Retirees Are Ideal Industry Ambassadors

Paul Maupin enjoyed his career as an aviation department manager for a large Alabama financial institution. Now retired and chair of the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, AL, he enjoys talking with museum visitors about his career in business aviation.

“I say hello to everybody I see in the museum,” said Maupin. “I tell them about my corporate [aviation] position and that it was the best job anywhere.”

Maupin belongs to a special and important subset of business aviation advocates – those who have retired and can now serve as ambassadors for the industry.

“With all their knowledge and enthusiasm, aviation retirees are ideally suited to advocate for the industry and promote its job prospects to students, teachers, parents or anyone who is unaware of the opportunities,” said Patrick Haller, NBAA’s senior director of membership and member services. “Retirees speak compellingly from personal experience, putting an actual face to a career in business aviation.”

At the Southern Museum of Flight, Maupin especially enjoys speaking to students about the benefits of being a business aircraft pilot.

“I tell young people about how you can usually be home at night, that you usually aren’t flying strangers…and how you can say ‘no’ to a flight if you think it’s not safe,” he said. “Usually, they had no idea that flying for businesses was a career option.”

John White retired after a distinguished career that culminated as vice president of aviation for Valero Energy Inc. He also was a member of NBAA’s board of directors.

Now, White is pleased to advocate for GA in Texas as a member of the Texas Aviation Advisory Committee, which provides information to Texas Department of Transportation commissioners about GA airport issues and operations in the state.

“We serve as ambassadors for general aviation,” explained White, who was also instrumental in the formation of Texans for General Aviation, a statewide advocacy group.