Hawker Beechcraft named Russ Meyer III the company’s director of new product development. Meyer, son of the former Cessna chairman, was most recently program manager for Cessna’s Citation Mustang program.
Walter (Woody) Hogle has been named senior vice president for international business and Washington operations at Rockwell Collins. He was previously vice president and general manager of integrated systems for Rockwell Collins Government Systems.
Cirrus Design CFO Brent Wouters has been named president and COO of the company.
Christian Kennedy has joined Guardian Jet as executive vice president. He was previously vice president of Eastern sales for XOJet.
Aspen Avionics has appointed Kyle Farley vice president of manufacturing. He was most recently vice president of manufacturing operations.
NATA’s Air Charter Safety Foundation has appointed Jacqueline Rosser its executive director. Rosser replaces Lindsey McFarren, who joined the TSA’s general aviation branch.
Kristen Moore has joined NATA as director of legislative affairs.
Airports Council International-North America has promoted Scott Weaver to vice president of government and political affairs. He has served as director of government affairs since February 2007. The association has also named Monica Hargrove Kemp general counsel.
Former Frontier Airlines executive vice president and CFO Paul Tate has been named COO of Denver-based emergency air medical transportation provider Air Methods.
Theodore Weise and Carol Hallett have joined the board of directors of Pogo Jet. Weise is the former president and CEO of FedEx and Hallett previously served as president and CEO of the Air Transport Association.
Crane Aerospace & Electronics appointed George New director of quality for the company’s aerospace group.
Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based ExcelAire has hired Bob Weinwurzel as vice president of flight operations.
European executive charter firm Blink has added the following people to its flight operations team: Douglas Gass, flight operations director and chief pilot; Redvers Blake, general manager of flight training; and Graham Howard, general manager of fleet standards.
Dallas-based Business Jet Access has appointed David Martin chief inspector for the company’s aircraft charter and management divisions.
CAE has named new managers at its international facilities. Walter Visser will be managing director of Emirates-CAE Flight Training; Rudy Toering has been named general manager for the company’s training centers in Canada; and Steven Lee has been named general manager of the Zhuhai Flight Training Centre, CAE’s joint venture with China Southern Airlines; and Martin Williamson was named general manager for the training center in Kuala Lumpur.
Gulfstream has appointed Wayne Burk director of sales for material services. The company has also named Emery “Kip” Wiltse senior program administrator for final phase/service center, supplemental type certificates.
White Plains, N.Y.-based Safe Flight Instrument has announced the following promotions: Joe Wilson, COO; Tom Grunbeck, senior v-p of sales and marketing; and Matthew Greene, v-p of marketing.
Avidyne has named Peter Ring an inside sales representative.
Duncan Aviation announced the following appointments: Shane Heier, turbine engines service tech rep for the Honeywell line, and Vince Cruickshank, Gulfstream inventory manager for the company’s component solutions division.
Stephen Woolstenhulme has been named president of Lake Texoma Jet Center and Red River Turbines, both located in Denison, Texas.
Midcoast Aviation has appointed Steve Bates to head the completions and modifications program at its facility at St. Louis Downtown Airport.
Joseph Smith has been named a senior quality manager at Leominster, Mass.-based Alto Aviation.
General Dynamics Aviation Services has named Brian Waymire general manager of its Las Vegas facility.
JetCorp has announced the following appointments: Anthony Sanchez, national v-p of customer service; Burton Schriber, Eastern regional sales manager; and Sam Mansolino, Western regional sales manager.
Landmark Aviation/Standard Aero appointed Mike Woodward turboprop sales manager for the PT6A, PW100 and TPE331. His territory will include all of Canada.
Darrell Northern has been named general manager of Landmark’s Dallas facility.
Allison Ohlinger has been promoted to manager of customer service at Flightline Tallahassee FBO.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based CRS Jet Spares has added Emmanuel d’Hoop as an international sales representative.
Terry Flynn has been named global sales manager at JSSI. He has been with the company for 11 years.
Florida Jet Center appointed Dave Molsberry avionics department manager.
Douglas Abbey joined investment banking and advisory group Seabury Group
as senior vice president. Alan Sbarra also joined the company as vice president.
Awards and Honors
The General Aviation Awards Program has named Garmin G1000 expert and author Max Trescott the 2008 National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year. He is a master CFI and a master ground instructor and teaches flying at Palo Alto, Calif. airport.
Final Flights
George Litchford Sr., aviation inventor who developed elements of the system that eventually became TCAS, died on February 28. He was 89.
Donald Lopez, deputy director of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), author and World War II ace, died March 3 in Durham, N.C. He was 84. Up until his final week, Lopez worked a regular schedule. He started at the Smithsonian Institution in 1972 developing the exhibits for the 1976 opening of the NASM, now the world’s most visited museum.
Before joining the museum, Lopez was already a legendary figure in aviation. During his two years of service as a fighter pilot in the 23rd Fighter Group of the 14th Air Force, he flew 101 combat missions and tallied five victories.
He is survived by his wife, a son, a daughter and one granddaughter.
Oliver Foot, president of Orbis International, died on February 6 at the age of 61. He had led Project Orbis, the humanitarian effort by doctors, nurses and aircrew to save sight worldwide, since his appointment as executive director in 1982 and as president in 1987. Founded 25 years ago, the Orbis flying hospital has treated 4.4 million people for blindness-related diseases and conditions in 85 countries, and trained 154,000 eyecare professionals in those countries to continue the mission of saving sight. Oliver Foot led fundraising efforts that shook loose more than $200 million. The most generous single benefactor has been FlightSafety founder and chairman Al Ueltschi, who said of Foot: “There are no words I can write to adequately measure Oliver Foot’s immense contribution to the growth and mission of Orbis International. He touched the lives of so many with his enthusiasm, humor, friendship and spirit.”
