Peter v. Agur, who founded the business aviation consultancy The VanAllen Group in 1993 and steered the organization as its chairman, was to retire at the end of 2017. Beginning as an Army aviator in 1968, Agur had a nearly 50-year aviation career that included marketing and sales positions at several airframe manufacturers, along with consultancy work with the Mescon Group. In addition to founding VanAllen, he held a number of leadership posts with NBAA and the Flight Safety Foundation.
Jet Edge International hired Greg Johnson to serve as senior v-p of aircraft management sales. Johnson brings more than 15 years of aviation experience to his new role, including serving as vice president of business development for Apex Aviation and vice president for ACM Aviation and TWC Aviation.
Metrojet hired Michael Chen as general manager of its Shanghai joint venture to steer the development of the company’s air operator’s certificate in China. Chen previously held positions with Ameco, Honeywell China and GE Aviation Greater China, in addition to serving as the program manager of the U.S.-China Aviation Cooperation Program of the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing.
FlightSafety International promoted Scott Goodwin to vice president, simulation. Goodwin, most recently general manager, simulation, joined FlightSafety in 2014 after serving in the U.S. Air Force for more than 30 years.
Aeronautical Systems named Jason Calloway vice president of operations. Calloway, who has 25 years of aviation experience, formerly was assistant vice president, asset management for CIT Business Aircraft Finance.
Global Jet Capital named Hannah Lord Davis vice president of sales, Mid-Atlantic. Lord Davis has more than 25 years of commercial equipment finance experience, most recently as vice president for Webster Capital Finance.
Michael Hamilton joined Jet East Aviation as vice president of operations and fleet accounts. Hamilton has 24 years of aviation maintenance experience, including with the U.S. Navy, Flight Options, Great Lakes Aviation and TMC Jets.
CEFA Aviation appointed Xavier Colognac vice president of sales. Colognac has more than a decade of aeronautics experience, including with Safran Electronics and Defense and TRU Simulation + Training.
The FAA appointed Patricia Chasse Hiatt deputy director of airport safety and standards. Hiatt has served in various roles for the Transportation Security Administration for the past 15 years, most recently as the federal security director for the North Florida region, and before that spent 12 years with the FAA’s Office of Airports as an airport certification safety inspector in the Southern Region.
Sheryl Barden, president and CEO of Aviation Personnel International, was appointed to the NBAA board of directors. Barden, who also has been vice president of NBAA’s Associate Member Advisory Council, joined API in 2001 as vice president of business development and became president in 2003.
Thomas Global Systems appointed Bradley Foreman and Colin Isaac to its advisory board as non-executive directors. Foreman has more than 30 years of experience in senior roles at large-scale aerospace and defense companies, most recently as vice president of strategy and business development for Thales USA. Isaac spent 30 years at the industrial gas and utilities company BOC Group, most recently as managing director, South Pacific.
West Star Aviation named two regional sales managers. James Woodliff willl be responsible for the south central region and Scott McDonald will cover the east south central region. Woodliff has 33 years of maintenance experience, beginning as a jet engine mechanic for the U.S. Air Force in 1984, later serving with StandardAero and most recently Richardson Aviation. McDonald has a 26-year aviation background, beginning as an airframe and powerplant technician with Epps Aviation and later working for the Cessna Citation Service Center in Wichita, Kansas, Gulfstream Aerospace, Guardian Jet and Aviation Consulting Partners.
Richard Walker joined Osprey Flight Solutions as business development director. Walker has more than 25 years of aviation international sales and marketing experience, including with Maersk Air, Bombardier, VistaJet, PrivatAir, and Axon Aviation.
Asian Sky Group added Vrushali Suvarna as business development and commercial manager in its Hong Kong operations. Suvarna previously was senior project executive/client relations for Hong Kong Jet and also served as an avionics technician with India-based airline GoAir.
Comair Flight Services appointed Nick Hawke chief pilot and Learjet 60 captain. Hawke, who joined Comair this year as a captain on the PC-12, has two decades of flying experience on aircraft ranging from a Cessna 206 to Boeing 777s for Cathay Pacific.
