Duncan Aviation has made leadership changes to its flight department: Craig Rathjen has been named director of flight operations and Jon Kroesche chief pilot of flight operations.

Rathjen will lead the day-to-day operations of the flight department. He has been in the aviation industry for the last 30 years and has been with Duncan since 1997. He aims to continue providing value to internal flight and external charter and management customers as well as facilitating professional growth and work-life balance for his fellow team members.

Kroesche will lead the flight crews within the department. He joined the company in 2002 and began his aviation career in 1996 after graduating from LeTourneau University. He has served in a variety of roles including flight instructor, mechanic and charter pilot. He says his top priority is to ensure Duncan Aviation pilots continue to “be fully confident in their abilities, familiar with the aircraft they fly and entirely knowledgeable of the regulations.”

COO Jeff Lake says Rathjen and Kroesche are longtime leaders in the flight department. “Duncan Aviation's flight department is in great hands with Craig and Jon's leadership,” he states. “Craig and Jon have impressive resumes as pilots, and they have exceptional knowledge of the regulations. Both Craig and Jon's first priority has always been the safe operation of the aircraft and the safety of their passengers.”

Duncan has also named Todd Shriner as technical representative for Bombardier products. In this position, he will provide troubleshooting and technical support for customers who operate Global, Challenger and Learjet aircraft, as well as to company airframe maintenance teams.

Shriner has been a lead mechanic in Duncan Aviation's airframe department since 2009 and says he is looking forward to providing the continued exceptional service that customers have come to expect from the facility.

Airframe manager Jeremy Rangel is pleased to have him onboard: “Todd comes to the tech rep team with more than 12 years of Bombarder experience ranging from Learjets to Globals. He has been an instrumental part of our Bombardier programme and will continue to be a top tier troubleshooting resource for Duncan Aviation and its customers.”