NBAA’s Inaugural Military Connect Program Wraps With Inspiring Send-Off
Oct. 16, 2025
Military skills are transferable to business aviation, and the industry welcomes and needs people with these skill sets, panelists said during a session to close out NBAA’s inaugural Military Connect program at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).
NBAA’s Senior Vice President of Safety, Security, Sustainability and International Operations and former U.S. Navy submariner Doug Carr moderated the panel, which included:
- Michelle “MACE” Curran, a former USAF Thunderbird pilot, was on active duty for 13 years, flying F-16s and then flying with the Thunderbirds.
- Heather “Lucky” Penney, a former F-16 Pilot, joined the U.S. National Guard shortly after Congress opened combat pilot roles to women. She later transitioned from the F-16 to the Distinguished Visitors (DV) airlift team.
- Lloyd “Fig” Newton, retired four-start USAF general and chair emeritus of the NBAA Board of Directors, completed his degree at Tennessee State University and joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program. He was later was selected for the USAF Thunderbirds.
“I was leaving active duty before I really knew what I was doing after my service,” said Curran, now an entrepreneur and motivational speaker. “I wanted to translate the lessons I learned in the military to inspire other people, bringing that experience to business aviation and beyond.”
Many skills learned in the military transition to civilian careers, even for those who didn’t hold an aviation role in the military.
Carr’s own military career was inspired by the movie Top Gun, which drove him to join the Navy’s nuclear power program with a plan to go to Naval aviator school later. Those plans didn’t come to fruition, but his service resulted in a grant to continue his education at Southern Illinois University and attend flight school there. The skills he learned running are a nuclear reactor directly impacted his flight training experience.
“Every single military skillset has a home in business aviation,” Carr said.
Penney said the military isn’t just about skills, it’s about character. “Your ethos, your work ethic, your integrity – it’s about who the military shapes you to become,” she added.
Panelists encouraged attendees not to focus only on the education they received in the military but to realize the “get it done” mentality translates to the civilian world.
Newton encouraged military personnel to take a break and make a plan after leaving service – not jump at the first opportunity they find.
“The question is not whether you will be able to get a job, you will get a job,” said Newton. “The question is whenever you or you and your family can decide what it is you really want to do and where you want to do it.”
“Be ready for when the doors open and don’t have preconceptions about what your future might be,” said Penney.
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