Washington, DC – Jim Cannon, an accomplished airman, author, and advocate in business aviation, will be honored this year with the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) John H. Winant Award.
The Winant Award recognizes former NBAA directors whose service to business aviation continues well beyond their tenure on NBAA’s Board of Directors. Winant’s association with NBAA extended over five decades. Elected to the Association’s Board of Directors in 1957, he served in all of NBAA’s volunteer-elected officer positions, including what was then president from 1961 to 1964, and remained on the Board until his appointment as chief staff executive in 1971. Winant served as NBAA president from 1971 until 1986.
Even in retirement, Winant remained active in his support for NBAA and business aviation. He served on two aviation industry non-profit boards for three years after his retirement. In 1989, Winant authored Keep Business Flying, which covered the development of business aviation and NBAA from 1947 to 1986. He later co-authored NBAA Works, which catalogued the spirit and achievement of NBAA from 1986 to 2002. Throughout his life, Winant provided valuable counsel to NBAA presidents, Board members and senior executives.
Jim Cannon’s service to the business aviation community likewise spans decades and includes a variety of noteworthy accomplishments for the industry. Cannon has served as Chairman on the “local committee” that has been critical in the success of the Association’s Atlanta-based Conventions. Additionally, he coauthored a forthcoming textbook about business aviation with a professor at Embry-Riddle University. He has been a leader in pilot-mentoring programs, and is currently promoting business aviation safety as program director for the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operators – a code of safety best practices produced by the International Business Aviation Council. He worked as an IS-BAO auditor for a year before assuming his role with IBAC overseeing the program.
“Jim Cannon has been a steadfast, effective advocate for business aviation in the years following his work on NBAA’s Board of Directors,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “His many contributions have strengthened the business aviation community, and his legacy of service to the industry has set a standard for others to follow. We are honored to recognize Jim’s dedication with the John H. Winant Award.”
A skilled U.S. Navy aviator and former member of NBAA’s Board of Directors, Cannon’s business aviation career began in 1973, as a co-pilot in the flight department with W.R. Grace Corporation. In 1985, Cannon founded Jet Professionals, a global business aviation staffing firm that matched companies in need of both short- and- long-term flightcrews with pilots eager for work.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Cannon worked as chief pilot and director of flight operations for several companies, and served as a consultant for manufacturers such as Bombardier. He has written more than 60 professional articles for various publications throughout his career. He was a member of the first class of Embry-Riddle’s PhD program, which began in January 2010.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.