Allen Goad has been named president of Twin Commander Aircraft. Goad, who has more than 20 years of experience, was also tapped president of aerospace technology for parent company H-D Advanced Manufacturing.
Florent Chauvancy has been appointed executive vice president of OEM sales at Safran Helicopter Engines. Chauvancy was previously vice president for heavy helicopter engine programs at the company. Safran also appointed Giuseppe Curci executive vice president of finance and administration. Curci previously served as financial controller for the company.
Colleen Kelly has been appointed vice president of talent acquisition at Mente Group. Kelly previously served as vice president of client and talent relations at Aviation Personnel International.
Ametek MRO has appointed Jeff Chalupa to the position of division vice president and business manager for the Midwest. Chalupa previously served as vice president of operations and program management at Nordam.
Wheels Up named Eric Jacobs its new chief financial officer. Jacobs has more than 15 years of senior executive leadership experience.
Ronald Cinnella was appointed chief financial officer of Alerion Aviation. Cinnella previously served as chief financial officer and controller at Jet Aviation.
Nomad Aviation has appointed Christof Aregger its chief financial officer. Aregger previously served as a partner and management board member at Swiss Aviators.
Desert Jet has appointed Toby Benenson its chief operating officer. Benenson will be accountable for overall strategic direction and leadership of the company’s internal and external processes. Art Dawley was hired by Desert Jet as vice president of operations after previously serving as Wyvern’s chief executive officer. Desert Jet has also hired Joe Madrid as director of the company’s charter sales.
SmartSky Networks has named Nancy Walker chief commercial officer. Walker has more than 30 years of aerospace technology and IFC experience.
Dr. Adam Rasheed has taken the role of chief product officer with the Sentient Science executive team. Rasheed previously served as the digital technology leader at the Baker Hughes GE Oil and Gas Technology Center and has been recognized by MIT Technology Review Magazine as one of the world’s top 35 innovators.
Metro Aviation announced Brian Bihler as the new rotor wing chief pilot and Alan VanDoren as the company’s new assistant chief pilot. Bihler joined Metro in 2009 and previously served with the Charlotte (North Carolina) Police Department aviation unit. VanDoren has worked for Metro since 2017 as a Part 135 instructor and check airman.
Pam Day is the new director of FBO services at Jet Aviation’s Bedford, Massachusetts location. Day joined Jet Aviation in 2017 and has 30 years of customer service and operations experience.
Mike Hogan has joined jetAviva as sales director for the King Air product line. Hogan is a 5,000-hour ATP and is based in the Washington, D.C. area.
Guardian Flight has appointed Jared Sherman Alaska executive director. Sherman has held senior leadership positions in Alaska, with extensive air medical management experience in the state.
Cutter Aviation promoted Mark Wilson to Pilatus program director. Wilson has worked with Cutter for more than 15 years and most recently served as its senior business analyst.
Hunt and Palmer named Karen Farquharson director of business development. Farquharson, who most recently worked in senior management for Xtra Airways, brings more than 20 years of charter airline experience to the role.
Guardian Jet brought Mick Baumann on board as director of maintenance. Baumann previously served as an avionics technician for UTFlight and as a member of the AOG team at Bombardier Business Aircraft's Hartford service center.
Henry Kim is the new Bombardier Business Aircraft sales director for New Jersey, New York, and Delaware. Kim has more than 20 years of aviation experience in the commercial and private sectors.
Greg Laab has been appointed the new director of maintenance for Gemini Air Group. Laab will serve the company’s Part 145 MRO.
Cutter Aviation named Josh Kovac its new Pilatus regional sales manager in Texas and Colorado. Kovac is a former U.S. Marine Corps naval aviator and has focused on Pilatus aircraft since 2015.
FlightSafety International has named Pete Nily manager of the company’s academy in Vero Beach, Florida. Nily joined the company in 1999 and served with the U.S. Navy Reserve for eight years before joining FlightSafety. The company has also promoted Nancy Ritter to manager of the FlightSafety learning center in Orlando, Florida. Ritter has worked for FlightSafety since 1994 and served as manager of the company’s academy since 2012.
Western Aircraft announced John Petersen as the company’s new regional sales manager. Petersen previously worked for Honeywell and Gulfstream Aerospace.
Elliott Aviation has hired Brian Husa as regional sales manager. Husa will be responsible for executing regional sales strategies in the Midwest.
West Star Aviation has named Keith Schroeder regional sales manager. Schroeder, who has more than 40 years of aviation industry experience, will be responsible for the Midwest territory.
