The Leadership Pipeline Business Aviation Isn’t Building w/ Dan Wolfe
Business aviation has spent years talking about talent shortages, leadership gaps, and the difficulty of attracting the next generation. But the deeper problem may be what happens after people enter the industry. Too many flight departments rely on informal knowledge...
Flight Dept Conflict Is Rarely About the First Problem You See w/ Kellie Rittenhouse
What if conflict in a flight department is rarely about the first problem you see? In business aviation, pressure tests more than the aircraft, the schedule, or the procedures. It tests the culture behind the operation. Kellie Rittenhouse, Director of Aviation and...
Before the Seat Is Empty: What It Takes to Develop Tomorrow’s Flight Dept Leaders w/ Dr. John Gale
Flight departments often think carefully about aircraft, safety systems, operations, budgets, and compliance. But the same level of intentionality is not always applied to people. Development is too often treated as something that happens after someone shows promise,...
The Cost of Reactive Flight Department Leadership w/ Dylan Miller and Max Palmer
What happens when the compensation market moves faster than your flight department? Business aviation compensation continues to outpace the salary increases offered by many corporations. Yet leaders often do not recognize how far behind they have fallen until a valued...
Employment Law Questions Every Aviation Director Should Be Asking w/ Mike Nichols
Employment regulations are one of those leadership responsibilities aviation directors know they cannot ignore. But knowing they matter is not the same as knowing where the real risks are. A flight department can be highly disciplined about FAA compliance, safety,...
The Flight Departments That Win Talent Before They Need It w/ Sheryl Barden
Flight departments often feel the pressure of hiring only after someone leaves. But by then, the real work may already be overdue. In business aviation, attracting and retaining talent is no longer just about compensation, type ratings, or filling an open seat. The...
Flight Dept Leadership Isn’t Corporate Leadership With Airplanes w/ Matt Johnson
Leadership in business aviation carries a weight most corporate leaders never have to think about. Aviation directors aren’t simply managing schedules, aircraft, people, and budgets. They are leading an operation where poor decisions can have life-and-death...
“Best Person for the Job” Is More Complicated Than Flight Depts Think w/ Jennifer Pickerel
For years, business aviation has relied on familiar hiring patterns: the known network, the same backgrounds, the same assumptions about who is “qualified,” and the same narrow definitions of merit. But in an industry facing real talent pressure, that approach is...
Promoted but Unprepared: The Truth About Going from Technician to Leader w/ Matt Gray & Jamie Stember
Most leadership roles in business aviation aren’t earned; they’re inherited. The best pilot becomes the chief pilot. The strongest technician becomes the manager. And suddenly, someone trained to execute is expected to lead. But leadership isn’t an extension of...
The Aviation Director Role Has Changed, Most Leaders Haven’t w/ Steve Brechter
Flight departments are no longer operating in the environment they were built for. It used to be a CEO-aligned function. Now it’s often pushed deeper into the organization. Reporting to leaders who may not even use the aircraft, competing for budget, and forced to...