July 13, 2015
NBAA marked the passing of James Holahan, the founding editor of Aviation International News (AIN), who died July 4 at his home in Saddle River, NJ, at the age of 94.
Holahan founded The Convention News Company in 1972 along with current AIN Managing Director Wilson Leach and served for 27 years as the AIN group’s editor-in-chief before retiring in December 1998. Two years earlier, Holahan received the inaugural NBAA Platinum Wing Award in recognition of his lifetime of achievement and excellence in journalism.
“James Holahan was one of the leading aviation writers who has ever covered our industry, tracing the growth of business aviation from its formative years in the 1950s through the globalization of the business in the 1990s,” noted NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “His flying experience, coupled with his broad knowledge of aviation, made him a keen observer and chronicler of how business aviation has evolved and matured.”
Holahan was born Feb. 25, 1921 in Jersey City, NJ, and attended Regis High School in New York City. In 1946 he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he earned his wings flying Lockheed Lightning P-38s and received training in avionics repair and maintenance. Later he worked as a radio engineer with Western Electric and flew F-80 jet fighters with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.
Holahan started his writing career in 1955 with Aviation Age, which later became Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine. Before helping establish AIN, Holahan also served as editor of Business and Commercial Aviation Magazine.
Holahan is survived by his wife of 67 years, Madaline, and five children – James, Elayne, Philip, Sharon and Paul – as well as 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.