David Davenport, co-CEO and president, commercial of FlightSafety International, has been elected president of The Wings Club Foundation, a global society of aviation professionals. The board of governors voted to elect Davenport during the Wings Club Annual Meeting held on 27 March, and he will serve a one-year term.

“It is an honour to be elected president of the Wings Club,” Davenport says. “This is an outstanding organisation with a rich history that has served and supported the aerospace community with excellence since 1942. I look forward to working with our members to advance the club’s mission to support aerospace education for young people, and to recognise and celebrate the accomplishments of our industry.”

As president, Davenport will set the strategic direction of the foundation for the upcoming year. He will serve as chairman of the executive committee, and preside over the annual meeting, board meetings, Annual Awards Gala and Aviation Leader series luncheons. He joins a distinguished group of aviation leaders who have previously served in the role including Bruce Whitman, former chairman, president and CEO of FlightSafety.

“My specific areas of focus for the upcoming year are to encourage young people to consider pursuing a career in aviation,” Davenport continues. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders. They are the future of our industry. We will be working with our members and aerospace companies and organisations to increase support for our annual scholarship grants in order to strengthen and broaden access to this important initiative.”

The Wings Club Foundation is a charitable organisation whose mission is to focus on initiatives aimed at supporting scholarships for students who will pursue a career in aviation or aerospace, providing programmes to educate in the field of aviation and supporting charitable organisations that use aviation to help those in need. The Wings Club Foundation comprises more than 1,300 members including industry leaders, pilots, professionals in related service organisations and students of aviation. Recognising significant achievements that contribute to the advancement of aviation and aeronautics, The Wings Club Foundation presents not only the Distinguished Achievement Award, but also the Outstanding Aviator Award and the Distinguished Scholar Awards.