John Spellmeyer has joined Duncan Aviation as the company’s new regional avionics sales manager. Spellmeyer previously worked for Rockwell Collins and served 16 years in the United States Air Force. In addition, Leah Lenardic and Rebekah Williams have joined Duncan Aviation’s aircraft sales and acquisitions team. Lenardic will supplement the seven-member team and will work in market research and sales support. Dave Thompson joined the company as team leader for the first dedicated Falcon team at the company’s Provo, Utah facility.
Gary Corde has joined Ametek PDS as regional sales manager. Corde will provide coverage for the Northeast, upper Midwest, and Canada.
Jason Henson has been hired as the avionics manager of Elliott Aviation’s Des Moines location. Henson has nearly 20 years of AOG experience and was most recently an AOG technician for Constant Aviation’s Denver facility.
The Asian Business Aviation Association named Frank De, CEO of Sino Jet, to its board of governors. De has more than 15 years experience with the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
McCann FitzGerald has appointed Richard Gill a senior associate in the firm’s aviation and asset finance group. Gill acts for aviation lessors and financiers including AerCap, Nordic Aviation Capital, Orix Aviation, BOC Aviation, and GTLK Europe.
Acumen has announced Marco ClalĂĽna as a qualified ISTAT appraiser. ClalĂĽna is the associate vice president of valuation at Acumen and the company now has three certified ITSAT appraisers.
AVIAĂ‚ has appointed Clive Prentice a consultant. Prentice will specialize in MRO and technical services.
The Business Aviation Group has announced Kenneth F. Wiegand will be providing airport consulting services to the company’s clients. Wiegand previously served as the airport director and executive director of the McKinney, Texas, airport development corporation.
Liz Friedland is offering aviation consulting services including assistance with resumes, cover letters, and interview coaching. Friedland previously worked as a recruiter at Jet Professionals.
AWARDS AND HONORS
FlightSafety International president and CEO Bruce Whitman and the Corporate Angel Network are among the seven individuals and organizations to be enshrined by the International Air and Space Hall of Fame at this year’s induction celebration at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. The Hall of Fame has honored more than 200 air and space legends since 1963.
Honorees also include Peggy Whitson, the first female commander of the International Space Station; Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to go into space; and Brad Tilden, chairman and CEO of Alaska Air Group. Pilots to be honored include Lloyd “Fig” Newton, the first African American pilot in the United States Air Force Thunderbirds; and Richard I. Bong, America’s Ace of Aces and Medal of Honor recipient. The Air Charity Network will also be enshrined.
Rob Mark will be bestowed with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for 50 years of safe flying. Mark has been a pilot, flight instructor, air traffic controller, and writer.
Bill Ayer was presented with Angel Flight West’s Endeavor Award. Ayer is the chairman emeritus of Alaska Airlines and a member of NBAA’s board of directors.
FINAL FLIGHTS
Long-time business aviation executive John Rahilly died May 24 at his home in Southport, North Carolina, after a battle with brain cancer. He was 68. Rahilly had an aviation career that spanned more than 40 years and led him to senior roles at companies such as Canadair, K-C Aviation, Dassault Falcon Jet, and, most recently, Global Jet Services.
Born Sept. 8, 1949, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, Rahilly obtained his degree in aeronautical technology from the Wentworth Institute. During that time he met Linda Bartlett, who became his wife of 48 years.
After graduation he joined the U.S. Navy, becoming an anti-submarine warfare technician. He subsequently earned his FAA airframe & powerplant certificate from Northrop Institute in California and began his business aviation career with Canadair (now Bombardier) in Hartford, Connecticut.
He later joined K-C Aviation in Dallas, where he took on roles of increasing responsibility, eventually becoming president. He stayed on with Gulfstream after it acquired K-C Aviation before moving over to BBA Aviation as vice president of technical services, responsible for Signature Flight Support’s regional maintenance centers. His career then led him to Mercury Air Centers, where he became vice president of operations, and subsequently to Dassault Falcon Jet as vice president of sales and marketing. In 2009 he took a role with Alto Aviation before semi-retiring a year later and becoming an instructor with Global Jet Services, specializing in professional development courses.
“All of us at Global Jet Services are eternally grateful for his time with us and the sharing of his skills and aviation experience with his audience,” the company said. “John touched countless lives.”
Through NBAA, the family has created a John F. Rahilly Memorial Scholarship for Future A&P Technicians. Donations can be sent to NBAA at 1200 G St. NW, Suite 100, Washington, D.C. 20005.
Karl Detweiler, manager of accessories marketing and business development at Duncan Aviation, passed away on May 18. Detweiler worked at Duncan for nearly 22 years and provided marketing expertise, business development, technical support, and development of FAA-approved repairs for aircraft component repair and overhaul.
