King Aerospace has made two management changes. Steve Sawyer has been named general manager of operations for King Aerospace Commercial Corporation, a provider of corporate aircraft services. He will oversee its MRO campus in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Dean Nelson, formerly deputy programme manager for CONUS, assumes Sawyer's previous role as SEMA programme manager for King Aerospace.

Sawyer is a retired U.S. Navy master chief with 30 years of service. His experience includes managing 66 technical facilities conducting full-cycle repair of engines, electronics, hydraulics, life support, ordnance equipment and support equipment relative to McDonnell Douglas F/A-18, Lockheed C-130 and P-3 aircraft. He was responsible for the training, certification, safety and welfare of more than 500 military and civilian specialised technicians and managed an annual $8 million operational budget and a $500,000 training budget, achieving a 98% production success rate supporting almost 100 Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

Sawyer’s expertise in fleet logistics extends to Boeing 737 (C-40), McDonnell Douglas C-9, Lockheed C-130, and Gulfstream G-III/G-IV/G-V aircraft. He managed aircraft maintenance programme compliance, quality assurance standards and logistics support requirements for 17 separate units worldwide operating more than 65 of these aircraft. Sawyer had responsibility for overseas aircraft replacement parts warehouses supporting 300,000 line items. Sawyer was a certified FAA and EASA FlightSafety International Pratt and Whitney engine maintenance instructor.

Sawyer joined King Aerospace five years ago as programme manager for its contractor logistics support work as a subcontractor for special-operation military aircraft. The contract was awarded in 2017 with options extending to 2026. The scope expanded in 2020 to include a dozen additional locations.

“The commitment King Aerospace team members have to one another is automatic,” says Sawyer. “We sit down, roll up our sleeves and figure out how we’re going to make things work. We serve in a dynamic, often high-pressure environment, so it means everything that we have each other’s back.”

Dean Nelson also served 30 years in the Navy, where, as an E9 maintenance master chief and command master chief, he had responsibility for aircraft quality assurance, maintenance production, unit programmes, policies and personnel placements. He managed the maintenance and administrative efforts of more than 200 personnel maintaining a dozen F/A-18 aircraft. The squadron achieved high levels of success that led to maintenance excellence awards and being named the US Navy Squadron of the Year. Most recently he served as a Gulfstream GIV maintenance instructor for FlightSafety International.

“Providing contractor logistics support demands an unwavering 24/7 commitment,” says Nelson. “The focus and camaraderie here make it very similar to being in the military.”

“These proven leaders will work alongside our dedicated workforce to continually burnish the King Aerospace gold wings,” says Jarid King, King Aerospace president. “Team members do not simply get their wings. They earn them, and daily earn the right to wear them. Steve and Dean know how to lift up and inspire teams to make a positive difference. Their leadership doesn’t just move mountains. It gets planes in the air safely, quickly and cost effectively.”