Elite Jets, a southwest Florida-based charter aircraft service for affluent business and leisure travellers, has brought in two current employees for leadership roles.

Director of operations Matt Simpson is the company's new chief pilot. He succeeds Paul Scott, who remains an Elite Jets pilot but has stepped down from the leadership role for personal reasons.

In his new role, Simpson manages a team of nearly 20 pilots flying a fleet of four Embraer Phenom 300s, one Embraer Legacy 500, one Gulfstream G550 and a Bell 407 helicopter. As director of operations, he oversaw aircraft safety, pilot training programmes and overall regulatory compliance in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, as well as the company's day-to-day operations.

Succeeding Simpson as director of operations is Rodney Beeler, previously assistant director of operations. Beeler holds an Airline Transport Pilot Rating for A/BE-400, A-EMB 505, A/HS-125 and A/MU-300, amassing over 8,000 hours of flight time. A military veteran, he holds a bachelor of science degree in professional aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

“Matt and Rodney are a pair of consummate professionals who have made their marks on a team full of high performers,” says Stephen Myers, CAM, executive vice president at Elite Jets. “While we do look outside the company when it comes to bringing high-level candidates aboard, there was no need to in this case.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved both Beeler's and Simpson's new assignments as director of operations and chief pilot, respectively, after candidate reviews, oral exams and of course written documentation, Myers said.

Simpson, who captains the Phenom and Legacy, has logged nearly 20,000 hours of flight time during his career on mid-sized and large cabin aircraft. He is FAA-rated to fly multiple types of aircraft, including Challenger, Citation, Falcon, Global, Learjet, Legacy and Phenom models.

On the ground, the Kentucky native has managed an air ambulance service and owned a jet management company. He has also served as an aviation safety officer for a Fortune 500 company and is the appointed lead representative to the FAA's safety team that covers southwest Florida. Additionally, Simpson was an accredited auditor through International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), which develops best practices to help flight companies achieve high levels of safety and professionalism.

Simpson has completed aviation training and safety coursework at the University of Southern California and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is a veteran who served in the Kentucky Army National Guard as a non-commissioned officer; his son Patrick Teszler is also an Elite Jets pilot.