years.

VSE Aviation hired Rishiraj (Rishi) Singh to serve as senior v-p of international business development. Singh brings 25 years of aviation experience to his new role, having previously spent 12 years with Honeywell Aerospace and roles with Bell and Bombardier.

Constant Aviation named Mark Larsen vice president of sales. Larsen is a 35-year aviation veteran who most recently had led his own consultancy, Larsen Aviation Consulting. Before that he had a 16-year tenure as vice president of large fleet, fractional and government contracts for Garrett Aviation, Landmark Aviation and StandardAero Business Aviation.

Mark Steinbeck, president of maintenance tracking and inventory specialist Traxxall Technologies, has joined the NBAA Maintenance Committee. In addition to his leadership at Traxxall, Steinbeck has also held management roles with Avtrak and Mayo Aviation.

Bryan Johnson joined Aviation Management Consulting Group (AMCG) as a consultant in the Colorado office. Johnson has 20 years of airport planning, management, operations and development experience at a mix of general aviation and airline airports, most recently as airport director at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) in Broomfield, Colorado.

Signum Aviation named Kerry Borrosso-Zakula business development manager for the U.S. Borrosso-Zakula has 21 years of sales and marketing experience, having previously servedwith Air Routing International, Rockwell Collins, Jet Aviation and Avfuel.

Horizon Jet Management (formerly Starbase Jet) appointed Luis Barros CEO, Rob Rosenberg managing partner and Randall Mize president. The executives move over to the new rebranded entity after Starbase was recently acquired. Joining them is Phil Gibson as director of operations.

Uğur Kalkan, founder, partner and general manager of MNG Jet, left the company to form Seres Aviation. Based in Istanbul, Turkey, Seres is focused on aircraft/engine trading and aviation consultation.

Western Aircraft hired Mike Turner as an avionics sales account manager. Turner, who has extensive avionics development, sales, installation and service experience, most recently spent nine years with StandardAero and has held positions with Bombardier and Evergreen Aviation.

Steve Ell joined Blackhawk Composites as manager of engineering and production. Ell has 16 years of managerial experience in composite manufacturing, having previously worked for Cirrus Aircraft and Nordam.

Euro Jet appointed Paul Lourenco manager of the operations control center in Prague, Czech Republic. Lourenco has 20 years of aviation experience with NetJets Europe and American Airlines.

Gulfstream Aerospace named three regional sales managers to oversee territories in the U.S. and Latin America. Kirsten Krueger will be responsible for the Western U.S.; Pedro Ruiz for Latin America and Florida; and Luiz Cezar Vieira Alves for Brazil. Krueger, who has 18 years of experience in charter sales, aircraft management and fractional aircraft sales, most recently served as director of aftermarket sales for Honeywell and a regional sales manager for Dassault Falcon. Ruiz joined Gulfstream in 2007 as a manufacturing technical specialist providing engineering support and has since been involved with product support, finance and accounting, operations, marketing and sales. Vieira Alves has 11 years of aviation experience as a senior regional sales manager for Líder Aviação and at TAM Aviação.

BACA—the Air Charter Association added Glenn Hogben to the council. Hogben is operations director for ACC Aviation, where he has spent the past 13 years.

Awards and Honors

Jet Advisors founder Kevin O’Leary was honored with the Aerospace Human Factors Association's Stanley N. Roscoe Award. The association presents the award annually for the best doctoral dissertation in an area related to aerospace human factors. O’Leary, who recently earned his Ph.D. in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, wrote his dissertation on factors influencing pilot error.

The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) honored Nel Stubbs, Conklin & de Decker vice president and co-owner, with the association’s President’s Award. The President’s Award recognizes individuals who have made long-standing contributions to NASAO and to state aviation. Stubbs has spent 30 years providing industry expertise on federal and state tax issues, as well as advising on tax planning, cost and financial analysis, budgeting, aircraft ownership, operating structures and tax audits. She has served with Conklin & de Decker since 1999 and before that was senior manager of taxes for NBAA. Stubbs is actively involved with a number of aviation associations and is frequently a speaker at industry events.

“Throughout the years, Nel has maintained an unwavering commitment to, and passion for, NASAO and state aviation, with her unmatched expertise and invaluable counsel on state aviation taxes and revenue,” said Mark Kimberling, NASAO president and CEO.

The National Aeronautic Association named Jack Pelton, Phil Woodruff, Stephen Alterman, Ali Bahrami, Maj Gen Charles Bolden and Jeff Hamiel recipients of the 2017 Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesman of Aviation Award. Established in 1954, the award honors “outstanding Americans who, by their efforts over an extended period of years, have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics and have reflected credit upon America and themselves.”

Currently Experimental Aircraft Association chairman, Pelton has a long background in manufacturing as former chairman and CEO of Cessna, as well as holding roles with Douglas Aircraft and Dornier Aircraft. NAA also noted his leadership in advocacy through work with NBAA, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the National Air and Space Museum.

Woodruff is recognized for his contributions as director of education for the FAA, where his efforts led to the creation of aviation education programs in every state. These include the opening of 100 aerospace education resource centers for teachers and aviation career education academies for youth.

Alterman has spent 42 years protecting interests of the cargo air carrier industry, joining the then Air Freight Forwarders Association, now Cargo Airline Association, in 1975 and becoming president of the association in 1982.

Bahrami, former vice president for civil aviation for the Aerospace Industries Association, is now FAA associate administrator for aviation safety. Bolden, the 12th person to serve as NASA Administrator, has been a Naval aviator, commanding general and astronaut. Hamiel has served in a number of roles for the Metropolitan Airports Commission in Minnesota over the past 40 years.

Final Flights

Nathan Young, a veteran FBO professional who led Monterey Jet Center in California for two decades, died on September 12 shortly after his 54th birthday.

Born Sept. 6, 1963, in Seattle, Young grew up in Redmond, Washington, where he spent a lot of time as a child at Boeing Field. His father, Jim Young, was a partner in the Cessna dealership at the airport.

He became involved in the FBO business as a teenager, joining Galvin Flying Service as a line service technician in 1983. Young spent the next several years working and attending the University of Washington, achieving a bachelor’s in business administration.

Clay Lacy hired Young in 1990 to oversee the line and customer service departments at the facility in Van Nuys, California. In 1997, Young was offered the position of general manager of the then startup Monterey Jet Center. There he remained over the next 20 years, building the facility into a nationally recognized FBO.

“This kind, gentle man was a thoughtful, caring husband and father, as well as a dear friend,” his colleagues at Monterey Jet Center wrote of Young. “Nate was a motivated, dedicated, passionate aviation business leader. Well liked by all is an understatement.”

He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and sons James, Daniel, John and David.

Howard Blair Christenson, one of the few remaining World War II bomber pilots, passed away recently at the age of 96. Originally from Spring Valley, Wisconsin, Christenson flew B-26s in the Sicily, Sardinia and Anzio campaigns and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. He flew dozens of missions, one so harrowing that mechanics counted more than 300 bullet holes in the aircraft after he had returned, family members recall.  

Following the war, he was a teacher and tree farmer, raising three children with his wife, Edna. He is survived by his wife and children Harlot and Emily and nine grandchildren. He is pre-deceased by daughter Irene.