March 28, 2017
Business aviation transcends national borders, connecting people and economies around the world. NBAA’s Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) program continues this international tradition as it expands beyond its U.S. origins to bring its tenets of professionalism and continuing education to aviation managers across the globe.
“The CAM program is standardizing the guidelines for the successful performance of aviation managerial duties,” said André Danita, CAM, chief pilot of a Dassault Falcon 7X based in São Paulo, Brazil.
Danita earned his CAM certification in January, the latest chapter of a professional development journey that began nearly 20 years earlier at small charter company in his hometown of São Paulo.
“It was a young company at that time that grew at a very fast pace, so my opportunities also soared along with the company,” said Danita. “That’s when I felt that I had discovered my passion for management.”
In 2012, when Danita was offered the opportunity to lead the flight operation of his current company, he remembered learning about the CAM program while attending leadership-related NBAA Professional Development Program (PDP) courses, and decided pursuing CAM certification would be a valuable benefit as he built the flight department culture from scratch.
“Preparing myself for the CAM exam would surely help me simultaneously broaden my knowledge and pursue my certification goal – it was a perfect match for that moment in my career,” said Danita.
Danita found the exam preparation process rewarding for both him and his flight department, and said that, despite the program’s U.S. origins, the knowledge, skills and abilities tested during the CAM exam were applicable to his daily duties and operations.
“Just a small part of it [CAM] is specific to the U.S. managers, so I don’t think this is in any sense something that would diminish the importance of this certification for international managers,” said Danita.
As the South American business aviation market continues to emerge on the global stage, Danita says the adoption of best practices and certification of professionals is paramount. He has become an advocate for CAM within the Brazilian aviation community and urges local business aviation associations in international markets to promote the program’s universal relevance to aviation managers of all nationalities.
“I strongly believe, in spite of the CAM having been born in the U.S., that operators worldwide should acknowledge the value of this program” said Danita.
In addition to Danita, the following people recently passed the CAM exam.
- Christopher D. Bongiorni
- Chris Kohler
- Robert G. Mason
- Joseph Valente
Learn more about NBAA’s CAM program.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.