The Business Aviation Podcast

This episode’s guest is Chris Salley, Sales and Marketing Manager for FBO and 145 Services at National Jets.

Chris has an undergraduate degree from Jacksonville University in Aviation Management, and an MBA in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

He has previously held positions in marketing, sales and operations for Dassault, SchedAero and Wyvern, and has produced outstanding results wherever he’s worked.

On this episode we talk about aviation education, learning sales, taking on responsibilities outside your job description, listening to customers, and more.

This episode’s guest is Stephanie Chung, President of JetSuite.

Stephanie has spent over 35 years working in both commercial and private aviation, including 13 years at Flexjet, where she was a Vice President before joining JetSuite.

She has consistently been in the top of her field selling throughout her career, and has authored several books, as well as created her own sales methodology called Neuroscience Selling.

Stephanie also owns her own consulting and coaching firm, specializing in leadership communication and high-ticket selling.

On this episode we talk about her career progression through aviation, overcoming failure early to reach her sales success, how to hire and make great leaders, and much, much more.

This episode’s guest is Lee Brewster.

Lee is currently the Director of Product Marketing with Flightdocs, a software company that focuses on maintenance tracking, inventory control, scheduling and operations.

Lee started her career in aviation as a student worker at Tarrant County College’s Part 147 Aviation Maintenance program. This eventually transformed into a full time position allowing her to be involved in the National Science Foundation Grant that became the National Center for Aerospace & Transportation Technologies, or NCATT, which she worked on for 10 years.

She has since held positions with ASTM, FlightSafety, and her current position at Flightdocs, and also serves on the NBAA Maintenance Committee and the Advisory Committee for Tarrant County College’s Aviation Programs.

In this episode we talk about learning on the job, how to listen well, finding what you’re good at, servant leadership, and more.

This episode’s guest is Alex Marks.

Alex is a pilot currently based in Chicago as a Senior Captain for a Fortune 100 company.  He’s maintained a lifelong passion for aviation, and has worked in many different facets of business aviation, from Part 135 charter, to OEMs, aircraft sales & consulting and flight instruction.

He has an undergraduate degree from Purdue, an MBA from Southern Methodist University, and received his CAM credential in 2015.

Alex is also a member of the board of directors for the Chicago Area Business Aviation Association, the NBAA Young Professionals Council and the NBAA CAM Exam Question Writing Committee.

He’s an avid traveler with a wide variety of interests that range from 3D printing and welding to playing the banjo.  

In this episode we talk about Part 91 vs. 135, networking and opportunities within business aviation, continuing education, and more.

This episode’s guest is Neil Capano.

Neil is the founder of YonderWest Aero, a company helping small flight departments with aircraft scheduling solutions, Executive Director of the Northern California Business Aviation Association, and Director of Aircraft Dispatch and Station Operations for Air Transport Business Development (ATBD).

He’s a licensed dispatcher and has worked for a number of companies in the past, including Surf Air, Gama Aviation, Delta Air Lines and more. He’s also a wine enthusiast and is currently developing his own wine label.

In this episode we talk about Neil’s non-traditional career path, what he’s learned from his experience in many different types of companies, including helping aviation startups, and how he made the leap from employee to founder of YonderWest.

This episode’s guest is Zach Ungerleider, Aftermarket Sales Manager at Textron Aviation.

Zach is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Bachelors of Science in Aviation Business Administration, and is currently studying for his MBA.

He is a private pilot with instrument rating, as well as a certified Airframe & Powerplant mechanic.  He’s worked in various aspects of aviation maintenance and service for his whole career.

In this episode, we talk about his persistence in getting into the aviation industry, why he’s pursued his education, his love for flying remote control planes and modifying muscle cars, and more.

This episode’s guest is Emily White, Director of Sales at Avianis.

Emily studied Psychology before entering the aviation world as a Flight Follower for Florida Coastal Airlines.  Since then, she has held a wide variety of roles from scheduler, to flight operations manager, to charter sales, and her current position as Director of Sales for Avianis.

She’s an FAA Licensed Dispatcher and is a board member for the National Business Aviation Association Scheduler’s & Dispatcher’s Committee.

In this episode we talk about how Emily got into the industry, why she loves it so much, how she’s been successful across a wide variety of positions, her love for cycling and horseback riding, and much more.

This episode’s guest is Sebastien Roy my cofounder, CEO and the person behind the original idea for Lean Systems.

Seb grew up in Sherbrooke, Quebec, in Canada, and did his undergrad, master’s and Ph.D at Universite de Sherbrooke in Physics, with his graduate work focusing on superconductivity.  

After his post-graduate work, he began working at AD-OPT, an operations research company specializing in solving optimization problems like crew scheduling for some of the world’s top commercial aviation companies.

This conversation is in a Q&A format, and we talk about everything from the basic definition of optimization and where it’s applied, to advanced use cases in aviation, data management best practices, and more.

This episode’s guest is Kellie Rittenhouse, Director of Aviation at Hangar Aviation Management. 

Kellie started work in the aviation world at an FBO, and has since held a wide variety of positions, including customer service rep, charter salesperson, scheduler/dispatcher, and flight operations center manager, just to name a few.

She’s an FAA Licensed Dispatcher and Certified Aviation Manager, and has served on numerous committees and boards, including the National Business Aviation Association Scheduler’s & Dispatcher’s Committee, the Advisory Council, the CAM Governing Board, and the Michigan Business Aviation Association Board of Directors.

In this episode we talk about Kellie’s career progression, some of the setbacks she’s faced, her passion for customer service and fostering team collaboration, and more.

This episode’s guest is Gene Bishop, who is currently Captain and Department Safety Manager at a private flight department, flying Gulfstream G-IVs and an AStar helicopter in Birmingham, Alabama.

Gene was born and raised in Los Angeles, is a former US Army aviator, both helicopters and fixed-wing, and an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran.  He flew EMS helicopters for ten years, and also manages several large Facebook groups dedicated to promoting aviation safety and helping aviation professionals chart their career paths.

In this episode we talk about Gene’s own career path through the US Army and various roles, including as an EMS pilot, some of the stories he has about aviation safety, his advice for aviation professionals in figuring out their career path, and much more.