Take Risks, Seize Opportunities: Career Advice From Business Aviation Leaders

May 6, 2026

Looking to expand your career options or grow into a leadership role? Cultivate a mindset that welcomes opportunity and accepts calculated risk.

Panelists at a session on exploring career opportunities in business aviation, which took place at the NBAA Maintenance Conference, said this was some of the best advice they had for people starting out in their careers or looking for new opportunities.

“You’ve got to take some risk and be willing to explore that next step,” said Stan Younger, dean of academic operations at Hallmark University, who leads the College of Aeronautics, School of Business and School of IT. “You’ve got to get out of your comfort zone.”

Maintenance professionals are generally risk averse – for good reason – Younger noted, adding that good leaders and managers will work with their employees to help them take that next step in their careers. Investing in employee development is the most effective path to building a loyal, long-term workforce.

Risk Leads to Reward

When Alfredo Garcia, now director of sales and business at ACI Jet, previously worked for Cessna Aircraft Company in California, he learned the service center where he worked was closing and he would have to move to Arizona.

Due to family considerations, he was unable to move but wanted to keep his job. So, Garcia took the initiative to write up a business plan that would allow him to work from home – at a time when remote work wasn’t as prevalent as it is now.

After first being told the company wouldn’t allow him to work from home, Garcia’s boss – Younger – called him and said he could do it as a six-month pilot program.

“That single event shaped who I am now,” said Garcia.

More Than a Job

Lynze Norris, an aircraft program manager for a Fortune 100 Part 91 flight operation, noted the importance of doing a job that fulfills you.

“You can be really good at doing something, but it may not be something that fulfills you at the end of the day,” she said, adding that it’s important to look at a potential employer’s core values to ensure they align with your own.

Her other advice: work on transferable skills, such as communications, and have an open mind.

How Are You Preparing for Your Next Career Move?

NBAA Maintenance Committee Chair and panel moderator Lee Brewster, CAM, vice president at Thoroughbred Aviation, talked about the importance of finding not only mentors, but sponsors who can introduce you to people and generally take initiatives to help you.

“Sometimes they recognize things in someone they don’t recognize themselves,” she said. “Build those relationships and your connections and your network. When you have an opportunity to influence – do it.”

Younger agreed, “The gift you get back from being a mentor is satisfaction.”

“At the end of the day, mentorship is having a conversation,” added Norris, who also encouraged attendees to reach out to their local high schools and introduce the industry to students.

Garcia said that, while he has mentored many people over the course of his career, he encouraged workers who have been in the industry for many years to find a younger mentor.

“We help each other out. It’s powerful,” he said.

Career Challenges

Younger said the greatest obstacle he faced was “learning the business of the business,” and learning how inefficiencies affect profitability for a company.

Brewster agreed, “We’re in business aviation, but we need to know the business of aviation.” It’s important to learn the “language” of the company you work for, not just the flight department.

The bottom line from the panelists: Learn from mistakes. If something goes wrong, take a step back, examine it and move on.

As Younger said: “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”