FlightSafety International appointed Steve Fedynyszyn director of quality, safety and standards. Fedynyszyn has held multiple roles since joining FlightSafety, including program manager for various regional turboprops, deputy head of training and most recently director, regulatory affairs. Steve Hall was promoted to succeed Fedynyszyn as director, regulatory affairs. Hall, who has 14 years of experience in the aviation training market, joined FlightSafety in 2014.
Nomad Aviation appointed Roman Hug director of maintenance and CAMO. Hug has more than 25 years of aviation experience, previously serving as technical director for AMROS Global and before that as head of maintenance and engineering for Comlux Aviation.
Genesys Aerosystems added three members to its leadership team: Barry LeBlanc, regional sales manager; Nick Bogner, director of business development; and Chris Suldo, HeliSAS sales specialist. LeBlanc spent the past 11 years at Sandia Aerospace. Bogner has 17 years of industry experience, including serving as vice president of engineering at Bendix/King and vice president and COO for Dynon Avionics. Suldo, who graduated in December with a master’s in business administration in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has worked in marketing and sales for Bell Helicopter and Airbus Helicopters.
Joe Park has joined BizJetCPA as a tax manager. He previously served with the international accounting firm Grant Thornton.
CAE named Chris Warton as general manager, business aviation training and helicopter aviation training for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Warton has more than 25 years of experience, previously holding roles including flight instructor, sales director, manager of quality and regulatory compliance, director of operations and more recently, director, customer training for Bombardier Aerospace in Dallas.
Professional Aircraft Accessories expanded its sales team, naming Ricardo Sierra the regional sales director for Latin America, Derante Ellison a regional sales manager for the southern U.S. and Timothy Pine regional sales manager for the northeastern U.S. Sierra has more than 15 years of international sales experience, including as vice president of sales and marketing for Latin America at Heico’s Seal Dynamics unit. Ellison has more than eight years of aerospace sales experience, most recently as a regional sales manager for Avio-Diepen in Atlanta. Pine previously was a sales associate and sales analyst for Magellan Aviation Group.
Awards and Honors
Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame (CAHF) has named a slate of four inductees for 2018 who have played instrumental roles in pilot advocacy, air medical services, armed forces, manufacturing and technology. To be inducted June 7 are John Bogie, Dr. Dwight Gregory Powell, Paul Manson and John Maris.
Bogie began his civilian aviation career as an airport operator and charter pilot, and he built a name for charter and resource exploration work for Laurentian Air Services and Spartan Air Service. At the same time, he joined forces with Margaret Carson to establish the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) in 1952 and served as its first president and chairman. Bogie further played a role in the development of the Canadian Business Aircraft Association, as well as the Experimental Aircraft Association Canada.
Powell has had a 40-year career in emergency medicine, aviation and research, founding Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (Stars). Under Powell’s leadership, programs for use of night-vision goggles and wire strike kits were developed, as were a network of heliports. Powell also has served as president of the Association of Air Medical Services.
Manson, a retired general, had a 38-year career in the Royal Canadian Air Force/Canadian Forces that culminated in his appointment as chief of the defense staff from 1986 to 1989. Following his retirement, he held several senior roles in the aviation industry, including president of Paramax and chairman of Lockheed Martin Canada.
Maris has served in the Canadian Armed Forces as operational pilot, test pilot, project manager and Canadian Space Agency team leader. He also served as CEO of Advanced Aerospace Solutions and president of Marinvent. In those roles he has been devoted to innovations in the cockpit.
Final Flight
Christopher Shewokis, manager of the Rectrix Aerodrome facility at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly on November 4. He was 51.
Born Dec. 2, 1965 in Westfield, Massachusetts, Shewokis earned a degree in aviation and flight management from Daniel Webster College and began his aviation management career with Executive Flyers Aviation in Bedford. He then joined Signature Flight Support’s Bedford facility, remaining there for 25 years before taking his management role at Rectrix. In addition to his management duties, he was a private pilot.
“The Rectrix Aviation corporate family along with all of the Hanscom Field airport personnel as well as the general aviation community are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and coworker,” said Rectrix CEO Richard Cawley. “Chris was a true aviation professional, passionate about the industry, committed to safety, always attentive to his responsibilities and welcoming to everyone he encountered.”
He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Suzanne (Stanton) Shewokis and his two daughters, Sarah and Samantha Shewokis.
